hassan rouhani, is he offering more than cosmetic change? >> this is a guy that was popularly elected, and he's a reformer and he has some credibility. and not just that he's saying nice things to us. >> can i stop you there? we call him a reformer, and why is he thought of as a reformer? >> one thing, the first thing that iran did domestically, he released prisoners. and that's what constitutes politically acceptable behavior within iran. so clearly, he believes that a certain easing up of political conformity inside of the country is necessary. and i don't think this is just to us, but it's real. and i think that he's responding to a clear, popular mandate in iran for a more open, more liberal posture toward the world. this is a country that has suffered tremendously from sanctions. >> and i want to get to that, but i want to take bits and pieces of the speeches that we heard yesterday. and i want to play some of them. so let's start with president obama. >> i don't believe his political history can be overcome overnight. the suspicions ru

. >> israeli president benyamin netanyahu challenges president hassan rouhani's charm offensive. benyamin netanyahu will speak in front of the general assembly on tuesday. he hopes to challenge perceptions that iran is less of a nuclear threat under president hassan rouhani. >> israel has arrested a man they believe is a spy for iran. shin bet says the man is a belgium citizen recruited by the iranian revolutionary guard. >> for israel much dependents on the visit between israeli and washington, the visit by benyamin netanyahu. he made it clear it's a time for straight talking. >> translation: i'll represent the citizens of israel, our national tra, rights of people, determination to defend ourselves and hope for piece. i'll tell the truth in the face of sweet talk and onslaught of files. one must talk facts and tell the truth. telling the truth is vital for the security and peace of the world. >> president obama's historic phone call may have been hailed as a breakthrough. in israel it is seen differently. political analyst are urging caution in the spirit of improving relations

hassan rouhani is playing it very carefully. he wants to appease international community and relief iran of external pressures but he wants to appease the opinions of the iranian people. most iranians do want better relations with the rest of the world, including the united states. but some won't be moved. and for hard liners there is little optimism in these talks. al jazeera, tehran. >> muslims in kenya are now worried of becoming the target of a violent backlash. al-shabab carried out attacks specifically against muslims. now we have more reports from the kenyan capital. >> reporter: her husband has been arrested on suspicion of being involved in the westgate mall attack. for six days she has been searching for him but without success. she said that her husband is innocent, and he had taken his employer's daughters to the mall that day. he was injured during the attack. >> it would be good to visit him. my husband is not a terrorist. i believe they arrested him just because he has a muslim name. >> reporter: once again their

iran's newly elected president hassan rouhani will address the ceremony. with us for more is professor of sociology at the university of san diego who has written about the middle east and is an associate fellow based in amsterdam. good to have you with us, tom. >> good to be here. >> a few weeks ago we were at the brink of war with syria. what is behind issues with iran. >> decades ago people wanted peace. the government was one day going to have to get out the way and let them have it. there was a peace resolution in u.s., britain and the iran. >> do you feel a threat of force played a role in this? >> actually, i'm skeptical about that. the threat of force during the bush administration was something that led to the end of the negotiations between the u.s. and iran in relation to the weapons program. telling back from the use of force paved the way for a diplomatic solution. we are seeing forceful diplomacy, not military force. >> there are skeptics saying iran can't be trusted. what will the visit for the united states mean for iran? >> it's a matter o

hassan rouhani is playing it very carefully. he wants to appease the international community and rid iran of external pressures, but he also has to face the opinions of the people. most iranians do want better relations with the rest of the world, including the united states. but some won't be moved, and for hard linerers there is little optimism in these talks. >>> still to come . . . >> translator: there is no food. is nothing left to eat. >> aid agencies warn of mass starvation . and we look at [ inaudible ] in columbia, after the biggest football match is called off. ♪ ♪ >>> welcome back to al jazeera. top stories at that hour. protests organized by the anti-coup alliance with taking place in several cities across egypt. a court ordered the banning of muslim brotherhood activities and ordered the seizure of its assets last week. >>> a car bomb has gone off outside of damascus, and dozens are said to have been killed. >>> iran and the u.s. have held the highest level talks. iran talked about months that the nuclear progra

it comes days after the historic phone call with iranian president hassan rouhani. as you may remember, john, before coming to d.c. netanyahu said he would tell the truth despite sweet talk from iran. are we expecting a friendly meeting? >> i think friendship is something that these two men will ever achieve. they plainly loathe each other. we know this because we've caught them snarling at each other. president obama did not go to israeli. they didn't meet at the u.n. general assembly a couple of sessions ago, and so friendship is not something that they will move towards. the united states and israel are the best of friends. they are the closest of allies in the whole world and particularly in the middle east region. that is not going say. with president rouhani making nice to the united states, that does present something of a democrat ma to prime minister netanyahu. we just have to see. not only is there a new town, but about there is likely to be a new tone between washington and tel aviv. >> when we get down to it, john. what are both men looking to get out ou

rouhani is in this position now? is it ideologically he is against nuclear weapons or is there pressure from the iranian citizenry. >> a combination of sorts. in 2003-05 when he was nuclear negotiator for iran, he would reduce tensions. that was in his background. also the signal sent by the iranian people, although they didn't have a choice of what candidates to run, when given the slate they chose the most mamoderate candidate and gave hm their endorsement overwhelming overwhelmingly. for a moment the supreme leader is willing to empower rouhani to seek a deal. that will not last forever, but they need to act. >> just a thought. when sanctions are hut in place, is it because they have feeling in iran, feeling pressurized their standard of living has gone down. does that show that sanctions actually do work? >> sanctions clearly have had an impact on irani calculations. that is the goal from the american perspective. trying to make sure that the iranian government, the leadership, does make the choice to come to the

i communicated to president hassan rouhani my deep respect for the iranian people. >> for his sign a sign that things are changing. >> >> translation: hearing mr obama, the president of the united states, he sounds different compared to the past. i view it as a positive step. >> the presidential poll came after this historic meeting, which brought iran's foreign minister and the u.s. secretary of state together. the last time any two leaders of the two countries spoke was in 1979. jimmy carter was in the white house, barbar was ruling iran. >> relations have been strained for decades. there's a feeling that improved relations between the two unlock a number of international issues - most notably bringing the syrian leadership to a new peace conference in geneva. the new iranian president has been described as a moderate. his actions suggest there's a new attitude in tehran, bringing a new attitude in its dealings with a nation once revialed as the great satan. >> dealing with sanctions from the u.n., the u.s. and alyis for failure to suspend iranian enrichment. the material could be

hassan rouhani's arrival, chanting death to america. one hurled a shoe in hassan rouhani's direction. >> egypt's government is saying it plans to end a transitional phase of its rule by spring, after holding elections. foreign minister made the announcement earlier today at the united nations. the interim regime has been in control since overthrowing mohamed morsi last july. james bays has the latest. >> what a difference a day makes. a year ago i covered a general assembly, and a vip, a heavy hitter among the world leaders in new york was egypt's president mohamed morsi. now, of course, the man who was egypt's first democraticsly elected leader is behind bars. we heard from the foreign minister that they hoped to return to a democratic path soon. there were protests. this time not in tahir sqare, but off first avenue. there were two rival camps of protesters, the group nearest to the u.n. were those that backed the military backed government and kept away from the united nations, a larger group, supporting president mohamed morsi. the

as a whole. >> what does rouhani need to do to has the test? >> i think there are a whole series of issues as you know in order for steps to be taken, verify what is happening, and be sure that certain clear thresholds are not being passed. i think in the next couple of days there is a meeting of international atomic agency in vienna where recently the ato ththe atomicagency has issued qe statement about iran. i don't there is much doubt about what steps are necessary, but the question is what steps will be taken, and iran will know that if it does the right thing it gets an answering call, as it were, from the international community, and from america in particular. >> let me switch to syria for just a moment. you said that world leaders shouldn't let syria off the hook. what do you mean by that? >> what i mean is that we're now iin a situation where syria is disintegrating. hundreds of thousands of people have died. there has been over a thousand people killed by chemical weapons. yes, as we make sure that those chemical weapons are--there is

. >> john, hassan rouhani's speech was widely anticipated. it has been a day. how do they think he did? >> benjamin netenyahu didn't like it very much. he said this is cynical. all he is doing is trying to buy time to build up his nuclear arms process, and build a nuclear bomb. i mean it was predictable. we were never going to have two leaders like president obama and president rouhani making speeches like they did without splitting everybody down the middle. but we have them in two separate speeches basically making nice to each other and reaching out to each other, saying we have had a difficult relationship, let's see if we can change that. the u.s. perfectly willing to accept that one day iran will have a nuclear energy program, and the iranians saying flat out, saying we're ready to have a talk about our nuclear program. so this is very, very different than what we have had in the last few years. predictably people have very different views on the iranians, and it's just going to take some time. >> john thank you very much. >>> about half of americans say

. >> israeli pm benyamin netanyahu will challenge iranian president's hassan rouhani's charm offensive. he's hoping to challenge perceptions that iran is less of a nuclear threat under president hassan rouhani. >> we are tracking a typhoon, expected to make land full in vietnam. >> we are monitoring the system and will make landful in vietnam tomorrow, in the afternoon, on into the evening. we'll see rough seas, damaging wins where the system will make landful south of hanoi, vietnam's capital, but where 7 million live. it will go across the mountainous terrain. heavy rain could lead to mudslides around coastal areas. it's quite across the pacific. making your way into the east there's a system making its way across the north-western portion of the u.s. you can see the circulation in the atmosphere, and it continues to draw on the moisture. last week we told you about the tropical storm. we are seeing enhanced shower activity, overcast skies across the north-west. tracking into this afternoon into this evening flooding rain, up to 5 inches in some areas to the south of seattle around t

netanyahu is visiting the white house just three days after obama and new iranian president hassan rouhani spoke on the phone. that's the highest level of contact in decades. he assured netanyahu he will be level-headed during talks with iran. the head of iran's elite revolutionary guard questions the time between the phone call. he told the state news agency that rouhani should have waited until washington demonstrated genuine intentions towards iran. he says given the fact that the islam my republic of iran demonstrated its goodwill, especially by the stances and the remarks made in the 68th session of the united nations, now it is america's turn to build trust with practical measures and prove its sincerity in practice. now, we have correspondents standing by. we have patty colhani in washington and peter sharp in jerusalem. let's go to penny in washington first. penny, the relationship between obama and netanyahu has been testy at best. that's the best description we can give them. what do you make of this recent meeting? >> reporter: well, the white house has definitely been trying to

president obama called iranian president hassan rouhani. sources close to hassan rouhani said the telephone call was unexpected, the first time since 1979 that the two leaders sat and had direct contact over the telephone. we have more on that. >> in an address from the white house, an expression of respect for the iranian people from president obama. >> i believe we have a responsibility to pursue diplomacy and we have a unieke opportunity to make progress with the leadership in tehran. >> a sign from iran's president that things are changing. >> translation: in speaking with european officials and hearing barack obama, they sounded different, compared to the past. i view that as a positive step in the settlement of differences between iran and the west. >> after this historic meeting, including iran's foreign minister and the u.s. secretary of state, the two leaders spoke on the phone. the first presidential contact between iran and the u.s. in more than 30 years. they pledged to keep working towards an agreement on iran's nuclear program

iran's president hassan rouhani will be there to discuss you iran's nuclear program. the gathering has grown now to 193 countries. >> reporter: for 60 years this is where world leaders made their speeches like kennedy, reagan, arafat, qaddafi and mandela were all heard in this building. now there are likely to be calls not just for the modern indication of u.n. buildings but of the whole system. when the united nations was first set up in the immediate aftermath of world war ii the main decisive power was given to the u.n. security council. it has 15 members but only five of them are permanent. only five have the veto. those five are the countries that were on the winning side when the war ended. >> the world, things are changing, and it should rise to the occasion. the system that was developed at the time was a good one, but over the years things have changed, and those realities should be incorporated. >> reporter: the u.n. system works when the five major powers are in agreement. but when they disagree there is deadlock. for two and a half years there has been no

listen to the words of hassan rouhani. >> translator: the past has been already facilitated or paved to great extent in order to create the confidence required, and i am hopeful that under such circumstances with sufficient will on both sides -- and i assure you on the iranian side this will is there fully, 100%, that within a very period of time there will be a settlement on the nuclear file. >> richelle everybody is getting very excited about this new atmosphere. but it is worth noting, remember that the iranians want those sanctions that are crippling their economy to be lifted. the west is still a little bit skeptical, and they are looking for actions. the president said ak shups speak louder than words on tuesday. and another thing well worth remembers is this is the president of iran. not the supreme leader. the sum ream leader is the one who makes the final decisions on this sort of thing, however, i don't think that president rouhani would be speaking these wores if he didn't have the supreme leader's blessing. >> thank you very much. >>> thousands have taken to the streets i

it comes just before iran's president hasan rouhani and president obama are set to meet. and after an unprecedented exchange of letters between the two, the stage is set for a meeting. >> for the first time in over a decade we are seeing iran's supreme leader leaning heavily on the conservative establishment to express forward move with u.s. dialogue. >> reporter: it is worth between $500 million and $700 million. the government said that would make it the largest terrorism-related seizure ever. but even that kind of money is unlikely to change the tone of improving relations. >> from the iranian government point of view their entire economy is on the line ever since hasan rouhani took over, the reserves are depleted. and the government wants to lift sanctions. >> reporter: the white house said while there are no former plans for a meeting it hasn't been ruled out, either. al jazeera, new york. >> and that will do it for this edition of al jazeera news. i'm stephanie sy. alabamali velshi is next with rl money and remember, we have news at the top of every hour. thanks for

but today, president hassan rouhani spoke at a non-proliferation conference here at the general assembly, and to show how markedly different he is than ahmadinejad, he never referenced other countries not having nuclear weapons as well. and by that, he means israel. > >> interpreter: nuclear weapons states have primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament. i strongly urge them to comply with this long, overdue, legal obligation. where fulfillment of nuclear disarmament obligations must not be delayed any further. >> so there we are. that is the president of iran speaking within just the last hour or so here at the united nations general assembly f. one other footnote, one of the things happening here, michelle, to keep you up to speed, we have heard from a source in the american mission, the united states mission, saying that the united states and china are agreed on the need for iran to give positive reaction to this meeting that they're taking part in this afternoon. and also regarding syria. according to the source, the u.s. and china now agree on the need for a strong resolution wi

rouhani seems to support it. he has recently said that iran must be ready for flexible compromise, which in the convoluted language of iranian leaderships mean iran must reach an agreement, compromise with the west over its disputed nuclear program. >>> president assad told a u.s. television channel that syria is ready to destroy its chemical weapons. he denied his government was behind last month's attack, but he insisted he would fully abide by laws set up by the chemical weapons convention, saying we didn't say we were joining partially that agreement or organization. we joined fully. we sent the letter and documents, and we are committed to the full requirements of this agreement. he added, it needs a lot of money and needs about $1 billion. if the american administration is ready to pay that money and take responsibility of bringing toxic materials to the united states, why don't they do it? assad denied responsibility for last month's chemical attack. he said no one has verified the credibility of the pictu

today president obama called iranian president rouhani, and the call was totally unexpected. it was the first time since 1979 that the two leaders have had direct contact. kristin salumi has more. >> in an address from the white house, in a respect from president obama. >> i believe we have a responsibility to pursue diplomacy. >> a sign too from iran's president that things are changing. >> in speaking with european officials and also hearing mr. obama, they sounded different compared to the past. and i view that as a positive step in the settlement of the differences between iran and the west. >> after this historic meeting concluding iran's foreign minister and the u.s. secretary of state the two leaders spoke on the phone. the first presidential contact between iran and the u.s. in more than 30 years. they pledged to keep working towards an agreement on iran's nuclear program. with the international community abuzz with news of warming relations between iran and the united states there's talk of a spillover effect. as diplomatic, refuses to deal with iran which has backed

they don't trust the iranians, or hassan rouhani. you talk to political analyst here, they say here is a man that was not open and honest when leading the iranian negotiating team. briefly - it is worth pointing out the relations ben obama and benyamin netanyahu improved dramatically since obama's visit in february. it's notable since the iranian warmth came across, there has been no ball-horn diplomacy with people shouting from country to country. benyamin netanyahu keeps things under wraps. cabinet is not talking about it. he'll make his case clear to barack obama when he meets him in the white house monday afternoon. >> peter sharp live in jerusalem. >> still to come on al jazeera... . >> the ayes are 231, nays 292. >> house republicans set to shut down the government over the health care issue. >> lionel messi's week goes from bad to worse as he goes off injured during a soccer match. robin will have the details of that. >> 30 people have been killed in an explosion in pakistan, the third attack in peshawar in a week. the blast,

. >>> hassan rouhani says iran is not developing nuclear weapons and isn't a threat to peace. the president condemned the imposition of western sanctions which are hitting iran's economic. here is james bays from new york. >> reporter: the arrival of hassan rouhani, iran's president for less than two months on the world stage brings a promise of a new start to his countries relay shun -- relations. both he and president obama spoke cautiously after more than three decades of mistrust. >> we are encouraged that he received from the people a mandate to pursue a more moderate course, and i am directing john kerry to pursue this effort with the iranian government. >> reporter: he said progress would only be made if there is a deal removing the threat of a nuclear bomb. but he offered that iran can have a peaceful nuclear energy program and acknowledged mistakes from the past. >> the united states and iran have been isolated from one another since the islamic revolution of 1979. this mistrust has deep roots. iranians have long complained of a history of u.s. interfere answer in the

about the the phone conversation between hassan rouhani and president obama happened. >> the plans in the transitional government in egypt will be next spring. the foreign minister nabal fahmy made the announcement. the interim government has been in control since overthrowing mohamed morsi in july. >> what a difference a year makes. a year ago i covered the u.n. general assembly, a vip, a heavy hitter among the world was egypt's president mohamed morsi. now, of course, a man who was egypt's first democratically elected president for years is behind bars. we heard from the foreign minister that they hoped to return to a democratic path soon. there were protests, this time not in tahir sqare, but off first avenue. there were two rival camps of protesters, the group nearest to the u.n., those that backed the military-backed government and kept slightly further away from the yaigs, a larger group support -- united nations, a larger group supporting mohamed morsi. the nypd was there to keep them apart. >> ahead we continue our coverage of the u.n. general assembly. to syria, dozens are de

president rouhani of iran is speaking. let's listen in. >> translator: for ridding the world of nuclear weapons. we have now and in treaty norms and foreign that aim to achieve this agreed goal. yet, thousands of these weapons continue to pose the greatest threat to peace. steps for detargeting, dealerting or reducing the number of nuclear weapons are not a substitute for their total elimination. any use of nuclear weapons is a violation of the u.n. charter and a crime against humanity. doctrines justifying such use are unacceptable. likewise, threatening non-nuclear weapon states with nuclear weapons should end. the modernization of these weapons also undercuts efforts for their total abolition. these should, therefore, be stopped. excellencies, ladies and g gentlemen, i wish to recognize the important contribution of some non-nuclear weapon states to nuclear disarmament by voluntarily renouncing or dismantling nuclear weapons. i also recognize the valuable contribution of nuclear weapon-free zones to nuclear disarmament

why is he so concerned about the phone call you think, between obama and rouhani, the iranian president? >> reporter: i don't think it's necessarily the phone call and i wouldn't focus all too much on the phone call. i think what he's concerned about is that since the election earlier in the summer there's been a certain deterioration among the will of some countries in the world to continue to push the sanctions regime against iran. i think what he wants to do is go over and say, judge the guy not by his words but by his actions, and the actions haven't changed. >> you mentioned the rouhani language. let's see what he had to say at the u.n. just a few days ago. >> translator: it was clear that their view was the environment has been created as a result of iran's elections. this new government is completely different from the past. the conditions are such that the path has been already facilitated or paved to a great extend in order to create the confidence required and i assure on the iranian side this will is their folly 100%. within a short period of time there will be a settlement o

agenda is improving relations with iran, no one on one meetings scheduled with iranian president hassan rouhani. >>> police in chicago have charged two men with a shooting that injured are several people. the two suspects are in their 20s and played a significant role in the shooting but investigators don't think neither men pulled the trigger. i'm morgan radford and i'll see you shortly. >> on america tonight. the vicious fighters that launched an attack on a mall in kenya and evidence they target young recruits in america. >> look at you, you have graduated university, you can't get a job. why, because your name is mohamed, you're a muslim. this is what the al qaeda guys are whispering to the ears to recruit these kids. >> also a leader in the fight against terrorism, why he is in prison in iran and why his family has chosen now to speak out. >> his face show everything, his face show he was under pressure. >> and the battle against climate change, could there be a solution in a very fine idea? good evening and thanks for joining us, i'm joie chen. this evening we begin with a look at the ter

. >> iran's president hassan rouhani is calling for an open dialogue with the united states. it's an optimistic sign, despite tensions between the two countries. there's even a chance that president obama and president howe reign will meet next week at the time are united nations general assembly meeting planning to engage in constructive action around the woferld. rouhani said, we must work together to the, mandate for prudent engagement that my people have given me. president obama will also meet with palestinian authority mahmoud abbas. president obama will talk about the mid east process when he addresses the u.n. >>> assad seems to have made good on his initial promise to disassemble the syrian chemical weapons program. kristin saloumi explains. >> infighting within the opposition. the one thing all sides seem to agree on is are diplomacy. >> what does matter now is geneva schedule. what will geneva do? for the violence to be health external evaluation must be stopped. preventing external intervention stopping the violence and launching an international process. >> frenc

the iranian president hassan rouhani is in his way to new york, still in the air. but his foreign minister has been having initial meetings with western leaders, with the eastern european leaders, further meetings in geneva, but i think the most important development is that meeting that's going to take place in new york here on thursday. is because around the table yes, you have that p-5 plus one, the permanent members of the security council and germany meeting with iran. among those seven foreign ministers though, we're getting the news that the u.s. will be sending the secretary of state john kerry, the iranian foreign minister and his u.s. counterpart. that is the miest meeting from anyone in iran and the united states for 40 years, a very, very important development. >> quite significant indeed. so world leaders will be in new york all week. and the crisis is atop the agenda. what can we expect on that? >> well, this is the third year that they've met while war has been raging in syria. the situation is getting worse and worse. this time last year the officia

and iran now have opened the door to diplomacy, presidents obama and rouhani both telling the un general assembly that it might be possible to improve relations between their two countries. >>> and rescue workers are struggling to help people in pakistan that have been hurt by a 7.8 mag -- magnitude quake. those are your headlines. i'm del walters. "consider this" is next. ♪ millions who need assistance now. we appreciate you spending time with us tonight. >>> up next is the golden age of hollywood going golden but elsewhere. why l.a.'s mayor has declared a state of emergency for the entertainment industry there. next. >> every sunday night al jazeera america presents gripping films, from the worlds top documentary directors >> this is just the beginning of somthing much bigger... >> this sunday...the premier of "budrus" >> the primary concern of the fronts is security that trumps everything >> how could a wall designed to divide, unite israelis and palestinians al jazeera america presents... "budrus" premiers this sunday night 9 eastern. you a series owe on the patient protection and

. >> president obama has told the iranian president hasan rouhani that they will find a stalemate over its nuclear program. it has exchanged letters discussing ways to resolve the dispute. it is accused of building nuclear weapons, something that it denies. >> we're ready to talk bilaterally with iran if iran is willing to engage substantively on this matter. >> the u.s. justice department said it's getting ready to take control of the a manhattan building because it's owned by the iranian government. federal judge ruled the ownership violated sanctions against iran. iran is reported to have freed eight political prisoners including a prominent human rights lawyer. she was arrested in 2010 and jailed for six years on charge of acting against national security. president rouhani took presidency last month. >>> taliban gunmen killed senior election official in afghanistan. he was shot after leaving home after just days campaigning for next year's election. we have more from kabul. >> reporter: he was gunned down on his way to work early on wednesday morning. the taliban have taken respon

. >> the president hassan rouhani was

is due to take the stand very shortly and deliver his address, and a few hours after that, president rouhani, the new iranian president will be addressing the general assembly for the first time. >>> as we said syria is going to be high on the discussions. meanwhile fighting continues in syria. >>> the united nations says the israeli army is deliberately violating international law by using excessive force in the occupied west banks. israeli forces have killed 22 palestinian youngsters this year. peter meets one teenager who lived to tell his story. >> reporter: this 15-year-old found himself caught up in a confrontation. he was shot in the head and the bullet remains embedded in his skull. >> i wanted to go home. that was the only way. otherwise i would have had to take a much longer root. i passed through and was shot. >> reporter: this is where he was shot. it's a frequent flash point. the un report says there has been a significant increase in the number of palestinians stilled and wounded in the west bank, and the report says that is due to the use of excess sieve force by the israeli m

he said t hassan rouhani spoken that the felt that the atmosphere in the u.s. and iran was quite different than in the past, and it could pave the way for better relations, and vis-a-vis, the nuclear issue in a short time frame. the reasons why the iranians are doing it is because of crippling sanctions led by the u.s. it's really hurting their economy. unemployment is up. exchange rate is down. they can't get parts to repair their aging boeing aircraft, and the iranians want those eased or lifted and the united states in return wants a myriad of things that they want sorted out in the middle east, and iran can help them. but the west is still skeptical. they're looking for actions rather than words. and all the focus now will be opt 15th and 16th in that conference in geneva. >> so much news, so much to report. john, appreciate it. the u.n. security council debate on syria. comes as the violence in that country is worsening. 30 people died today in a car bomb in d damascus and in additn to violence, a looming hunger crisis continues. let me phrase it this way.

hassan rouhani will also speak. break through in negotiations over iran's nuclear program. >>> it's been 68 years since the united nations was founded. its creation was attempt to prevent war between nations. it's up to 193 and many of those new members say the system is broken and needs to be reformed. from the united nations, james bays reports. >> for 60 years this is where world leaders made their speeches. the words of figures like kennedy, crew kruschev, ghadafi. when the united nations was first set up in the immediate aftermath of world war ii, the main decisive power was given to the u.n. security council. it has 15 members and only five are permanent. only five have the veto. those five were the countries that were on the winning side of world war ii. >> the world should be dynamic. it should rise to that occasion the system that was developed at the time was a good one but over if years things have changed and those realities should be incorporated. >> the u.n. system works when the five major powers are

>> yes, because reformers are the moderates in iran, rouhani represents them, they were willing to do this long before sanctions, and rouhani was a major advocate of basically coming to some compromise with the united states. so what he is doing is basically going back to the reform -- moderate policy that the iranian policy had. >> so it has been the west that has stood in the way all of these years on an agreement on the nuclear program? >> well, iran has some responsibility, but mainly it has been basically the u.s., especially during the bush administration, of basically rejecting any offers by the moderates in iran to come to some agreement. we have to for get, there was a period where the president was very much helping the united states both in afghanistan and iraq, and then he got slapped in the face with the axis of evil speech and that basically undermined the moderates in iran, and that helped bring about the next election. so i think we're just back to where we were before. hopefully now in washington, the much-more willingness to -- >> can i stop you for just a second. it

. >> israeli prime minister benyamin netanyahu is set to challenge hassan rouhani's diplomatic charm offensive. he left for new york and hopes to challenge perceptions that iran is less of a nuclear threat under hassan rouhani. those are the headlines. >> is al-qaeda the strongest it's been in years? new trouble from the terror group raises serious concerns. a few years after the death of osama bin laden and other key figures, has al-qaeda loft its leadership but gained power? what role do celebrities play in helping international aid relief no golden globe nominated actress sienna miller is seeking help in humanitarian crises. >> an alien life may or may not have been discovered. voyager one may or may not have left the solar system and you may soon be able to travel to space, or maybe not. hello, i'm antonio mora. welcome to consider this. just a few months ago, president obama declared the terror group was on the path to defeat. or is it? al-qaeda is stealing support from u.s. backed rebels in syria and the nairobi mall massacre maybe a reunderstood threat from the security group.

as president obama and iranian president hassan rouhani spoke. in a 15 minute are conversation. >>> spending on fowrkt intact. the bill is going back to the house. >>> gay couples in new jersey will able to get married starting october 21st. republican governor chris christie says he will appeal. consider this is up next. for the latest you can always check out aljazeera.com. >> an alarming new report from the u.n. says with 95% certainty that climate change is real and man made. why are why down playing some well established source easy of energy. >>> also, when obamacare on the horizon, who might receive benefits and who might be hurt most financially. >>> plus, as more and more being americans become. atheist, how does that stem the tide? >> as al jazeera's courtney ceely -- keely reports, the problem could be catastrophic. >> hundreds of climate change activists protest in stockholm. >> we are frustrated and upset about how our politicians are not acting the way the science says. >>> the u.n.'s intragovernmental panel on climate change predic

iran's new are president, hassan rouhani, a case of meet the new boss same as the old boss? >>> plus can coca-cola really dissolve nails? we'll about go inside the make of urban legends. >>> hello i'm antonio mora. the date in which the government could ut down if congress and the white house don't reach a deal. also it's the first day of enrollment of the affordable care act, better known as obamacare. cotney keely reports, defunding obamacare. the bill faces certain defeat in the senate has republicans swinging at each other and leaves little compromise for raising the debt ceiling. >> we have victory for today, for the american people. >> that was house speaker joan boehner, shortly after the vote to keep america afloat but defund being obamacare. >>> house leader eric cantor has been fighting to to be the affordable care act from the start. >> this resolution will also protect the working middle class from the devastating effects of obamacare. >> but the celebratory mood belies the are problem between the tea party and hard line republican party. moderates and conservati

iran's new are president, hassan rouhani, a case of meet the new boss same as the old boss? >>> plus can coca-cola really dissolve nails? we'll about go inside the make of urban legends. >>> hello i'm antonio mora. the date in which the government could shut down if congress and the white house don't reach a deal. also it's the first day of enrollment of the affordable care act, better known as obamacare. courtney keely reports, defunding obamacare. the bill faces certain defeat in the senate has republicans swinging at each other and leaves little compromise for raising the debt ceiling. >> we have victory for today, for the american people. >> that was house speaker joan boehner, shortly after the vote to keep america afloat but defund being obamacare. >>> house leader eric cantor has been fighting to to be the affordable care act from the start. >> this resolution will also protect the working middle class from the devastating effects of obamacare. >> but the celebratory mood belies the are problem between the tea party and hard line republican party. moderates and conser

. >> the blitz by iran's new president, haas ann rouhani consistently described as a moderate unlike his predecessor. >> of course they don't have ahmadinejad, who was the gift that kept on giving for chest thumpers around the world. the joke in teheran, i don't know if it was a joke, with the departure of ahmadinejad, the israelis lost their biggest supporters in iran. >> tough words from the president an a definitive time line. if he doesn't get it the relationship might look a lot less like this but this once again. patty culhane, al jazeera, washington. >> netanyahu addressed the media, the truth is vital for security and vowed to tell the truth in the face of sweet talk. >>> and speaking of israel, a modern day spy story. a hearing for his arrest for ealingsdly spying for israel, israeli intelligence officials say he used a bell january passport, to cover up terrorist activities. >>> at least 16 people mostly teenage students were killed in an air strike in syria. the strike hit a secondary school on saturday, and the city of roca, claims to show the aftermath. the city has been

now rouhani seems to be considerably more moderate, particularly as it pertains to israel. how is that playing in israel? >> many israelis are worried, because the iranian project is reaching a critical moment where they can cross the threshold in their military program and exactly in this environment, the iranians are coming forward with a new face, new language, new discourse, which may shift the focus of the international community from the nuclear program. the war in israel is with the price of a few words and interviews, the iranian, the international community will ease the pressure on iran right now. >> you don't think he is sincere? >> we don't know. already we can see the tension between the american messages and iranian messages, the americans saying give is concrete steps and iranians are saying give alleviate sanctions in order for us to be able to discuss the feuding or containing the nuclear program. iran is in a moment of great vulnerability. they are under tremendous economic pressure. they are over stretched in the region. they are bogged down in the confli

rouhani. with the political will of the leadership, in the united states, and hoping that they will refrain from following the short sited interests of warmongering pressures we can arrive at a -- to manage our differences. >> so john, what was world reaction to these speeches? >> well, we heard from the israeli prime minister the israelis put up a minister that gave a reaction, and that was that this was a game of deception. playing by the iranian delegation. remember, the two men did not mere here today. the white house is telling the press core, that they offered the iran yarns a chance for an encountner the environment of the general assembly, and they said no it is too soon for that. so the next big event will be john kerry's meeting with the iranian foreign minister. and that will be on thursday, and that will be the heightest level meeting between the two since the revolution, 34 years ago. >> so what was your take away, john? what was the headline today? >> the take away is that iran d

we're waiting to hear what kind of tone participate rouhani really does adopt when he has the world as his audience here. so i think that speech you just heard from president obama was adapted right down to the last second. >> john this was a different speech for a u.s. president. at the very least it seemed like he was talking to those gathered on a person to person basis, as opposed to a president addressing a crowd. in the fact we have seen people take their shoes off and slam them on the counter there at the united nations. how was this particular speech and the tone received? >> the forum for this year's general assembly is different. it's in a search tear building on the north lawn of the united nations and that's because there is still a big build out here, and the main forum is simply not available to them. so that may be effected the tone of this speech a little bit. but i think also it's part of this obama doctrine, a rather tempted toned down thoughtful approach, dell. >> john, thank you very much. >>> while president obama is focusing on the international issues, there is a

newly elected president rouhani has exchanged letters with president obama. this is the first time there is a real possibility of a diplomatic break through. >> why now? is it simply a change in leadership at the top? >> i think there's a few reasons. the first is iran is feeling the greatest economic pressure it has in a very long time. it's oil reserves have been cut in half. its currency is struggling, so that's one. second, iran is ready to begin to not only relieve economic pressure, but also yes, the in-fighting that occurred previously with president ahmadinejad and other members that were more in line with the supreme leaderrer, i think those divisions have started to settle down, driving this process. >> we'll have to see what happens in the coming days. joseph costa, thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you very much. >> iraqis who work with the military in 2003 could be cut off from the u.s. permanently. a law that gives the state department to hand out special immigration visas runs out this month. thousands of iraqis that served as int

. >>> a surprising online president from hasan rouhani september a tweet saying this photo and saying as the sun is about to set i wish all jews an especially iranian views a blessed rosh hashanah. >> a couple of reports show slow but steady improvement in the economy. in the jobs market. the labor department said weekly job else claims fell, and private companies added 176,000 workers in august. most of those jobs came in the service sector. the economists say the numbers are encouraging but the job recovery still has a long way to go. >>> walmart workers are protesting across the u.s. demanding higher salaries and better jobs. they're calling on walmart to undo the firings of 20 employees who took part in a previous strike. the company has not responded. here is a look at the numbers. walmart ceo took only over $23 million last year compared to the retail giant's median worker pay of $22,500, below poverty level for a family of four. that's a ratio of 1034:1. let's go to john who is reporting live from new york. >> the protests here at valley stream in new york is getting under way

. >> the appearance of iranian president haas ann rouhani, described as a moderate, unlike his predecessor. >> they don't have ahmadinejad, the gift that keeps on giving for the chest thumpers around the world. the joke in teheran and i don't know if it's maybe not even a joke, that with the departure of ahmadinejad, the israelis lost their best agent in iran. >>> if president obama doesn't get his time line, the relationship might look a lot less like this but this once again. patty culhane al jazeera washington. >> politics in the u.s. now have 24 hours to come up with a deal before government services start to shut down. democrats and republicans are wrangling over a new budget. they are still no closer to a deal. jean meserve reports from washington, d.c. >> when it comes to a possibility of a government shut down republicans and democrats are playing the blame game. >> this is a terrible destructive strategy totally unnecessary. >> the president is the one saying? i will shut down government if you don't give me everything i want on obamacare. >> house will be in order. >> on the wee

we saw obama speak, and rouhani speak on the issue of iran. that changes the climate and tone, but to get to the concrete details, that is all done behind the scenes. there will be a very important meeting on thursday with key international powers and the iranians. we understand the iranian foreign minister will be in the iran chair, and secretary of state john kerry. >> james bays reporting live from the un. >>> secretary of state of john kerry and his russian counterpart met to try to hash out a deal on syria. joining us is mark jacobson. thanks so much for being with us this morning, and he is in washington, d.c. secretary kerry called his meeting yesterday very constructive. if no resolution is reached, is there still a chance of its end with without military environment. >> thanks for having me morgan. i am concerned that there is a chance that there is not a resolution that has an enforcement mechanism, but i'm optimistic we'll see something come out of this process, and that bit about enforcement is something i'm sure that kerry and lav

. >>> a surprising online message from iranian president hassan rouhani. as the sun is about to set here in teheran, i wish jews a peaceful rosh hashana. he is expected to address the u.n. in new york. >>> a couple of reports show slow but steady improvement in the job market. near a five-year low, at the same time adp reports private companies added 176,000 workers in august. most of those jobs came in the service sector. economists say the numbers are encouraging but the jobs front still has a lg way to go. >> i estimate we need between 7 and 7.5 additional jobs if we are going to see full employment in the united states. that is an unemployment rate of about 4.5 to 5%. we need a lot more employment. >> tomorrow the august employment numbers are released. stick with al jazeera for in-depth coverage of tha very important report. >>> walmart workers are demanding higher salaries, a minimum of $25,000 a year. calling on walmart to undo the firis that took place in a previous strike. the company has not responded. now in total walmart employs 2.2 million peo

iran's newly elected president, hassan rouhani, will speak at the gathering, attended by leaders across the globe. it comes at the time of a possible breakthrough with iran. the united nations has grown from 51 member nations in 1945 to 193 today. some say the system is not working. >> for 60 years, this is where world leaders made their speeches. the words of figures like kennedy, christof, castro, regan, arafat and others. this is a temporary building where the meeting takes place - a conference room converted into an un chamber. once again there'll be calls for modernisation of the buildings and the system. when the united nations was set up in the aftermath of world war ii, the main decisive power was given to the un security council. it has 15 members, but only five permanent, only five with the veto, they are the countries on the wins side when the war ended. >> the world should be dynamic. things are changing and we should rise to the occasion. the system developed at the time was a good one. over the years, things have changed. those realities should be incorporated. >> the u.n.

they said the president of the united states is willing to talk to president rouhani of iran but not to us? president obama says no negotiations over this. this is too serious of an issue so that's getting a lot of political push back here on capitol hill. libby casey, thank you. >>> also to be in the clear tsa and border patrol. however, federal workers could face the possibility of being furloughed, and pass por passpod vee ivisas could be delayed. >>> federal investigators released their findings on the yarnell hill fire. firefighters lost their lives when a sudden wind shift blew flames towards them. >>> demonstrators are calling for ousting of the president there omar al bashir. the rise in fuel hit the port the hardest, security forces cornered them with pickup trucks as they were mourning a dead protest, susan police, unclear how many have been killed, reports vary from 30 to more than 100 deaths since protesting began on monday. the death toll from an apartment collapse in india is you now 35. rescuers are searching for survivors, dozens of people are still unaccounted for. r