>> cyclone phailin. bearing down millions of people in its path. you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also, captured from afghanistan. the u.s. says it's seized a senior taliban commander. african heads of state meet in ethiopia. and a tough lesson in austerity for greek students as budget

cuts push universities to the brink of collapse. hello. the u.s. forces have captured a senior member of the taliban. laative mehsud. reports in afghanistan says mehsud was in the custody of afternoon forces when he was detained. u.s. secretary of state john kerry is in kabul trying to bridge differences with the afghan government. here is a rather terse announcement of the capture. >> united states frses captured laative mehsud, don't have further details to share with you at this time. >> considered second in command of the tarik taliban. the group is responsible for

many attacks including the attempted bombing of times square in new york in 2010. mehsud is a close confident of ttp hakimula mehsud. a trusted commander in the mehsud tribe which has led the pakistani taliban for quite some time. jane ferguson, what have you learned? >> they captured him and he is in u.s. custody here in afghanistan. afghan forces are telling u.s. media outlets that yes, there was a joint operation but afghan intelligence agents had him in their custody and he was seized by u.s. soldiers and taken to

bagram air base. normal for them when it comes to a foreign prisoner to allow the americans to interrogate him, to get whatever they need. something of a defensive line there, saying we would have allowed them to talk to him anyway. this all comes to the bigger debate about sovereignty, handover of combat operations to the end of this year and next year, of course. it seems like u.s. troops were involved in this but who gets to keep the prisoner afterwards is what is most crucial today and being debated. >> in terms of the relationship between the united states and the afghan government we are expected to hear very soon in a joint press conference fro from hamed karzai and john kerry.

>> it is likely pakistan will be evolved, he is a senior member of the pakistani taliban. u.s. secretary john kerry is in the capital to try osmooth over the talks on the bilateral security agreement here, which has been weighing heavily poafer kabul and the washington, d.c. when 2014 their mandate runs out. they would like a deadline for the end of this month. but all the while president hamed karzai has resisted any deadlines. he said they would only sign positive after a very large gathering of various representatives from across the country to see if they agree to

it. and of course ironically again the bilateral security agreement and largely incidents around that is what afghan sovereignty, and the afghan government wants to be sure that is not compromised after 2014. the press conference upcoming, it is unsure, unlikely that we will see a definitive announcement about the bilateral security agreement, what is said could only bring back a regress any progress on such talks. >> jane, thank you, jane ferguson there in bagram province. the biggest storm to threaten india in 14 years is headed towards the east coast of the country. all communities are being evacuated, special shelters are being built and all flights to the region are being cancelled. the satellite image shows how

big cyclone phailin is. sustained levels of 220 complom terse akilometers an hour. many of these areas are low lying and up to a million people are expected to leave their homes ahead of its arrival. well, this was the scene of india's northeast earlier before the storm was due to make landfall. emergency services are under alert. residents in vulnerable areas were stockpiling food and provisions, so let's talk to our weather expert richard anguin joining us on the set. we often talks about monster systems but this was a monster wasn't it? >> the biggest storm in 14 years, you might want to rewrite

that, it is possibly the biggest storm in the bay of bengal. bigger than the storm that hit in 1999. we are looking at a major event here. the joint tie 15 sensor makes it a category 5 hurricane equivalent to. at least a category 4. look at the satellite imagery that i've got we can also see that it's a massive, massive system which is spiraling around in the bay of bengal. >> it's covering thousands of kilometers isn't it? >> yes, it is. >> is it going to be as bad as everybody long that area on more for others? >> northern pradesh and southern

edificationsha, about 15 gmt today. winds increasing all the way ahead of it and massive massive storm surge of more than 5 meters, that's the worry, flooding is going to be severe here. >> talking about andra pradesh, let's speak to andrew pradil on the ground. >> these waves are a couple of meters high and much more frequent than they usually are. this is literally the calm before the storm, the storm phailin. it is really towards the north of here where the major part of phailin is going to hit. tens of thousands of people have been evacuated into shelters and several units of the national

disaster forum have been staged there. this is not going to be a repeat of 1999, they're telling people get out of their area right now and have moved people into shelters several kilometers inland. but we are also hearing that many people are staying put in their fishing villages and communities, saying they don't have anyone to take care of their businesses or homes if they leave. the federal government is telling them get out now please, stay safe, get inland away from the storm. >> after 7:00 in the morning gmt time. give us the worst what to expect. >> if you look at the path of the thing is taking david we'll see how it is going to be impacting across the region. there it is the moment, the sustained winds. you can see the track we're moving towards, going across erisa and pradesh. the big one hit 1999, this is

slightly higher ground. this one produced 15,000 fatalities. that is 250 millimeters of rain coming down, 5 millimeter of storm surge. catastrophic proportions. really, about 15 gmt things will get really severe. >> i can only hope richard the communities so many years later are better prepared. >> i'm sure they are. >> i'm sure it will be devastating. richard anguin our weather expert there. heads of state are meeting, understood to be division over a mass withdrawal from the icc but many nations are calling for immunity for sitting presidents. unfairly targets africans. the kenyan president uhuru

kenyatta, is on trial. but there's worried that those who are responsible will never be held accountable. to the west of kenya until last month they were living in tents at a shabby displacement camp. the government gave them just under $5,000 u.s. dollars each to restart their lives elsewhere. we met lucin joki in december when she was receiving her check. where her tent stood is now an incomplete structure where she still keeps her belongings. she is in the process of buying land but she's worried kenya's case in the hague will reopen

new wounds. we have forgiven our aggressors, we are worried that it will be overshadowed by what's going on in the hague. >> africa's leaders are meeting to discuss their own concerns. the continent's relationship with the international criminal court and the kenyan cases. the case against president uh uhuru kenyatta. his defense team has filed an application saying they have evidence of prosecution witness tampering and his witness he are also being intimidated. he is also wanting to be excused from attending some of his court sessions. the dort's flexibility may

determine whether or not the president will attend his trial in november. >> we have to be -- to do what we are doing at the court right now. but there is also a duty, a duty to this country, a duty to the country that elected the president, that he should govern. >> another group of victims in nairobi has also been following the icc cases keenly. the crimes committed against them, not represented in the court. they have not been resettled either. they want justice locally. close to six years on, and no one has ever been convicted for atrocities that were committed. al jazeera nairobi. >> let's talk to angela mudukuti joining us from johannesburg. the country is pressing very voa vociferously. what do you think the position of countries such as your own

south africa should be and will be? >> well, we hope that nations like south eask will do the afra will support the icc because this is an important justice accountability mechanism. >> is it targeting unfairly african countries? >> no, i think that's an unjustified statement because if you take a look at most of the cases before the icc they are self-referrals. going to the icc saying can you intervene, we can't handle this matter. so it is making an independent determination not the icc targeting africa. >> if some countries won't cooperate it is up to them, the status quo remains isn't it?

>> absolutely. it is unlikely that they will reach a consensus. each head of state has to return to his country, submit it to parliament. only a year after all of this has been done will the withdrawal be effective. so in essence this is more talks about talks. >> let's say there is no vote for a mass withdrawal. but the african union does say it would be unfair for sitting heads of state to be targeted. how would that work, in your opinion? >> well, i think what we need to remember here is not to foster a culture of impunity, which means no one is above the law including a sitting head of state. and that's what the icc is about. we need the icc or regional

bodies. because we see sitting heads of state perpetrating these crimes. >> though no organization is perfect where do you think there should be reforms with the icc? >> i think we need to look at the united nations security council referrals, we see more politics than actual rule of law. we need to encourage the icc to expand its scope. for instance, the preliminary investigations in honduras perhaps should be expand he. >> angela we thank you very much for your time. we have a great deal more for you on this program. with the harsh pilgrimage coming, we have a report on the area of mecca, we are in the

capital ofsen cal where the taps are drying up. [[voiceover]] every day, events sweep across our country. and with them, a storm of views. how can you fully understand the impact unless you've heard angles you hadn't considered?

antonio mora brings you smart conversation that challenges the status quo with unexpected opinions and a fresh outlook. including yours.

>> you're watching al jazeera with me david foster. top stories. cyclone phailin is heading towards india's southern coast threatening thousands of people. the most powerful storm to hit india in 14 years. u.s. forces has captured a senior mental of the pakistan

taliban, latif mehsud. responsible for many terrorist. incidents including the attack on times square. the international monetary fund's expecting more slow economic growth for latin america and the caribbean. in its latest forecast it says the regional economy will grow by 2.75%, recover from a slow down that started two years ago. >> we see levels of growth that given structure of the brazilian economy today we'll be waiting until 2014 and onward for more improvement. perhaps rates of 3 or 3.5%

later, when the infrastructure will have significant effects on economic growth. >> eight of the biggest universities in greece have shut their doors due to a strike by admin growth, 600 jobs may be cut. john siropolous reports from athens. >> it is a tense meeting. half of these 800 employees at the athens polytechnic will have to go. first year students arrive for orientation but there are no enrollments, no graduations. students finalists worried about the job market he will find. >> we support this strike and fight with the staff, not just because 400 households are being shuttered but also because it's a blow to public universities and to our studies. >> the polytechnic relies highly

on its staff to run this airport runway extensions and harbors for clients. and the economic crisis has already claimed teachers. >> in 2005 we had 105 teaching positions and now we have 65. we are struggling to keep up standards. >> state funding for higher education has fallen by almost half in just two years, a drop of a billion dollars. the polytechnic has decided that enough is enough. students and faculty say enough is enough. in 1973 students locked themselves onto this campus, the military government of the day used a tank to smash through these gates and killer dozens of people but ultimately it brought about its own downfall. >> the conservative government says the economy sun avoidable.

it plans to divert to technical high school. >> we say to our young people that there is nothing wrong, there is nothing wrong with a technological education, in being -- acquiring skills and being on the market. >> it is a brave new world. they're being told to puff up their budgets with new money. fees which are currently unconstitutional will be only a question of time. al jazeera, athens. >> community service for his jail sentence or the tax fraud. the 77-year-old doesn't have to go to prison. instead he has the choice of house arrest or community service which would give him more freedom of movement.

he'll decide what he has to do. >> senegalese suburb, flooded, leaving entire neighborhoods of people who have nowhere to live. getting worse by the day. >> this is what happens when a city of a million people runs out of water. to each his own. taps are dry and people are thirsty. there is little to drink, to bathe with, to cook or to clean. some schools have had to shut down. and hospitals are running out of their reserves. water has become so precious it is now being rationed but there's not enough for everyone. >> we are tired of this. we wait here morning, evening and night but not a drop in sight. we are fed up with this situation. >> the problem started two weeks ago when the only pike broke.

it's taking longer than expected to repair. the government is asking for international assistance. china is offering to help. >> our politicians don't care about our problems, they have complete disregard to our daily difficulties. >> every year during the rainy season, heavy downpours flood dacar, this year was no different. the rains have stopped but the water still hasn't receded. this neighborhood has been like this for weeks. there's water all around but drinking water is nowhere to be found. this is an ideal breeding ground for diseases such as cholera. oxfam america says hundreds of thousands of people are in need of assistance. >> we are facing a very

dangerous situation that can lead to sort of outbreak. >> senegalese authorities have promised to relocation but construction isn't going as planned. there isn't enough water to mix the cement needed to build new homes. >> we're working on a ten year plan to find a solution. we don't claim to be able to solve the problem in a year. >> this water crisis is turning into a major challenge for the government. for those who are waiting the solution cannot come soon enough. nicholas honk, al jazeera daccar. >> hundreds have gathered for the funeral, as well as being a literary icon, served as the ambassador to cuba, israel and

the united nations. 60 people were killed in nairobi last month. saudi arabia has launched a multimillion dollar, more space for the millions of pilgrims who go on pilgrimage. many think the project may jeopardize the holy city. here is a report. >> walking to the holy mosque, the most sacred site in islam and this is what you see from above. the skyline of the holy city of mecca is filled with cranes. a multibillion dollar development project is underway. saud officials say mecca will have a state-of-the-art

infrastructure and one of the best transport systems in the world. this 3d animation shows how mecca will look in 2020. tall buildings shopping malls bridges and high speed rail. at the center of the new project a massive expansion of the holy mosque to ease overcrowding during peak seasons. for the saud government the mega expansion and renovation is a requirement, shopping centers might be at the expense of the city's identity and traditional architecture. they all agree, mecca can modernize but should still retain its authenticityity. authenticity. >> the whole area has been invaded by tall buildings. i understand the need to build

tall buildings but one cannot bulldoze monuments. >> the whole terrain has been changed. the mountains are actually being leveled. and that's sad. one of the -- these are the same mountains that the prophet mohamed used to herd goats on and which was his training for prophethood. >> osama barr is the mayor of mecca, he tells me the oldest picture of the city, taken 130 years ago. all buildings neighboring the caba have been knocked over ever since. >> people have to understand that we are laying down the foundations building roads, modernizing, electricity and water appliance. but at the same time we are committed to maintaining the cultural and spiritual history of mecca.

>> this luxury hotel was built where an ottoman empire existed. >> a trouble nation a horrible disease and the legal questions now surrounding the united nations in haiti.