mainland new zealand. kurdish forces battle to capture the tof sinjar from the islamic state of iraq and the levant. ♪ ♪ hello you are watching al jazerra i am jane dutton in dough happen. also in the program. the polls are open tunisians vote for their first freely-elected president in an historic run off. the ref lines will go on, cuba's president says a better relationship with the u.s. won't change the island's communist system.

>> when the kids smile and say thank you very much. with a full tummy that's enough for us. tough love we neat the new zealand gang helping hungry kids. ♪ ♪ we begin in northern iraq where kurdish tosses are batting to capture the town of sinjar from the islamic state of iraq and the have land. early he had in the week the kurds known as peshmerga managed to improve the situation for people trap odd sinjar mountain. thousands of ethnic yazidis have been stuck there for months surrounded by ice it's fighters. we can cross there now to mohamed, what's the latest now as far as the fighting is concerned? >> reporter: well, jane, reports coming to us from sinjar say that heavy fighting is still going on in the town with

peshmerga forces supported by ethic yazidi fighters continuing to shell positions of ice it's. they are meeting stiff resistence from isil fighters. and the coalition air strikes that are being cared on positions of the isil fighters are not helping. peshmerga forces and their eye allies to take the down of sinjar, it's very important if taken by peshmerga forces because it drives away isil force who his have laid siege to to the mountain where more than 11,000 people have sought refuge on top of the mountain. it's also been the scene of some of the worst massacres carried out. isil also are said to have kidnapped more than 2,000 women. the peshmerga commanders tell us that taking sinjar back from the isil will be a very dig victory for them.

[speaking at the same time] >> i have going to ask you about what will happen to those stuck on the mountains. they must be for all those reasons you have been pointed out be petrified. >> reporter: it will be a while, jane, before they come down the mountain and go to their homes that is if peshmerga forces take the sound of sinjar, earlier in the week in fighting with isil fighters who had laid a complete siege to the mountain they managed to create a corridor on the side of a town taken a buy peshmerge and what w hearing now is that there is food and water, a convoy of trucks sent by the kurdish regional security council that's on its way to the people and we also saw pictures of the people on top of the mountain cheering when they saw some of the kurdish fighters who went up there and established a makeshift hospital where they are treating some of their soldiers who were injured in recent fighting. >> thank you for that.

a series of bombings have rimmed through iraq's capital and surrounding areas killing at least 12 people. the of the four separate attacks the warts was south of baghdad where an explores killed four people. two attacks in baghdad suburbs killed six including three soldiers and a fourth attack in the capital killed two civilians near a bakery. in tunisia polls have opened in a landmark presidential run off it will be the first time tunisians will vote for a president since the revolution there overthrew a dictatorship three years ago. the candidate for the secular tunis party. he's 88 years old and is seen as an establishment figure from the former a jim critics say he's just too old for the job. but he has experience behind. nearly 41% of the votes in the first rounds, his opponents

interim president is widely seen as the candidate of the revolution that overthrew the dictator. he is well known, former human rights active sreufrts h activi. and took 40% in the first round. how is the voting going so far, j.ajamaal in. >> reporter: so far a steady stream of voters in the center of the capital. it appears that there is good turn out so far at least from the numbers that are think doing through it's important to know these the third time tunisians have taken to poll for the third team in two months, which could cause fatigue among voters and that's why maybe we won't see such all huge turn out although

it's still significant. obviously the process is smoother and easier this time because as you mentioned there are only two names on the ballot and that is also indicative of the polarized nature of society here. because there are those who continue to believe in the revolution and back the president. they believe will safeguard the revolution, the human rights activist and there are others that believe that there need to be smart is off what they call stability in the sense that that they need someone that has a bit more experience that is they put it and are opt for this much older candidate. >> you talk about security and i know there have been concerns leading up to the elections about how it will play out after threats made by isil. i hear in the last couple of hours or so there has been a certain level of fighting, what happened there? >> reporter: yes, indeed. i mean, although it seems unrelated to the elections,

there was a gun battle which was between security forces and armed men near the central city. and that was nowhere near any polling station, it was armed gunmen who fired at security personnel, at least that's the reports we are getting from people there. as you mention go ahead earlier isil had issued threats via video post odds line saying that they were going to bring about what they called a blood bath and that they were going to target polling stations and the headquarters of the electoral commission. that essentially the response from the authorities here was to deploy thousands of troops across the country today. and the polling stations appear to be very well secured. there are armed police and armed soldiers at the polling stations who are checking people and checking their bags as they come in. tunisia, unlike other countries of arab strin spring has been relatively peaceful and stable there ant an armed conflict like in libya. they have closed the board we

are libya during the election period in order to insure that security is maintained. and people are hoping that even though there is that kind of division politically speaking in society, that regardless of the results of the election that there will remain peacefulness here in tunisia. >> okay, thanks, jamal. egypt's president has dismissed his security chief. it's unclear if his removal signals a change in policy, but he was regarded as a hard liner loyal to president el-sisi. meanwhile sisi has held talks with qatar's deputy prime minister. it's described as an attempt to start a new chapter in relations between egypt ask qatar. egypt has opened the rafah border crossing with the gaza strip for the second time in two months. a bus has crossed from gaza to he gyp. only people in need of medical

aid and egyptian vehicles as were allowed in. it's the only passage in to gaza that is not controlled by israel. so far no one has traveled from egypt in to gaza. in lebanon syrian refugees are vulnerable because apart of economic hardship they are caught up in another conflict. from beirut, zeina explains. >> reporter: she is preparing to start a new life i've refugees from syria who moved to lebanon with her family two years ago. her husband has a heart problem and cannot work. that puts the family in the most vulnerable category of refugees. and according to the united nations, eligible for resettlement in europe. living in lebanon hasn't been easy. it is a country overwhelmed by the burden of refugees and the country caught up in the conflict next door. >> translator: there are no jobs. and in lebanon we are paying the price because the political differences. we are targeted when there are

tensions between supporters and opponents of the syrian government here. >> reporter: it is a feeling shared by many refugees who his wait for hours at ain' office in beirut just to apply to asylum. many of them tell you at that they have spent their savings and can't find jobs. but it is not just economic hardships. the syrian government has powerful allies here. >> it's difficult life, people are scared, being in lebanon as if one didn't leave syria. in europe we will be treated aiyegbeni as human beings bow all these reports of countries accepting refugees is not true. >> reporter: there are more than a million refugees registered in lebanon, around 7,000 people have been resettled. it's a small percentage of the number of those that need urgent assistance. >> in terms of the process, yes, it can be lengthy. we have to interview and determine who they are and they go through security and medical

checks before they admitted to third countries. but we are also work to go improve the processing. >> reporter: it couldn't have come sooner for her family. moving to denmark means his children can return to school. but for these people it is a hard decision to leave the region. >> translator: we have a choice, either we get hungry and live without security, or we will be safe and able to eat. >> reporter: they don't have a third choice, even though what they would prefer is to have the option of returning home to syria. zeina, al jazerra, beirut. cuba's president raul castro has stressed that his countries will could the not change its communist system despite closer ties with the united states. he also says cuba face a long and difficult struggle before the u.s. lifts a long-standing economic embargo. gabriel elizondo reports from huh van amount less than a week ago they were serving sentences for espionage in a u.s. jail now

the cuban five as they are called are being greeted as heros to thunderous applause. they were leased as parts i've historic agreement announced this week between the u.s. and cuba. while everyone has been talking about what will change following the agreement. ube an president raul castro was keen to also remind people what will remain the same. >> translator: the economic system that will prevail in our country will continue to be based on socialist idealses in the entire countries reu6789 castro was quick to praise barack obama and the ground breaking nature of what was accomplished to reach an accord but also indicated that its implementation inside cuba would be left to the cuban people themselves. >> translator: the changes will continue to take place at the pace we decide here without risking the unity of the cuban people. without leaving anybody behind. without any shock measures. and without renouncing this ref lines' a eye dealings of social justice. >> reporter: here on the streets of havana and elsewhere in the country ther there is still real

enthusiasm for the deal and what it could mean in the lives of every day people. but what most cubans really want is the complete elimination of the embargo all together and the view here is that any opposition to that in the united states is unwarranted. >> i think down the road the most important thing, i think, is that the cuban people will be better off. and i say to the people who oppose the cuban government, well, if the cuban people are better off, if the cuban government is better off, so what. the cuban people are better off. >> reporter: that too was the message from the cuban president who ended his speech in familiar style. long live cuba. long live fidel castro economy colluded. harkening back to the past in a country still figuring out a brand-new future that is now upon them, even if it will take time to fully realize. gabriel elizondo, al jazerra, havana. hundreds have rallied united

states city of miami against press barack obama's decision to normalize raises with the cuban government. many protesters are cube exiles think ow obama's decision empowa government that they see as oppressive. the u.s. government has transferred four prisoners from the guantanmo bay detention camp back to afghanistan. they were held for more than a decade at the military detention center in cuba. the obamaed administration has been working to reduce the number of detainees at guantanmo where 132 inmates remain. 64 of those have been approved for transfer. husband of yemenis are protesting in the capital. and demanding the houthis leave the city. and are opposed of them being integrateed in to the military and police. coming up on on the program the environmental group taken to court accused of damaging the earth instead of protecting it.

plus how china infrastructure projects abroads are designed to keep things coming back home.

♪ ♪ the top stories on al jazerra kurdish forces are battling to recapture sinjar from the islamic state of iraq and the levant. the northern iraqi town has been under isil control for months now. but the peshmerga have improved the situation for people trapped on sinjar mountain. polls have opened in tunisia's presidential run off. it's the first time people will

be able to vote directly for the president since the revolution three years ago. hundreds of people have rallied in the u.s. city of miami against president barack obama as decision to his normalize relations with the cuban government. many of the protesters are cuban excite and they think it em bowers a government they think is repressive. president obama unconditionally condemns the murder of two new york city police officers who were ambushing while on patrol is brooklyn, the man approached the officers' car and shot them through the kin dough, police say he fled to a subway station where he killed himself. >> today two of new york's finest were shot and killed with no warning, no proffer indication, they were quite simply assassinated. targeted for their uniform and for the responsibility they embraced to keep the people of this city safe.

an australian mother has been on in addition injured with murder in the deaths of eight children. she is the mother of seven of the victims. she was charged during a hearing at a hospital where she is recovering from stab wounds. police say the children aged between 18 months and 15 years were found stabbed to death on friday morning. three team hav people killer other you are sear yeah injured in a bombing in india. the explosives were detonated at a roadside tea store. it happened a week after a person was killed bay a bomb in a market in the same city. some of india's northeastern states have been battling groups demanding independence. north korea's central agency has leased new photographs of the country's leader kim jong un is seen visiting a text tile mill in the capital. the same day that the north korean government denied it was behind a cyber attack on sony

pictures. it called for a joint investigation with the u.s. to uncover what actually happened. now a report. >> reporter: a north korean news reader warned of grave consequences if the u.s. didn't agree to the following: >> translator: we propose to conduct a joints investigation with the u.s. in response to groundless slander being perpetrated by the u.s. by mobilizing public opinion. >> reporter: but the fbi has concluded that pyongyang is responsible and that's been affirmed by president obama. >> the fbi announced today and we can confirm that north korea engaged in this attack. >> reporter: however, many sire security experts say they are unconvinced by what they described as circumstantial evidence. sony was attacked with software that the fbism says has been used by north korea in the past. the trouble is, that sort of malware is freely traded by hackers around the world. and in fact being, the software

used to delete sony's data is commercially available. it was previously use million dollars a cyber attack on the saudi oil company an incidents not blamed on north career actual the fbism says north korean internet addresses were used but hackers often use false address to his cover their tracks. and some are asking why those who claim responsibility for the attack did not mention sony's film about the assassination of kim jong un until after media speculation was widespread about a possible north korean link. it's difficult to pinpoint the source of a cyber attack unless the hackers incriminate themselves in their code organize there is human intelligence if the fbi has such evidence it's not disclosing it. however u.s. are experts in this field they pioneered cyber attacks, according to the documents leaked by edward snowden in 2011 alone, u.s. intelligence agencies mounted 231 offensive cyber operations some of them against north

korea. al jazerra, washington. china is expanding its influence by undertaking a number of large infrastructure projects around the world. it's part of a strategy to gain access to the natural resources that the government needs to help sustain the economy's rapid growth. adrian brown takes a closer look at china les's international portfolio. >> reporter: the business behind this high-profile deal tends to keep a low public profile. he made his fortunate in mining and telecommunications, but has no experience with such large infrastructure projects. he insists he doesn't have a political background yet the company's website boasts of his links to government leaders. whatever the true nature of the relationship the deal i is very have teaming i can for china. >> this project is not just a canal it's about roads, airports and tourist resorts.

and it will create a lot of jobs for the local people. >> reporter: this week china signed another contract that says it will create jobs and help one more small economy. this time in europe, the project is worth over a billion dollars. small change compared to china's investments else where in the world. only last month, a state-owned company signed off on a $12 billion contract to expand my year nigeria's rail network. the problem is not money for china, but cooperation with local people says one analyst. >> so when china is proposing all these institutions it has to have the capacity to interact with the local community, the different interest groups and that is the challe phoning beijing. >> reporter: many of china's other projects are also very strategic are it's working with pakistan to develop a port on

the indian ocean that will be link today china by road and rail. the president is encouraging this expansion to gain access to the natural resources china needs to fuel it's economic growth. and infrastructure projects are often thrown in as part of the deal. the most important of these investments is perhaps the plan to reconstruct the ancient silk road trade route linking china with europe via new highways and rail ways in central asia how does the chinese government pay for all of this? well, it's currently sitting on savings of more than $4 trillion, adrian brown, al jazerra, beijing. the government in peru has threatened legal action against greenpeace activists, it's accusing of causin causing irrer rabble damage to a world there are taj site. archeologists say food prints left by the activists could

remain on the desert ground for decades. >> reporter: they are one of peru's most fame unmonuments. giant images scratched in to the desert more than a thousand years ago. but when activists for the environmental group green peace used the lines for a publicity stunt. an action that was meant to draw attention to climate change, backfired. on friday, an angry crowd hurled intent at greenpeace's executive director as he arrived at a peruvian courthouse to testify about the incident. >> the people are totally angry. as you can see here the people are saying justice, we want justice. >> reporter: peru has accused greenpeace of dawessing irreparable damage to the world heritage site after active sreufrts went in the dez to the place their sign. around 20 activists are accused of leaving footprints and overturning stoned in the ecologically sensitive area. the stunt coincided with a major climate change conference that took place in peru's capital lima earlier this month.

>> translator: i am saddened that this happened in the middle of the conference. the country we felt so prowled to be the host country of this event and this fills us with shame because it should never have happened. >> reporter: back at the courthouse greenpeace's direct to have apologized for the group's actions. >> there was no justification to have put our foot on that sacred place at all. i have indicated that i am willing to provide whatever assistance that the p peruvian authorities need and i am willing to come back and they have responded positively to that so i am grateful. >> reporter: the a surance that greenpeace had no plans. experts say someone in the group must have had intimate knowledge of the site. >> translator: this was preplanned in someone's office they said let's go in there for get attention, but why the

hummingbird? because it's known worldwide and our cultural icon. they didn't go to damage it but to attract attention but didn't take the proper precautions. >> reporter: greenpeace now says it will assist with an independent investigation and work to protect the lines. but for many peruvians the damage both to the archeological sight sao*eut and tsite and to e is already done. in new zealand 40,000 children are dependent on charities for food. wayne hay reports from a region where kids are getting help from tough gang members with big hearts. >> reporter: it's first thing in the morning and these gang members are business eight work but nothing elicit is going on here, just a military-like operation for feed hungry children. >> very nice. >> reporter: every morning members of the trialal gang meet

at this suburban home to make 500 sand within to his deliver to schools around the province. the idea came from the leader, who remembers what it was like to go without. >> if kids grow up hungry they haven't got a good start in life. you start wanting what someone else has got and straightaway animosity is born. >> reporter: the program has been well received judging by the thank you letters on the walls. by 9:00 in the morning, jamie hits the road. saluted by his members who have now become known as the sandwich bang on his tour he stops at 25 schools and happened delivers the lunch that his will be given to children who go to school with nothing. new zealand's economy is doing better than most right now. but at the same time there is a growing feeling that the gap between rich and poor is getting wider. and there is also a greater discussion around the issue of hungry children and poverty in general. the government in partnership with the private sector has introduced a program that provides breakfast to school

children. but they won't support a proposal before parliament to also provide lunches. >> it should be the parents' responsibility. and we shouldn't get way from that. parents have a responsibility to headache sure their children go to school having had breakfast and having something for l. >> reporter: in the meantime jamie's operation is growing all the tile. despite the fact they are made by a gang the sandwiches are always welcomes. >> we look at it as a group of people who are committed to insuring that children are given every opportunity to be able to learn. >> reporter: most of the food comes from donations but the gang also runs several small farms supplying meat and generating money to pay for ingredients. >> yeah, they are looking good to you. you are doing a good job. >> reporter: jamie says critics who say the program is being used to recruit young members are wrong. >> what we get out of this is when the kids are small they say thank you very much and you see them, with a full tummy, that's all we get out of this and that's enough. >> reporter: he says they just want to do some good and give children something he and many of his members never had.

wayne hay, al jazerra new zealand. that story fascinated you or anything else that you saw on this bulletin you can always go to our website to find out much more about it, the address aljazerra.com. >> turning their backs on a half century of u.s.-cuba relations, presidents barack obama and raul castro announce that their two countries are on their way to normal relations. that's inside story. >> hello, i'm ray suarez. one of the final chapters of the