tom ackerman, al jazeera, u.s. supreme court. >> this year's academy award nominations are under scrutiny, for lack of diversity, andrew thomas is at trop fest. trop fest. >> what is the world's biggest short film festival. each year, 16 films are short-listed from the hundreds submitted to compete for the festival's prize, each must have been made specifically for competition. but just as the oscars are being criticized for a lack of diversity among those celebrateat the top of the film industry, the same is being said for these producers for the top list for the prize. >> this year, 16 are candidates but only one is a woman. how can this be every year? >> i think there's an industry wide issue of diversity. i'm not going to pretend trop fest isn't part of the industry. we can only choose the films we get entered but i will say we continue to look for diversity. >> this festival should have happened last november but financial problems got in the way, a last minute corporate sponsor meant it was delayed not cancel

the discovery opens the door to a new way of observing the universe, al jazeera's tom ackerman has more. >> reporter: space and time, the two basic elements of the universe that once seemed distinction being until albert einsein's general theory of relatively changed our perception of them. >> here we go. >> reporter: it was a perception explored by science fiction in a movie one could travel through all collapsing star or black hole where time and space meld in to a forth dimension. now scientists say they have witnessed a colossal merging of two black holes some 1 billion years ago. and the ripple of gravity that followed. >> the colliding black hole that his produced these gravitational waves created a violent storm in the fabric of space and time. the storm in which time speeded up and slowed down, speeded up again, a storm in which the shape of space was bent in this way and that way. >> reporter: last september 2 facilities located on opposite sides of the u.s., detected the wave. which lasted just a fraction of a second. the lasers which picked it up could their as a chirp. slowe

here is tom ackerman. >> the legal fight of apple and the u.s. justice department came to a head at a second attack when two open fired at a christmas office party in san bernardino, california. he left behind a facebook entry pledging loyalty to isil. fbi investigators try to obtain evidence from the iphone farouk used for help and asked apple for help in unlocking it. apple says that it's cooperated with the government, but claims its demand to break into the phone would involve building a new operating system. a system enabling anyone with the software to circumvent its security features. a so-called back door. the company says it will fight a judge's order for it to comply with the government demand. at a white house cyber security summit last month, apple's ceo said that the company was standing on principle and against government overreach. >> if those of us in position to responsibility fail to do everything in our power to protect the right of privacy we risk something far more valuable than monday, we risk our way of life. >> but fbi dir

al jazeera's tom ackerman went for a visit. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: in the sounds of this year's grammy rock winner, alabama shakes: ♪ ♪ >> reporter: you can hear echos of blues legend, leadbelly. or paramount records reissued and won a grammy for best box set. smithsonian authentic american music to the widest public audience. through recent cds including melodies from the virgin islands and mexican ma mariachi out of california. >> the total value of recorded music has declined, but for smithsonian folk ways, the revenues we require to support our nonprofit mission. >> reporter: but the smithsonian also keeps a vigilant guard over the musical past of the u.s. and more than 180 other countries. these shelves hold the 22 albums of moses ash, acquired by smithsonian, growing the collection to 3200 albums, 45,000 tracks in all. >> now is the most optimum time to preserve it. >> reporter: tracks threatened by the ravages of time so dave walker's job is to save them. like this tape of soviet protest songs, recorded a decade ago. >> it is interesting to preserve on basis of fragility and cont

tom ackerman explains. >> reporter: in the sounds of this year's grammy rock song winner, allah bam shake... hughes [ ♪ ] ..you can hear echo said of blue's legend led belly. >> or the 1920s blue's performers recorded by paramount record, and won a grammy for best box set. music to cherish the smithsonian center. its mission to present the many flames of the audience. >> through a recent c.d. to the virgin islands. songs with latino tunes, and mexican out of california. records with a worthwhile clientele keeping the label afloat. >> the total of reported music declined. luckily we maintained and grew or collections that we require to support the nonprofit emissions. >> reporter: but the smithsonian keeps a guard of the musical past of the u.s., and more than 108 other countries. >> they sold 2200 albums. it was acquired by the smithsonian with 10 other labels, growing to 3200 albums, 45,000 tracks. >> now is the most optimal time to preserve it. threatened by the ravages of time. dave walker's job is it save them. [ ♪ ] like this tape of protest songs recorded half a century ago. the

here is tom ackerman. >> the legal fight between apple and the u.s. justice department came to a led after the decemb december 2nd attack when a couple open fired at a christmas office party in san bernardino, california. he left behind a facebook entry pledging political to isil. fbi investigators tried to obtain evidence from the iphone farouk used for work and asked apple for hem in unlocking it. a feature wipes the memory after ten failed attempts to enter the correct password. apple claims that helping to break into the phone would cause them to have to build a new software. the company says it will fight a judge's order to comply with a government demand. at a white house cyber summit last month apple's ceo said that the company was standing on principles and against government offriver. >> if those of us in position of responsibility failed to do everything in our power to protect the right of privacy, we risk something far more valuable than monday. we risk our way of life. >> but fbi director james comey said that apple has the means to decry

tom ackerman, al jazeera, washington. >>> for more on the breakthrough we are joined by a professor at the school of physics and astronomy at cardiff university. thanks so much for coming in to the studio. i gather you have been studying this gravitational waves field for 20 years or so, how significant is this development? >> this is as significant as gal lay owe looking in to the sky with his first telescope. that completely transforms the way we understand the universe and this opens a new window to observe the universe. where we will observe colliding black holes and knew tron stars. >> these things are hard to describe in layman's terms, but can you break it down for us, what does it mean exactly? and how much effect does it have on our currents environment? >> it will hopefully not affect us at all, these tinny ripples in the time. black holes when they collide they can create ripples in the way of fabric and space team, these ripples travel to us from very great distances in this particular case, they have been traveling for 1.3 billion light years. that's how far they are. >> t

more from tom ackerman. >> reporter: rick santorum endorsement for marco rubio is more a sign of the republican party to decide that marco rubio is the more better alternative to ted cruz who has had no endorsements from anyone. donald trump has no endorsement from any major political figure. their feeling is that neither cruz nor trump is a candidate who could win against april democrat who would move beyond the narrow base of their traditional support whereas marco rubio does have the ingredients for actually coal essing enough of the factions of the republican party behind him so that by convention time they will have more of a consensus candidate >>> still to come here on al jazeera, the zika public health emergency spreads to florida. germany prepares for its first carnival since the cologne attacks. police are advising refugees on how they should behave. hould behave. >>> welcome back. a look at the top stories. the u.n. has suspended talks between the syrian government and the opposition in geneva. both sides are blaming each other for the breakdown. after years of negotiation

. >> tom ackerman reports. on the fatal basis, after they were treated in ha city in the second largest city. the health says he believes a patter is emerging. >> yesterday we had deaths. >> in brazil investigators are looking at links. a serious berth defect in which babies are born with small heads. in peru they are concerned with a district hit which dengue. they have given out instructions. in panama the government expanded efforts to the communities. fumigation is not enough. >> puerto rico declared an emergency over the disease. mainly they received a report. it's viz the men who travelled to the affected areas to have obtained. argentina is waiting for an answer from creditors. the offer could end a long-running battle over $9 million. resulting from it back in 2001. the dispute is not over. it's five days of intense negotiations huge steps forward have been made. there has been a move on both sides. the new government and others to change the understood of negotiations to rooech a resolution. going back

no word on what would be included, as tom ackerman reports, patients have been discussing plans for a u.s. missile defense system in south korea. >> reporter: the satellite images taken and released by a washington think tank show possible radar deployed on artificial islands in in the spratly chain, one of the islands in further from its own shores than vietnam, philippines and borneo. last week the pesent said the chinese -- president said the chinese installed missile batteries on an island further north. >> in my opinion china is militarizing the south china sea, and you have to believe in a flat earth to think otherwise. >> reporter: the chinese objectives say some analysts in washington need to establish effective control over the sea space. after meeting with the u.s. secretary of state, john kerry, his chirnees counterpart -- chinese counterpart deflected questions about intentions. >> translation: china, the united states and the asian countries committed to non-militarization. we hope the parties will work together in the same direction. >> the chinese raised their own conce

tom ackerman, washington. >> south sudan's prime minister has said it will take three weeks to get his troops to the formation of an unity government. muchar had failed to follow the peace agreement. >> for the third year south sudan was one of the countries that dominated the recent african union summit. what started out as a dispute between the two, turned into a civil war. and despite a peace agreement in place, fight something continuing. >> we will prepare ourselves now that our troops--they'll go in to the police. >> muchar said that with logistical and financial support it will take up to three weeks to get his troops to. >> juba. >> so they can form the government. >> they will go to juba. there will be no more conditions, and you will together with the government form this transitional government they've been waiting for, for so long. >> you know, i want to be in juba. i want the government to be reformed. as soon as possible. we need it, to insure the obstacle, which were before creating difficulties for us to form the government. >> the armed opposition group had pulled out

tom ackerman has more. >> reporter: the satellite images taken and released by a washington think tank show possible radar facilities deployed on artible islands in in the spratly claim. one of the islands in further from its own showers than to vietnam, philippines and borneo. the chinese installed missile batteries on another island further north. that means it's evident to the top officer in the region. >> china is militarizing the south china sea, and you have to believe in a flat earth to think otherwise. >> the chinese object tist establish effective control over the sea lane and air space. after beating with the secretary of state john kerry, he deflected questions about knengss, and expressed health that flight and controls would be halted. >> china, the united states and asian countries committed to non-militarization. we hope the parties will work in the same direction. >> chinese raised their own concerns about u.s. policy on the korean peninsula. north korea's weapon and missile fest in defines of u.n. resolutions stalled talks of installing a thad ballistic shield. it upse