> more than 200 dead, hundreds trapped underground, a rescue effort following an explosion at a coal mine in turkey. hello, i'm david foster in doha. the other top stories - quitting, a special envoy, but lakhdar brahimi hints at a plan to solve the conflict in syria. a fragile peace - a report from south sudan, where both sides accuse one another of violating a ceasefire.

the atm that ensures dlis water supplies are always on top. elis water supplies are always on top. a massive rescue is taking place at a mine in turkey where assist many as 300 workers are trapped underground. 300 others have been brought to safety. at least 200 are known to have died. we are looking at live pictures from the scene at soma - in the west of turkey. hundreds of concerned relatives near the entrance to the mine as a desperate rescue mission continues. almost 800 workers were inside the mine at the time of an explosion. an explosion, we understand, that was caused by an electrical fault, around about 19 hours ago

it happened. and all hopes of finding those alive - those underground alive may well be fading. fears of many of them having been crushed and carbon monoxide poisoning underneath. the exact figure from the energy minister is 787 underground at the time in manisa province. live pictures on turkish television. people hoping for some good news. as we go to caroline malone, her report from west of turkey. we'll be with her live in a moment. >> reporter: it's one of the worst mine disasters in turkey's recent history. hundreds of people remain trapped inside the soma mine. after what the energy minister says, an electrical fault sparked an explosion and fire

right-hand 2km underground. >> 367 people were evacuated through their own efforts and during the initial rescue operation. in total 787 have been working in the mine, some are inside. there's 76 wounded, some of them are in serious condition. >> more than 400 are helping with the rescue effort. some of the miners who escaped expressed their anger at the company that runs the mine. >> translation: this is not something that suddenly happened. i can tell you there are people here who are dying, people who are injured, all because of money. people are dying, there's nothing they can do about it, they send us here like lambs to the slaughter, we are not safe doing the job. caroline with us live. what is the latest you can tell us? >> we are gathered at the site

of the mine accident. there are hundreds gathered here with us trying to help the miners trapped inside. many fireengines, a lot of security. we expect the prime minister recep tayyip erdogan, who is expected at the scope and the leader of the main opposition party. the energy minister has been speaking about the latest at the scene. he has been here at the site, as have hundreds of relatives. a larger number gathered outside the hospital in soma, wondering what happened to their loved ones. officials have been coming out, giving an updated list of who are the injured in the hospital bed. >> one of the things i have read is they are trying to pump air into the mine to clear out the carbon monoxide or to give those trapped a chance to breathe clean air. what else do you know about those trapped underground, to

free the men? >> that's right. one of the largest concerns for the minors is getting free air to them. they were pumping clean air to them 12 hours ago and overnight to get rid of the carbon monoxide, but the rescue efforts had to be halted temporarily and we believe they are because of the rising levels of carbon monoxide. they were concerned for the safety of the rescuers, and some of the 300 plus people that were brought out of the mine were injured when they went in to rescue the minors. >> it makes it sounds like an impossible task. we have seen some people. it's, what, 19 hours since the explosion. what chances do you think there are. what is the feeling there about bringing anybody or at least many more out? certainly the energy minor when he spoke gave a grim picture of what happened

here. they are concerned for the hundreds trapped inside. overnight the miners were speaking and they thought the fire was burning, 2km down into the ground where the fire started. so, yes, the situation is very difficult. it's making a difficult rescue operation. >> thank you very much. we take a look at the live pictures at the soma mine in western turkey, owned by soma, the company which says investigations are under way. it is described as high safety measures. it's been a few hours. at least 200 dead, and more than that, we understand still trapped under ground. ukraine's government said

six soldiers have been killed, in a grenade attack near the city of kramatorsk. it takes the total killed to 15 since a military operation began. more than 70 civilians and separatist gunmen died in the violence. paul beban is in donetsk in eastern ukraine. >> this is the biggest loss of life since the crisis in the east of ukraine erupted. the circumstances, according to the defence ministry showed the paramilitary forces are becoming sophisticated in the nods of entangling with the security forces loyal to kiev. what appears to have happened is two armoured personnel carriers approached a river bridge, and a

group of 30 engaged both together. two were killed, and the final death toll was several soldiers and wounded. it shows, i think, the difficulty in getting diplomatic and political talks off the ground when there is trouble, on a daily basis. >> paul brennan in donetsk. he is regarded as one of the world's serious and successful diplomats, but the man given a job finding the solution in the syrian war is stepping down. lakhdar brahimi is the second man to do so. although as he left office, he revealed details of a plan to bring an end to the 3-year conflict. the diplomatic editor james bays reports. >> reporter: he'd been threatening to resign for months. his departure will bring fresh crisis to the efforts to find

peace in syria. >> the question is how many more dead. how much more distraction that is going to be before syria becomes, again, the syria we have known, the new syria that will be different from the past. it will be the syria we have loved. >> mr lakhdar brahimi has been recognised as one of the world's most brilliant documents, as well as outstanding proponent of the principles of the charter of the united nations. >> a man of such achievement and experience who, himself, took over the job from former secretary-general kofi annan, and begs the question, is there anyone who can bring peace to syria. later dr lakhdar brahimi arrived to brief the security council. in that briefing a glimmer of hope. al jazeera learnt that lakhdar brahimi told ambassadors there'd been a proposal from the

iranians suggesting that could arrange an interim government and talk that they may work with saudi arabia to create a regional solution. after the meeting dr lakhdar brahimi spoke to reporters. >> on the sad day for you, what is your message to the syrian people? >> apologies once more, that we haven't been able to have them as much as they deserve, as much as we should have. also, to tell them that the tragedy in that country shall be solved. they have shown incredible resilience and dignity. >> the problem for dr lakhdar brahimi's successor were highlighted from comments from the syrian ambassador showing the u.n. as an organization would have difficulty working as

a mediator, they confirm his boss is refusing to take phone calls from ban ki-moon. >> it's through that that our president doesn't respond to his goals. this is true. this is it unfortunate, actually, because we drew his attention to the fact that he should, you know, act as the highest diplomat in the war, as you say, and the diplomat shouldn't make public statements on the president of a member state in this organization: . >> as 18-year-old dra lakhdar brahimi deports from what will be his international mission, the u.n. secretary-general must died his next steps. here at the u.n. names are circulating. former distinguished politicians and officials who could take lakhdar brahimi's job. there's a harder task than just

finding a name. if he is going to get iran and saudi arabia involved in a peace plan, he must get backing from the u.n. security council. and the u.s. in particularly made it clear that it's resultant to see any iranian involvement. the al jazeera arabic correspondent abdullah al-shami has been on hunger strike in an egyptian prison for 114 days and has been taken from his prison cell to an unknown location. two days ago his lawyer asked egyptian authorities to transfer him to hospital. recent blood tests showed that the 26-year-old may be dangerously close to dying. another three al jazeera journalists have been held in egypt for 137 days. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed are accused of conspiring with the outlawed muslim brotherhood. the group has been declared a terrorist organization by egypt.

al jazeera disputes all of the charges, and is demanding their immediate release. >> three months after their hospital was destroyed in south sudan, doctors without borders say they resumed operations. the aid group feeding malnourished children in remote areas. the u.n. warns of the risk of catastrophic famine unless fighting between the army and rebels stop. malcolm webb is in the cap sal of south sudan juba. >> reporter: this woman says she lost everything. her home town changed hands several times since fighting reached here in january. her house is in ruins. >> this was my home. it was burnt by the soldiers. they killed three of my children, and they took all the sorgen grain and whatever we had

in the house. we are left to die without food, water or shelter. they have taken everything. >> nearby there are nasty surprises in the well. the violence started in december. troops loyal to salva kiir fought those loyal to former vice president riek machar. both have committed crimes against humanity, mass killings and rape. this town is under rebel control. the government controlled the capital juba and most of the oil wells. the two signs signed a ceasefire and both accused each other of breaking it. meanwhile there's a worsening food crisis. it's difficult and costly for aid agencies to meet those in need. >> growing malnutrition is bringing on other health problems. >> you see today among the children we have sick children,

and they can have suspected - a suspected infections. >> the conflict killed thousands. it destroyed whole towns and livelihoods. since the ceasefire was signed people are not sure if the fighting will come to a stop. if it does, it will take years to recover. still to come on this programme - how the abduction of hundreds of school girls exposed nigeria's political paralysis. there's commuter chaos in rio as a million people are stranded by a bus strike. stay with us if you can on al

jazeera. you're watching al jazeera with me david foster, these are the top stories, the mossive rescue operations taking place at a mine in turkey where as many as 300 workers are trapped underground. 300 others have been brought to safety. 200 are known to have died. united nations arab league special envoy to syria lakhdar brahimi, announced he would be stepping down. he was given a job to find a solution to the 3-year syrian war. six ukranian soldiers killed near the city of kramatorsk. kiev is blaming a rocket attack

the president of nigeria asked for the state of emergency to be extended by six months. he has been criticised for the kidnapping of 200 cool girls boko haram. we have this report from abuja. >> reporter: they are not only the face of the latest attack by the radical group boko haram, the missing girls are the latest symptom of the country's political paralysis. the deadlock is between president goodluck jonathan, a southerner and a northern elite, involving his governing people, squaring off against the progressive congress. >> the government failed in providing equipment and the military, and in a planned resources across the states of the federation. but the states themselves are equally comparable. it's not squarely in the terrain of the pdp.

cuts across the ruling party and the opposition. >> the north is where most of boko haram's attack takes place. it's badly underdeveloped with unemployment and school drop outs. at the heart of devied between the north and south is the fight over oil resources. some say chronic mistrust among political leaders lead to a fractured government where accusations of manipulation got in the way of cooperation and reform. the troubled state was something addressed when he pleaded for unity in a national conference in march. >> it is a national process. [ inaudible ] >> now nigeria is under pressure because of the shocking abduction of so many girls, and with it the question of goodluck jonathan's leadership.

>> he has not attempted to play politics with the life of the students. the nigerians. he will not do it. he will never do it. >> there has been questions about the government response to the girl's abductions. looking ahead many say it's bigger than the survival of the goodluck jonathan, it's about fixing nigeria's political landscape. a french journalist has been killed in central african republic. the freelance photographer was found dead in the west of the country. french peacekeepers discovered the 26-year-old's body in a vehicle driven by christian militia fighters. south african police say escorts are in place to take people back to work. hundreds of miners have been blocking roads. they burnt tyres and torched shops in an attempt to block others from going to work. >> the philippines is accusing

china of reclaiming land on a disputed reef in the south china sea and building what appears to be an airstrip. the foreign ministry says bm has been sending materials to johnson reef. this comes a day after washington describes beijing's actions as provocative. the australian government announced wide ranging spending cuts in its first budget since being voted into office. prime minister tony abbott is trying to return the economy to surplus, and the biggest cuts will be to foreign aid, as andrew thomas reports from sydney - most australians are likely to be affected. >> reporter: this is prime minister tony abbott's constituency, the area he personally represents, the australia of postcards - foob u louse beeches and clients. australia economy, the wonder

down under was the envy of the world. some say it still is, but not the new prime minister. he says the last government overspent and australia is on track for a $42 billion deficit this financial year. despite re-election promises, there'll be income tax for the rich, those living in houses facing the sea like those. increases in tax on fuel, and charges of visiting the doctor, cuts to health, education and publicly funded broadcasting. those that receive a pension interest the government will see it rise by less than had been planned and significantly the age at which people will be eligible to get a pension will rise from 65 to 70, for anyone born after 1996. >> for most people with desk jobs, they can probably go on a lot longer, really. then, of course, it's hard to get jobs, or the business people would rather have the young

ones. >> the australians currently youngly get payments from a government cut. anyone under 30 will see their payments go down. >> i don't want to pay more tax. no good at all really, is it. >> the biggest cut at all will be to the foreign aid budget. the money given to poorer countries to help them develop like in the solomon islands. that budget will be cut by a billion an ear, that's about 20%, abandoning australia commitment to spend 0.7% g.d.p. this is a tough budget for those relying on australians. it's necessary to stop the country stepping backwards. soldiers in honduras removed the former president and 40 other leftist legislatures, who were protesting against the

conservative government, accusing them of preventing them taking place in debates. he was ousted after trying to change the constitution. calentors working-- contractors working on a world cup stadium. the second-most expensive football arena cost $900 million. electoral data showed there's a link between world cup construction firms and politicians. with less than a month until kick-off, there's concern about public services in host cities. rio, for example - a bus strike causing gridlock leaving more than a million stranded. >> reporter: public transport chaos in rio de janeiro as bus drivers go on strike, leaving more than 1.5 million stranded, bus stations backed for the busy morning commute. drivers want a pay increase from

the $860, and better working conditions. >> translation: 48 hours we will strike because this is ridiculous. the bus company openers make a lot of money. we are humiliated at work. we have to go out on broken buses, flat tyres and radios, and have the right to a dignified salary. >> tensions are high, patience low, dozens of buses vandalised and police called in to protect bus company garages. with no buses many are forced to use illegal mini fans. >> i left for work yesterday because i work 12 hour shifts. i was on duty. now i'm here, waiting for a long time, not able to get home. it's hard. >> the strike comes at a sensitive time as brazil is set to host the football world cup.

seen by many of the country's powerful unions as a high-profile area for strikes. >> in 16 parts of the city there has been strikes and threats of strikes, everything from police officers to teachers and bus drivers. here metro workers are threatening a strike on thursday. if they do, they'll grind to a halt public transport in the city. >> a complete world stoppage of police is unlikely, it's unconstitutional by the supreme court. in rio a judge ordered 70% of the bus drivers back to work. it's not clear if they'll comply. the strike and chaos could go on for another 24 hours. >> what do you get when you go to an atm? most people use their cards to get money. that is not the case in the slums of new delhi, as we

report. >> reporter: every morning people in this slum in new delhi have to fight for water. a government tanker suddenly arrives and they have just a few minutes to grab what they can. this is the only way for people in this colony to get water that is clean enough to drink. there's no other supply from the government. >> translation: we have to get up at six in the morning and stand here with the containers. if the tanker comes, we get water. if not, god help us. >> the if you buckets are free, but many say it's not enough. they can pump more from the ground, but it's filthy. the world health organisation estimates there's 97 million that don't have access to clean water. illnesses like diarrhoea, typhoid and skin infection is

common, because the groundwater they depend on is contaminated. it's a problem that people here no longer have. they can access up to 20 litres at a water at a time offing an atm. >> with this model they can access clean drinking water 24 hours, and that is an available any time. >> a private ngo and the government teamed up to build an on-site purification system which delivers drinking water through the atms. this woman brought a smart card for around $2, which she can top up. she pays around $0.05 for 20 litres of water and says it's money worth inspecting. >> translation: my son would vomit, his stomach hurt. he has a fever and a cough. i just give him this water now.

>> with india's increasing population, access to clean water is a pressing issue. 9 government hopes innovations like this will help it meet its demands. more news at aljazeera.com. the battle for homs is over. one of the most important cities in syria is wrecked, empty and in the hands of the asaad government. with the syrian opposition visiting the white house, the civil war is "inside story".