>> vladimir putin defends russia's foreign policy in an address to the nairgs an nations down the country's growing economic problems. live from our headquarters in doha. coming up in the next half hour. >> no justice. >> no peace. >> protests across the u.s. over the latest decision not to charge a police officer in the death of an unarmed black man. and count down stalls, strong winds and a sticky valve delayed the launch of a nasa spacecraft. and keeping it in the family.

will zimbabwe's long time leader push side potential successes in favor of his wife. first, to kenya where a plane has come down. we're getting reports that the pilot is dead, and two of the crew are missing. let's go straight now to katherine soy who joins us on the line fro from nairobi, katherine, what more can you tell us about this plane has come down? >> not too long ago have said that the jet had technical problems and coming from southern somalia where they had carried out air strikes, local time, now we also spoke to an al jazeera spokesman who said the group shot down the jet, 50

kilometers north, and that the kenyan forces had been bombarding, air strikes in an area in those areas of jamame. be the main base of the kenyan forces. we have to be very careful with all this found here. there is a big propaganda war going on from both sides. right now a al shabaab's word, until we see more, we have to be specific about what's happened. >> thank you katherine. there have been two car bombings in the iraqi capital, they blew up in the sadr neighborhood. police sources tell us 13 people

have been killed, two others have been injured. we will get more details as we get the information. syrian state media has reported that the airm has shelle army hd position of islamic state of iraq and the levant. video online of what apparently is the aftermast of air strikes by the syrian regime. dozens of people have been injured in the attack. and syria's president bashar al-assad has told a french news magazine that air strikes against the islamic state of iraq and the levant in his country are not working. in a rare interview he says we are running the ground battles against i.s.i.l, and we have noticed no change. especially with turkey providing direct support to these regions. he also said he wasn't focusing on his future as president. he was quoted as saying, the captain doesn't think about death or life. he thinks about saving his ship. and if he thinks about sinking,

everyone will die. russia's president vladimir putin says he will not allow the west to dismantle his country like yugoslavia. u.s. policy defending his country's actions in ukraine and crimea. >> for the president arriving at the grand kremlin palace, this was always going to be a difficult speech. the economy battered by sarchtions and the fall in the price of -- e-sanctions and the fall of the price of oil, the president was in a combative mood, accusing the west of wanting to see russia broken up, dismantled he said. >> the support of separatism in russia from abroad including the informational, political and financial one through intelligence services was absolutely obvious.

and there is no doubt that they would have loved to see the yugoslavia scenario of collapse and dismemberment for us with all the tragic consequences it would have for the peoples of russia. this did not happen, we did not allow it. >> reporter: and he said the military supremacy of russia's armed force he must be guaranteed. a necessary reason for survival. he said that the west was using ukraine and the crimea as a reason to cripple russia. >> our stance in regard to the events and coup in ukraine. not even in regard to the so-called crimean spring. i'm certain if all this didn't take place they would just come up with another reason to contain russia's growing capabilities. to influence it or even better, why is it for its -- use it for

its own goals. >> allowing the currency to float did not mean it was giving up the influence over the rate which has fallen 40% against the dollar. he insisted russia would never go down a path of self-isolation. >> russia will be open to the world to cooperation to attracting foreign investments and to the implementation of joint projects. >> reporter: and as closures and layoffs become more common on the streets of moscow he announced special measures to protect the small businesses that he believes will help lead the economy out of recession. so what about russia's annexation of crimea and eastern ukraine, putin defended russia's aggressive foreign policy saying its action he were necessary for the country's survival. peter sharp, al jazeera, moscow. >> the latest in what has been a troubled history for the region.

stefanie de dekker reports. >> people in the oil rich and predominantly muslim region has been fighting for independence for centuries . more recently there have been two major wars. 1994, the chec chech chec chechf attacks including one major ones, that's 2002 moscow theater siege and the 2004 attack on a school in bezlan, that killed more than 300 people most of them children. the year before the bezlan attack moscow pushed forward a constitution that aimed to

conform chechnya to russia. due to the security situation improving, sporadic attacks continued, and nationalistic one to one more focused on islam. >> president putin mentioned in the state of the nation and he was as defiant as ever. >> translator: we remember when who and how in the 1990s supported separatism and even terror in our land, their hands soak in blood. the same rebels have showed up in chechnya. i am confident our local law enforcement will handle it ably. it is them who are handling the liberation of another group of terrorists. let's support them. in the united states the treatment of african american

men by police is again under the spotlight. the justice department is launching an investigation into the killing of eric garner, a black man who died after being placed in a cloak hold by a white police officer. the inquiry was announced after the grand jury decided not to charge the officer involved. that decision triggered a wave of protests across new york city which then led to 83 arrests. about a thousand people marched through the streets chanting and waving banners. police were forced to shut down side roads as well as a portion of the usually busy 6th avenue. this was the scene in washington, d.c. where dozens of people marched through downtown streets. some held banners readings indict the system and black lives matter. while on the west coast, hundreds of people rallied in the streets of oakland. but protests were stopped before they could reach police

headarters. eric garner's encounter with police officers in summer was caught on are cell phone camera. a note, his encounter contains disturbing images. >> police officers wrestled him to the ground. the police claimed no choke hold was used, garner was never in distress. >> i can't breathe, i can't breathe. >> he repeats this several times and then garner goes still. choke holds have been banned by the new york police department since 1993 but are not illegal. garner's family condemned the decision. >> somebody that gives aid to do right did wrongs and he's not held accountable for it. my husband's death will not be in vein. as long as i have a breath in my

body i will fight the fight to the end. thank you. >> garner's killing happened just weeks before the police shooting in ferguson, missouri of michael brown, a african american teenager. the grand jury decided not to indict that police officer as well. the demonstrations were scattered loud and disruptive. president barack obama spoke soon after the judgment was announced. he snifses this was not -- he insists this is not a black problem or a white problem. >> i'm absolutely committed as president of the united states to making sure that we have a country in which everybody believes in the core principle that we are equal under the law. >> the nation's top law officer says there will be a federal investigation. >> our prosecutors will conduct an independent, thorough, fair

and expeditious investigation. in addition to performing our own investigative work, the department will conduct a complete review of the material gathered during the local investigation. >> president obama announced a task force to look into policing over one he appointed is himself accused of brutality during his tenure as police chief of washington, d.c. the president is calling for more funding for the purchase of police body cameras. caught on camera may not be enough to bring a police officer to trial. allen fisher, al jazeera. >> well it's been touted as the first step in deep space exploration. but nasa's new orion space the craft will have to wait another day for blastoff. the unmanned mission was set for today in cape canaveral florida.

andy gal ger at the kennedy space center in cape canaveral. >> what is the more of a frustratinfrustrating start. 24 hour opportunity, two and a half hours, for the next day. the first launch was delayed by a boat out in the water, then we had hide high winds which are still here and then eventually those mechanical problems but safety is a top priority at nasa. remember many are watching this launch program, without a couple of accidents in the commercial sector. all eyes are on nasa. when the orion capsule does launch it will go for four and a half hours, it will orbit the earth twice and it is a test flight for this unmanned vehicle. it is tested for radiation, go 6,000 kilometers above earth, 14

miles higher than the international space station. this is an important step in what is a long process. there will be another one in about two and a half years time and about 15 years they plan to put four astronauts on board the craft and they will potentially go to low earth asteroids and the planet mars. so exciting times at nasa. >> still to come on al jazeera, we report from the streets of kabul, where communities remain crippled by conflict with no electricity, no water, and very political hope. plus sierra leone's president says the country is still open for business this is despite the ebola outbreak. we'll have all the details on that story after the break.

>> the government is prepared to carry out mass array... >> if you want free press in the new democracy, let the journalists live. >> on the stream >> csi environment we talk with scientists who helping to pinpoint pollution culprits by creating a way to fingerprint fracking waste water

>> the stream only on al jazeera america >> you're watching al jazeera.ap stories. a kenyan plane has come down near the somali town of kesmayo. we're getting reports that the pilot is dead and two of the crew are missing. two car bombs in baghdad, the attacks happened in the mainly shia muslim district of sadr. and russia's president vladimir putin said he will not allow the west to dismantle his country like yugoslavia. his annual state of the nation address came after several people were killed in the chechen city of grosne.

north city of ismalea, israeli soldiered shot, one of the attackers was killed. aal jazeera's peter greste has been recognized in absentia at australia's major journalism award ceremony. peter's brother andrew received the award open his behalf. the annual award recognizes excellence in journalism. >> it was the last report peter greste would file from egypt before his arrest on the 29th of december last year. along with mohamed fahmy and baher mohamed. that's almost one year in an egyptian jail. journalists denied of their freedom simply doing their jobs. for that job peter once again has been recognized. australia's major journalism

awards, the annual walkley awards have granted him special recognition. received by his brother andrew. >> i've come with a message from torah prison. this is a message from peter. while i'm truly honored to accept this award, i do that on behalf of all of those whom it really belongs. to those who are part of the struggle not only in egypt but aware the press is not truly free. >> peter's passion is erik, kenya is where he's based or supposed to be based and he's now spent almost a year in a prison cell along with our two other colleagues, mohamed and baher. al jazeera denies all their charges and demands their immediate erase. hadr abasi, al jazeera. >> mohamed fahmy who is a canadian citizen is in prison

alongside the others. he wrote a letter which was smuggled out of the uranium by hijail by hisfamily. >> the right for freedom of expression is what true democracy means in a civilized world. almost a year into my detention i'm now more furious than ever i'm caught up in a weapon of coalitions in the middle east who can't seem to agree who the terrorists are, which militant group to arm next. and if we were all to sworn enemy the press. >> you can find out more about our jail journalists, on aljazeera.com. they have been imprisoned in egypt for 341 days.

afghan president ashraf ghani and his prime minister, abdalla abdalla. the need is much more basic for many on the ground. >> pledges of support from their government or the international community means very little to these people. the men sit in the sun to stay warm because there's no wood to burn in their makeshift homes. the families have lived here around eight years. they fled the fighting in southern afghanistan. the taliban heart land. they say they get virtually no support. >> seven months ago we got a bag of flour and one can of cooking oil per family. people don't division of us jobs because we wear this turban and they think we are taliban. >> sick for days complaining of pain in her kidneys. people here say the local clinic

rarely opens and when it does it doesn't have enough medicine. >> if aid money goes to government they use it themselves. they had only mud huts before now they are driving vehicles. where did they get this money from? >> southern afghanistan, there's no electricity there's no water there's no schools. and it is very obvious that pledges from the international community has made very little difference to their lives. it would be wrong to say there have been no improvements inning afghanistan in the last two years. the number has risen to 57% of people who have access to education within two mimes of their home. the u.n. aid has pledged 23.3

million towards their maintenance. in 2002, girls education was virtually nonexistent now more than 50% of girls are in school. power plant just outside kabul was originally scheduled to open in 2009 but it remains defunct because the government can't afford to fuel to power it and even if they could, ordinary afghans wouldn't be able to afford the electricity bills. the last year, poppy cultivation reached an all time high. and that's after more than $7 billion was spent on counternarcotics programs over the last decade. as the majority of foreign troops lead, security across the country is deteriorating. there have been at least 11 attacks in kabul alone in the last two weeks. more money for afghanistan is expected to be pledged in london. history has taught these people at least that that money will

make little difference in their lives. charles stratton, al jazeera, kabul. during a conference for his party, mogabe accused his party from undermining him. his wife grace is tipped to be named as his new deputy. hara mutassa has more. >> president robert mogabe says this year's conference is going to be a spectacular one. he tore into his deputy vice president, accusing her of trying to assassinate him of trying to remove him from power but she has denied the allegations. people are watching the rise of his wife. she's expected to be elected leader of the women's league, a powerful lobby here in the

country. for being the deputy or the vice president of zimbabwe. >> more than 6,000 people have died from ebola in west africa and that number is still riding. sierra leone one of the worst affected countries and yet the president insists the country is still open for visitors. dominic kane reports. >> workers get ready to treat their patients. this part of the liberiaian capital is part of the high le affected. >> given the same diet while you have many patients that have difficulties to swallow, you have patients that have sore throat, you have patients with very little an tight. so based on let's say the different condition of the patient each one would need a

different diet. >> reporter: just over 40% of all the people diagnosed with ebola in liberia have died from it. the world health organization says the number of new cases here has been stable for several weeks. but in neighboring sierra leone, the number is still rising. the w.h.o. says transmission of ebola remains intense in the capital freetown. on wednesday, the president of the world bank gave an upbeat assessment of the situation. >> sierra leone must emerge from the ebola epidemic much stronger than it was before the ebola epidemic. there's much we can do in responding to the ep dise epide. >> the country should not be defined by its ebola experience. >> sierra leone is still open for visitors. we are still safe here fighting ebola. the focus is for us to isolate

the ebola and not to isolate the rest of the country. >> the international effort to find a cure or treatment is being stepped up. teams across the globe are looking into antiviral drugs while another is investigating how to use the blood of survivors as a potential therapy. >> translator: it's probable that these treatments will work but we have to check that the human body can tolerate then. the treatments must not be toxic. >> reporter: as things stand, more than 17,000 people have contracted ebola in this outbreak. and the rate of infection is still rising in places. dominic cain, al jazeera. >> in india, breast cancer kills a staggering 70,000 women every year. the government is trying to launch an awareness campaign.

carishma via reports. >> diagnosed with stage 3 cancer five months ago. after finding a lump if her breast. her life now revolves around cycles of radiation. rita lost her sister to breast cancer decades ago but she never thought it would lap to her. >> i was shocked. i was dead. because the since i have it in my family, so that was like a real bombshell dropping on me. >> rita singh is not alone in her fight against breast cancer. almost 145,000 indians are diagnosed with it a year. breast cancer kills more women here than any other disease. most indian women know little to nothing about breast cancer. this lack of awareness and late diagnosis are blamed for the death of 70,000 patients every year.

dr. vidant kabra says many of these deaths are preventible if the cancer is detected and treated earlier. >> earlier detection rise the chances of survival. we don't have mass screening programs, we don't even have an awareness program going around the country. >> reporter: the government is planning to increase medical centers across the country to help detect and treat cancers. but for now it's private ngos like the indian cancer society that are working with private communities. at this free camp in east delhi, women are lining up to be screened. >> there is no awareness, we give them awareness, examine them, if there's lump or something we tell them to get investigated, if investigated, and it comes to be positive, we help them to get it treated. >> researchers warn that the number of indians diagnosed with

cancer is said to increase over the next two decades and they say the country desperately needs to invest in early detection and treatment. karishma vian, al jazeera, new delhi. >> you can keep up with the latest on our news on our website. fp bl pinpointing pollution culprits plus, as america searches for new sources of energy, fracking operations are expanding. hear why some are urging the industry to rethink where they set up shop. >> if we unite together as one, one people, one voice, we can do it. >> and a group of teens take their case all the way to the supreme court, to argue for laws that protect the air for future generations. the latest battles and new invasions right now.