down the confusing financial speak and make it real. ♪ barely bombs dropped a day after allegations it was a site of a poison gas attack. ♪fleischer. >> hello there. you are watching al jazeera live from doha. also in the next 30 minutes, from crisis to crisis in libya, the interim prime minister is refusing to form a new government. deaths reported on both sides as ukrainian forces fight with pro-russian activists outside the eastern city of slovyansk. it's been described as africa's drug-trafficking hub where they

are having presidential e elections. hello there. thank you for joining us. activists in syria say government aircraft haagain bee targeting a town at the center of new chemical weapons allegations. more explosives have reportedly been dropped in hama province. the government and opposition have accused each other of firing poison gas there. we are going to hear from a chemical weapons expert. first this report from albara. >> this is the aftermath of a barrel bomb attack in aleppo. people are searching for survivors under the rubble. the government has intensified its air raids across the country. rebels say the cylinder is all that's left of a barrel bomb that exploded in the town of

quazata. activists say the bombs were filled with toxic chemicals that's videos are set to show victims of the attack being taken to field hospitals. on the 11th of april, the city was targeted and the gases were all over theplace. we went to the scene. there were dozens of people who were affected. they were almost suffocated. most were elderly people, women and children. two cases were severely affected and they died. the syrian opposition is demanding an international investigation but the government blames the attack on a group affiliated with al-qaeda. it is a rebel stronghold in hamut prove i knew. it has been bombarded by the army which is pushing to recapture areas. but the rebels hold out. >> this military commander

explains why the fighting is important. our aim is to cut off the main government supply root and to prevent any army reinforcement from reaching there rebel attacks are ex pounding north in itleb. there, helicopter crews drop food and weapons to soldiers besieged for months in a military base near the city. recent gains by the opposition now allows the rebel to send in more weapons and fighters as fighting escalates near the coastal prove incident. al jazeera. according to the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons, about 54% of the chemicals inside syria have been removed or destroyed. it's believed the government still has around 550 tons of

chemical weapons. almost all of them have reportedly been packed up and are located at a few sites near the city of hans. the government had pledged to remove all of the weapons by april 13th except those in what it describes as presently ina inaccessible areas. it says fighting has delayed the delivery. syria has until june 30th to eliminate its chemical weapons program. abouton gordon is a chemical weapons expert. he said if it was chlorine gas, it's easy to get ahold of because it's widely available in syria. >> the evidence we have seen, it's very similar to the evidence we saw before -- after the attack. some of the symptoms. those that you would expect from chemical weapons and in this particular case. the regime stated it has packed

pesticide or phosphate at harista. it is a choking agent. there is compelling evidence that with web sites line moses which unkey quite a fewcally show chlorine is in the arir an has been used. who is responsible is going to be very difficult. the deliver means would suggest that the regime is responsible for these barrels coming out of helicopters or rocket re. however, we do know that al-qaeda did a lot of research into chemical weapons and it is not impossible that al-qaeda groups could have obtained co r chlorine which is widely available in syria and used it themselves. syria was a large manufacturer of chlorine for commercial and domestic purposes. so, i expect if this is colorean, it's from

commercial sources which the regime could very well have used and possibly al-qaeda, as well. >> the interim prime minister in libya has handed in his resignation to parliament. abdullah asini will continue to serve in the caretaker government until his replacement is found. he says gunmen have tried to kill his family. replaced the deposed prime minister last month. andrew sim commons has more from the libyan capitol, tripoli. >> he says he wants to be excused. he says he doesn't want to form a new government, but he is prepared to stay on until a replacement is found. now, it was less than a week ago, he was asking for bigger powers for the government which have had a caretaker position. he wanted a bigger mandate from the general national con congress. now, he was given a week foform a new government, but, of course, this has happened now. he says the main reason is that his family came under attack a

violent attack when gunshots were fired he asked lives were at stake. he didn't want any bloodshed so he wants to stand down. now, the gnc hasn't really got a consensus on a choice of an alternative. there are 200 members in this gnc and they have to find someone else. how long this will take is unclear, and, of course, it does lead to more instability in a country that is pretty unstable already. >> argues is demanding the immediate release of its journalists imprisoned in e 1yi79. peter grest aa, mohammed farmi and in court and the case has been adjourned until later this month. they are falsely accused to providing a platform for the muslim brotherhood. they have been behind hoo bars

106 days. abdullah has been on hunger strike for 83 days. al-jazerra rejects all of the charges. ukraine's president says his government is planning a full scale opposition to the gunmen holding buildings. and offering am nest city if they give up weapons by monday morning. more live from slovyansk. we heard similar statements from at a time interior minister over the past hours and days really. nothing happened then. so why this message now? >> there have been several deadline. there was one issued for both donetsk. there was a deadline for other

places and, also, that one that came and went. now, the president, i think, had to come out and speak he said he would not like a scenario like crimea to be repeated on the mainland. i think that's probably the main point of his speech in the sense that there is a lot of concern among the people who do support the new government in kiev, that the government is not doing anything that buildings, key instaltations police stations are flipping out of their control and there is no retaliation on the side of the government. i think the people had been quite forgiving when crimea happened because of the special status of crimea. it wasa already an autonomous region, because the government was so young. it had been in place maybe a week when that crisis started. but now it's two months later. this is a crisis that could have been foreseen by the government and it needs to be -- needs to

show that it is ready to do something. >> one line that is interesting in the address was where he speaks to at a time people and says, don't be instruments in the war against your own country. i guess appealing specifically to the people of ukraine because the government in kiev thinks all of this is orchestrated by russia, itself. do we have any clarity on what the level of that is, how much of it is a local uprising in the east and how much of it is actually orchestrated by russia, itself? >> widon't have much information about how much is orchestrated by russia. certainly those protesters who are seizing those buildings are pro-russian and one of the first things they do is put the russian flag up. they keep on saying all they are looking for is federalists, they don't break away from ukraine,

but they want to administer their own affairs alone. others would be quietly on the side. federalism is one step towards breaking away from ukraine. now, how much support is that? it's very unclear because i have to say that we have been through several towns and cities in this area. yes, you do have sympathize partners who stand in front of those barricades who say that they are there to protect inside the building, who say that the people inside the building are doing this to protect the -- to protect them and their cities and their future, but you don't see this large amount of big gathering. i was surprised yesterday, for example, saturday, a weekend, we thought that maybe there would be a much bigger crowd, well, that did not happen, and when you speak to those men who are inside the building, around the building, you see a bit of disappointment that there is not

much more support. >> said, now they have the weapons. now, they have key installations. now, the government is losing some sort of logistical -- logistic support on the ground and it's making it more difficult for the government to carry out any kind of terror operation, anti-terror operation, rather. >> so, in that sense they hold some power. how much support that that weighs, the way they are doing things has, i think not as much as they think, even though the idea is one that appeals to many in the east beyond the barricades and beyond those squares where the protests are happening. >> hoda in slovyansk, thank you. of course, as hoda was mentioning, protests are spreading across eastern ukraine. tamatorsk is another city where pro-russian gunmen have taken over government offices. the latest developments there

>> reporter: tensions are spilling over in eastern ukraine in the city of slovyansk, ukrainian authorities say they have launched an anti-terrorism operation. the military they claim at least for a short time moved in. there were reports of dead and wounded. this video which can't be independently verified appears to show a man taking cover after being shot on the outskirts of the city. near bookyby a man sits lifeless. in the city center, pro-russian activists remain in control of the city's police station. ukrainian forces on sunday tried to retake the building but retreated, reported because of a risk to the public. >> we are the residents of slovyansk, the national guard is coming here, has already been a shoot-out this morning. we have nothing to hide. here is my face. i want to ask comrade putin, you promised to protect us. please come here and protect us.

this was the scene on saturday amateur video shows the moment gunmen stormed the police station. after a tension stand-off, shots were fired abs and pro-russian activists moved in. a day later, the station remains in their control. >> we were given access to this building. we were told we should not' film the outer barricades, only the front of the police station. people here weary of how the unrest in the east is being portrayed. >> people here are frightened by reports of blood shed but maintain calls for a referendum. >> it is not worse than the ukraine. donetsk is like a bird. the -- like a bear. when you wake up, there will be trouble. please don't ask me how far we will go. >> the city council has been taken over and protesters have blocked entrances and exits to the region's military air field. they say if ukrainian special forces return, they won't get

past. authorities in kiev maintain the people here do not represent the region but with supporters continuing together outside state buildings, buildings will be falling to protestors in the east, the use of force could be difficult. in afghanistan, preliminary results from the presidential elections show the former prime minister is in the lead. results from 10% of polling stations show that he has won nearly 42% of the vote. his nearest rival has almost 38%. there could be a run-off between the two leading candidates if neither gathers more than 50% vote when the final results are in towards the end of may. burnett smith has this update from kabul >> reporter: to win afghanistan's presidential election outright, the leading contender would need to get more than 50% of the vote. it looks like with these partial results released by the commission today, none of the

frontrunners have managed that. abdullah abdullah has 41.9%. gani, 37%. some will be released next week. the final tally, the final announcement will be mid may, but if this stage, if figures could change, it looks like abdullah abdul & garni are headed for a run-off vote. >> could be held at the earliest at the end of may. both said they will take part in a run-off if they consider the first run round was conducted failure. the election complaints commission they haven't been at a significant enough level that would affect the outcome of the poll. so, therefore, they will almost certainly be a run-off. they might not know who the president is going to be. the new president is going to be. the final results were all in and count cowed and disputes dealt with.

the country that's known as africa's narco state. it has become a major trafficking point out of south america. the trafficking is set to be spreading to nearby countries. a recently haul was picked up in anything thatting agabegiguinea it has a history of coups since gaining independence from portugal. the last coup was two years ago. now an inflewential report says there is a corrupt and centralized leadership and an inadequate and underfunded justice system. ca katherine soy is at a polling station. she sent us this report. >> people here in begin guinea they will get the change they want, that it's going to turn their country around. >> that's country that has suffered multiple coups and assassinations since 1994. the country's first dem kr59ic election, one of the poorest

countries in the world. it has an economy that's facing a crisis. most of the state functions are being run by foreign aid. the cost of living is getting higher. people are getting poorer. it has a military that is deeply entrenched in the politics and reluck tant to let go. so, these people here really just want to elect a leader that is going to change all of that and make their lives a little bit more bearable. still ahead in the program, it's not witchcraft. we go to nigeria where traditional healers say they can treat you as well as any mainstream doctor. pas pass. >> one of spain's most important historical monuments is caught in a controversy between islamic and christian heritage. ♪

final for a reminder the 69 headlines. in government, appe the governm and rebel fighters are blaming each other for dropping barrel bombs filled with toxic chemicals. ukraine's acting president says his government is planning a full-scale anti-terrorist operation against armed men holding public buildings in the east. alexander torshinof has offered amnesty if they give up weapons by monday morning. voters in begguinea are having

elections. they have suffered a series of coups, the last one just two years ago. stay with us. the results of this election matters goned the borde borders -- beyond the borders. it's a major hub in the global drug trade. drugs from colombia he can w ecuador and a big market for the cartels. worth $2,000,000,000 of drugs are said to be trafficked there every year. their entire economy is worth less than half of that. $897 million. the drug gangs have exploited the poverty there to establish their big-money business. the u.n. has said that 50 colombia drus bosses -- drug bosses are there. >> a research fellow with the chatham house, told us a new

government would not be able to solve the drug trafficking problems on the own. >> any government that would come up from this election will not be able to do it by themselves. they need the support of international community. we witnessed in the last two years, the international community divided about how to go further with guinea. organizations need to not compete how they will be performing there but they understood to be very soon there with a new government and to come up with a reform that is a platform of engagement of different international actors and the government. >> for many africans, herbal remedies have as much to offer as mainstream healthcare. in lagos spate, the government says it's time for healers to take their place within modern hospitals and clinics. a report >> reporter: hagi has used a traditional form of orthopedic therapy.

he has no medical degree. he took this up from his father who learned it from his father. but make no mistake. he is licensed. he is one of thousands of traditional medicine practitioners recognized by the state of lagos. >> if a bone is broken, they tell you about eight weeks before formation comes in. but in a tradational way, i would tell you before six weeks, he will walk with it. >> patients say they find traditional healers more available, affordable and less invasive. >> my friend had a fracture like mine and went to a regular hospital. they amputated his leg right away. we have more confidence in the traditional way >> reporter: for many generations after the advent of traditional medicine, it appears to be done as well as it ever has. critics of traditional medicine warn it's not based upon scientific research or evidence. some say it's difficult to draw the line between it and

witchcraft. >> but that's exactly the impression the lagos alternative medicine board has been trying to change. for years, it has been licensing, monitoring and training traditional healers, herbalist and bone setters. the six week course he had indicates them in nutrition among other topics. it's aeprerequisite to getting licensed. the chairman of the board is a doctor. he says this in the end is about providing better healthcare. >> what we are doing now is that we are trying to have confidence, so we can meet midway. a country where we have 30 doctors to 200,000 patients. >> as part of their push, lagos is setting up a botanical center to capitalized on the plants. they hope research will offer affordable home grown solutions to endemic diseases such as

malaria. tr traditional practitioners have been lobbying to establish a hospital that would have them working side-by-side with physicians. there are their practice is here to stay and they say it is, well, the natural thing to do. al jazeera, lagos. dr. oguri taylor, the world health organization national medicine advisor says she doesn't think using traditional medicine stops patients from also seeking mainstream healthcare. >> anybody who has a genuine problem, who has sought someone will go to another to continue seeking health. but as i said, we have a proper system we are promoting among them and collaboration between and then we have a framework that sports collaboration between traditional medicine, practitioners and practitioners. one of the things we are doing is actually adding traditional

medicine to the curriculum of the orthodox method of practitioners so that there will be some sort of understanding between the two systems so that, you know, both systems can support one another a spain site is caught in a dispute over it's christian and muslim past. >> on the banks of the river, one of the greatest mosques ever built over looks the city of cordobal. once it was the center of islamic spain. inside is like stepping back into that time, it fellows a grand center of civilization. over time, it became a cathedral. the roman catholic church became

the authori the. it belongs to the public. this complex housing a cathedral built inside a mosque is for many a potent symbol of a multi-cultural pass. it is a source of pride here reflecting a goldenage. it has been tantamount stamping out the islamic identity. >> a million people come heevery year paying $10 to visit. >> fee goes towards the maintenance of the site. the acquisition has drawn widespread criticism even from unesco. the church maintains it is a cath lit site.

they are saying it is trying to whitewash the powerful hold islam had here. >> it's as if the arabs who came here were muslims and there wasn't a time where the majority of the people here were muslims. our culture is acceptable but not an islamic one. sflooush untilp. in the past, they lived in relative piece. those who come here will find a city as beautiful as it is fascinating. ♪ the co existence is what they need to preserve if it is to live up to its reputation.

al jazeera. more on that story and everything else we have been covering here on al jazeera on our website. there it is and the address on your screen right now, aljazeera.com. you can see our top story there. ukraine launching anti-terrorist operations. more on that in a few minutes. bye-bye. had a murderous ram papage on a scale the world hadn't seen in decades. has the world learned its lesson? "the inside story."