>> >> at least six killed in kenya's capital as another area in nairobi targeted. >> live in doha, the other top stories on al jazeera - back for the second time in a week, u.s. secretary of state john kerry tries to keep talks alive. >> unprecedented. the charity doctors without borders - the scale of ebola in afghanistan ka. >> from 5 to 7% - the impact of a hike in sales tax for japan's

consumers. >> three blasts in kenya's capital kills six people. it happened in an area of nairobi with a large somali population. >> the attack was timed for maximum effect. people were enjoying an evening meal when three explosive devices were hurled. the first to hit the roadside were women with food. two were thrown into separate restaurants, including this one, where most of the deaths occurred. >> the owner said the assailant locked the door after throwing the device, so to one could scap. his wife was inconsolable. it follows the shooting of six people at a church service a week ago.

normally family outings are safe here. this is the late ness a series of attacks to hit kenya. no one has claimed responsibility. since kenya sent soldiers in, the fighting group has been threatening violence. ordinary men, women and children are paying the price. >> we are there to ensure that nir obians and kenyans in respect of terrorism are secure. >> many do not feel safe, particularly since 57 were killed at westgate shopping center. al-shabab says it was its handiwork. much of the violence is unsold. this is known as little mogadishu. the hub of somali's community. it has grown tense since the

government said all refugees, most of whom are somali must leave the city and head to two designated camps, that's because some of the people responsible for recent attacks have been refugees. the people argue they are suffering punishments for the actions of a few. >> the trial of kenya's president at the international criminal court has been postponed until act. there was violence in 2007 resulting in the death, and the trial has been delayed. dan quigley is an international law professor saying prosecutors are searching for financial records providing evidence again kenyatta. >> mr kenyatta asked that the charges be dropped because the prosecutor acknowledges she does not have sufficient evidence to

proceed with the case. the prosecutors view is that there may be evidence that would serve to convict, but that is found in financial records, that she says are in the possession of the government of kenya. so she is asking the government to supply the records. the government has not done that so far. so the court has now given the prosecutor until october to get the records. so the court has agreed to postpone the trial for that period of time. >> the u.s. secretary of state is in the middle east for talks between israelis and palestinians. it's the second time in a week that john kerry has been in the region. live now to al jazeera's stefanie dekker, in jerusalem for us.

this is an emergency trip to the region, john kerry's second. what prompted him to rush back. what is the focus of the mission this time? it highlights a crucial stage. the focus is to extend them. this is it the nine month period for these talks. nothing has concretely been achieved. he met for a meeting with the israeli prime minister. he never made it to ramallah. abbas sent a chief negotiator here. he met with binyamin netanyahu, and is on his way to the airport. he needs to go brussels for an n.a.t.o. foreign minister meeting. nothing has been achieved. the message, because he didn't meet abbas, because he didn't have anything concrete to tell him.

why have we reached this stage? because a fourth and final palestine prisoner release should have taken place on saturday. israel said they won't do it unless talks are extended. this is something we agreed on before we started the talks. they won't go ahead. they have given john kerry a 24 hour period. unless the issue is not resolved by the end of tuesday, we'll go to the u.n., a make or break time for the talks. >> a tense time. there is speculation that israel's refusal to release the palestine prisoners may be tide to an israeli spy in custody in the u.s., in gaol, mr pollock. >> i don't think it's because of pollard. i think the way this is seen is the u.s. - it's a trump card. they can pull it at the time. u.s. officials confirmed that he

is on the table, he could be released. nothing has been achieved. this is significant. he's a u.s. spy, convicted of spying for his rail. passing classified information, arrested in 1985. israel had, for a long period tried to release him. there's a lot of public opinion against the u.s. there'll be a backlash, senior intelligence officials said they will step down. it shows you how straight and crucial the point is. if the u.s. - this is not confirmed, if jonathan pollard is part of a deal, the israelis will have to make concessions to the palestinians. they'll say you can't free pollard because of the last batch of prisoners that we have agreed upon. what will be is an option. a senior palestine figures, that is on the cards.

it's tit for tad. people will tell you they are not focussing on final status issues, things like the future of jerusalem, they are just focussing on extending the talks, incredibly difficult. >> that is stefanie dekker live in jerusalem. >> the charity doctors without borders is describing the scale of the ebola outbreak as unprecedented. it killed 78 people in guinea maybe, and in liberia in the past two months. it's highly contagious. there's no known cure or vaccine. >> a sight at the largest market. health officials out in full force trying to spread the word ebola virus, and they urge people to wash their hands and use disinfectant. a disease has come to guinea.

everyone must use bleach in the house in the toilets to clean up in general. >> despite an intense public awareness campaign, the message is not reaching everyone. >> i have no idea about the ebola virus, only god can help us, how can we prevent it. >> it's been nearly two months since ebola struck. the disease is spreading, making it tough for medical groups trying to contain the spread. we are facing an epidemic to the extent never seen, especially by the distribution of the cases. >> cases are confirmed across several squattered locations, including the capital and nigeria. they must restrict travel until

a solution is found. it is what is best for all. there's no vaccine or treatment for ebola, and the so-called strain detected in guinea is dangerous. it kills nine in 10 of its victims who suffer internal and external bleeding. >> the two most important things we need to do at this time is to stop the outbreak from replicating, from more cases occurring in hospital. the other priority is to trace the contact of known cases to ensure this we know who they were and see if they develop symptoms or not. >> it's not known how the virus passed to humans in guinea. >> thousands of ugandans attended a rally to celebrate the signing of an antigay law

bill. the president defended the legislation, meaning gay sex is punishable with life in prison. some european countries and the u.s. responded by cutting aid. it was one of 87 nations that have outlawed homosexuality. russia pulled back some of its troops. the german chancellor angela merkel was informed about the move in a phone call. >> russia's announcement that some of its troops are withdrawing from the border with ukraine serves lightly to less intentions. these ukrainian soldiers parading in front of the acting president will stay op their guard, the crisis is not over yet. we are ready for negotiations but freeing crimea will be the main issue. >> for ukraine that is

increasingly unlikely. russia's p.m. was in crimea, promising to raise pensions and salaries. a fundamental decision has been taken to increase pensions with the help of an additional payment. it has been agreed by me, it's the strongest signal of the pence. it's russian now. it was called a crude violation but can do nothing about it. cause for concern among those that fought for the down fall. and those looking at the embattled square. i don't know what to tell you about the future. it depends on the government. the fact that crimea was taken away from us was not a success. >> are you concerned about your country's relationship with

russia? >> translation: russians are good people. it's a shame it's like this. >> it's more than a month since viktor yanukovych fled the country. many are camped out in independence square, reluctant to leave until order returns to ukraine. >> things are moving quickly. the square looks like a war zane. the country faces elections in eight weeks. >> with russia encouraging a call in the east, it's far from assured people will get the government they want. the danger is in eight weeks time the country may not be united in knowing what it wants. >> still ahead this half hour - reassurance mission at the n.a.t.o. missing in brussels. the alliance stresses why it's relevant. and an honest woman is better than a corrupt man.

that's a message from a candidate in

>> welcome back, you're watching al jazeera, live from doha, a reminder of our top stories. three bomb blasts in nairobi killed six people. dozens were injured. the attack happened in the somali populated area. >> the u.s. secretary of state met binyamin netanyahu for the second time in 12 hours.

john kerry is attempting to salvage talks with palestinians. he's on his way back to brussels. >> the charity doctors without borders describes the scale of the ebola outbreak in west africa as uppress dented. it killed 78 in guinea. there's no known cure for ebola. >> in syria, fighting between the government and position forces intensified. state television says forces loyal to president bashar al-assad has recaptured a key hill-top area in the north of the city near the border. activists report vighters shelled the -- fighters shelled the airport which has been used by government forces. >> three al jazeera reporters gaoled have been allowed to address the judge. abdullah al-shami, mohammed badr, and peter greste haven't

denied bail and trial adjourneded to april 10th. >> al jazeera rejects charges and demonstrates the release of all its stuff. >> now to venezuela, where protests against nicolas maduro and his government turned violent. demonstrators threw rocks at police and set fire. forces used tear gas, water cannans and bullets to disappears the crowd. >> in mexico security forces killed a leader of the knights templar. he died in an operation - in a western state. the cartel has been chased out of town in the region by groups targetting the gangs leaders. the u.s. construction machinery company katter pilla has been accused of avoiding 2.4 billion in taxes. it joins apple, microsoft, hooul

et packard and other corporations accused of using elaborate straightanies to avoid paying taxes in the u.s. the death toll from a mud slide in the u.s. state of washington rose to 24. rescue crews created a makeshift road making it easier to search for victims and have been clearing debris and mud from a highway. bad weather made the job harder. >> major foreign ministers are meeting in brussels to coordinate a response to the crisis in ukraine. it's the first the 28-member states have gotten together. >> we look at n.a.t.o.'s current mission and assesses whether it's living up to the goals of its charter. >> the political crisis in ukraine, and what n.a.t.o. considers a legal russian annexation has the alliance stressing why it's relevant.

>> for more than 60 years we came together in n.a.t.o. not to claim lands, but to keep nations free. >> they need to return to their roots. the n.a.t.o. alliance felt things in its neighbourhood were under control and it had the freedom, capability and experience to undertake missions in far away places. >> the original mission was simply. 28-member countries agreed to defend each other. they went to war in afghanistan after the september 11th attacks. the alliance cop rates on security issues with 22 partner states. including russia and ukraine. >> 11 countries in the middle east and north africa and eight countries that are not located near the atlanta ocean. even though it is a security organisation, members used one-off alliances with nonmembers to respond to

emergencies around the world, such as the it 2004 tsunami. the problems are challenging. all n.a.t.o. members are supposed to spend 2% of g.d.p. on defense. only three countries do so. joint operations since the 2011 aware in libya and kosovo were run by u.s. forces. after the russia georgia war in 2008, some n.a.t.o. members resisted expanding the alliance because they didn't want to defend russia's neighbours were its attack. >> moscow is suspicious much n.a.t.o.'s goals. >> it sees it as an organization set up to contain and confront the soviet union but has not found a new mission in the post cold war world. >> is a top to bottom n.a.t.o.

mission required or has russia reinstayed it. >> a story defense alliance focused on its original mission, as it tries to reframe itself for 21st century challenges. >> japan has raised consumer sales tax from 5 to 7%. it's part of prime minister shinzo abe's attempt to ease massive debt. >> this tof u shop has been in this family for generations. they have hoped the art of making this inexpensive food. he is worried about the impact of a rise in japan's sales tax from 5 to 8%. >> tov u is something you eat every day. you have to pay tax each time. it will weigh on my customers. >> at 5% japan's tax will be

seen as out of kilter with tackling a debt standing at twice the size of the economy. >> the country has so much debt and something the country has to face, and our children and grandchildren. >> it can't be helped. it's partly because the government didn't do well up until this point. i hope it didn't waste money. shinzo abe made this an important issue for his government. they'll raise salaries and announced $50 billion stimulus in the hope that a shock to the economy caused by the tax hike will be short-lived. >> we should see a negative gtp deproeth in the april-june garter. nevertheless, we are bleeding that the economy should pick up in the july-september quarter. snow much of this is about

tomography, japan confronting costs of its society. this move is a tentative one. this is a first step in putting japan's financial house in order. a second rise taking the tax to 10% is slated for october next year. economists say it will have to go up 15 to 20% if it is going to tackle the debt. the weeks leading up to the rise - now businesses big and small are bracing for a downturn, hoping it's brief. and japan has released a 50-year ban on arms exports. the changes are likely to see tokyo selling equipment to south-east asia and india. prime minister shinzo abba wants his country to play a bigger role in international peacekeeping and defense. afghans will vote for a new

president. they choose parliament and provincial members. there's few women in politics, but jane ferguson met one of them, an mp in the conservative province. their life stories should be centuries apart. this woman and her grandmother are separated by two generations. jamilla is an mp campaigning for re-election. her grandmother was sold as a child bride to an older opium addict. decades have not eased the pain of her youth. she says her granddaughter's achievements astonish her. >> translation: i'm surprised to see my granddaughter among the men, talking to the men. it was a different time, we didn't talk to men. they covered their faces. >> it's difficult in afghanistan for women to have careers.

this is a conservative city. taliban threats make it dangerous for women to campaign. she is relying on her reputation to win vote. for the past five years she has been fiercely incorruptible. she was homeless when she became an mp, living in the tent at one point, with her family. despite the modest government salaries, most afghan mps live in huge houses, paid for through corruption. the reputation attracted wealthier supporters. they raised mny for a small house. other mps used heavily armed body guards. the taliban threatened her, but she sent messages that an honest woman was better than a corrupt man. a bigger challenge was the sex is attitudes of male colleagues.

every head of the provincial council who got the job, because i was a warrior tried to break me, but i worked independently. supporters leave with posters, promising to spread a campaign message to the veil ints, and spread hope that female mps in afghanistan can keep the success they worked hard for. >> china's president is pushing for deeper political and economic ties with the european union. >> hay may be made in china, it's what is made in europe that has the president despite the. many have benefitted from the country's checkbook. that's france and germany done. the next and final stop -

belgium. >> or the city here to be specific. this is a long way from china, geographically and metaphorically. china's image is one of a superpower. life here is a lot slower. it's a sleepier place. there are links between the two. rouge is keen to attract as many chinese people as it can. china, likewise, appears to have a soft spot for this place. >> which explains why it's built this, a chinese library completed in the space of a week. a little piece of china in the heart of a medieval belgium city. this is a generation that won't just watch china, but interact with it. students at the college of europe are getting ready tore that. >> the e.u. and china are becoming economically and politically intertwined. we need to be aware of the ties

and build upon them. >> cooperation between the sides is necessary. economic connections have been very, very significantly. >> trading pandas helped with photo ops, and the chinese bear voke the cute factor. she is interested in the commerce factor. formalising the relations with the e.u. trade with the union is worth 1.5 billion every day. the e.u. is china's primary trading partner, that is the e.u., not the u.s. that is why experts say attitudes need to change. >> there are more specialists, u.s.-china relations and i think it's necessary for more chinese to get deeper knowledge of the european union. the visit is the first time a chinese president has been to the e.u. since relations were established. if life begins at 40, there'll

be more happy returns. >> a reminder that you can keep up to date with all the news all the time on the website. aljazeera.com. plentry of analysis and information on >> both its biggest fans and strongest opponents said that nafta was going to bring the america, mexican and canadian dismiss. now who was right about nafta? that's the "inside story." >> hello, i'm ray suarez.