>> at least 16 dead and 83 injured in eastern ukraine as rockets fall on residential areas in the city of mariopol. >> welcome to al jazeera. >> thousands take to the streets in the biggest protest yet in the houthi take over of yemen's capitol. >> there has to be a way of bringing more forces to the grounds. >> the only way they can defeat

isil is if foreign soldiers join the fight. and brazil's worst drought in decades. the environment minister sounds the alarm. >> at least 16 people are dead in ukraine after heavy shelling in the sport city of mariyopal. charles stratford is in donetsk with more. >> we're hearing more from the defense council in ukraine.

blaming russia for the bloody crimes pointing a finger directly at vladimir putin. something that the rebels flatly deny. >> why is the port city of mariupol so important. >> it is a major port that the rebels always said that they need. there can be no dpr no donetsk people republic without this port. this has not been attacked by the rebels for a number of months now but it is important because it's a direct link from here and crimea. it is a port that is used for cargo. the attack comes at a significant time. the day after here, president poroshenko said he was not

interested in truce talks rain moreany more, and it comes at a time after recent gains very recent gains by the rebels. we saw the withdraw of ukrainian forces from the airport in the last couple of days. we were in a village 30 kilometers north of donetsk yesterday. that out post had been taken by the rebels as well they had denied attacks. >> several people chanting down with the houthies taking part at the demonstration at the

capitol. the demonstrations took place in a different part of the city as well. the editor in chief of the "yes "yemen post," to be clear about this the houthies have been in control for months now. why are people taking to the streets now? >> right now the houthis are trying to take the whole of the government. they have the ability to seize the president and prime minister minister and people felt there was no other option but this to protest.

there are negotiations taking place right now among top officials, the ex-president ali abdul saleh with the houthi leaders and tried to reach a solution they need to take control, that they should be ready for any violence. >> thank you very much, indeed. let me just summarize a little bit of that. it was very interesting. bringing us to date with what is happening in yemen saying that the ex-president has sent a delegation to the southern provinces to the houthi

strongholds trying to come to some agreement and protests erupting in the capitol and several parts of the capitol. so people taking to the streets in quite a bit of anger about recent houthi actions. of course, they've been in control since september. they have recently moved into key government buildings and there has been the resignation of the president and his continent right now. cabinet. right now the aid agency said 16 million people are in need of aid including millions who don't have enough to eat. now the u.s.-led coalition

must do more to help iraqi forces in the fight against isil that is the word from the kurdish leaders who can't fight by themselves. >> kurdish peshmerga troops have been winning battle it's, but the fight against the islamic state in iraq and the levant is far from over. the u.s.-led coalition have been helping, but they say it's not enough. overseeing the military opposite ration on the ground. he told me that the international community needs to engage more. this would require ground troops because it would take time for iraqi forces to be ready to defeat else. >> to wait until the training is completed, to the forces, especially in iraq, are coming to a position where they can

there has to be a way of bringing more forces to the ground and not only depend on the airstrikes. >> so you're calling for foreign troops. >> i wouldn't be calling that. i'm just saying that that depends how quickly does the international community want to get rid of fighters. >> they have military on the ground but they're accepting combat forces for now. the iraqi government has made it clear they would not welcome foreign forces, and that is not the only agreement it has with the forces. >> i hope that the structure based on federalism, and perhaps

a loose kind of unity maybe a con-federation would be best to address the system problems. >> the peshmerga are fighting a costly battle against a better-equipped opponent. the iraqi government asked for more military support. the peshmerga want the same thing. but the difference is they're ready to accept foreign soldiers on the ground. al jazeera northern iraq. >> meanwhile the lebanese army said eight soldiers have been killed by syrian fighters. there are fighters linked to the al nusra front in the area. an egyptian court will hear an appeal in the case of 500 defendants sentenced to death. 37 were found guilty of

murdering the deputy commander during riots in august 2013. that was the largest death sentence in egyptian history. al jazeera continues to call for the release of our colleaguing missouri who were found guilty of helping the muslim brotherhood. al jazeera continues to demand their release. brazil has warned that it's facing it's worth drought since 1930. people in farming and industry are really struggling. >> the bed of brazil's river lies cracked and burned. water levels have plunged under searing temperatures. >> we're experiencing the worst water crisis in the history of

the southwest since the recording levels began. >> they also provide water to the north. rationing has not been introduced even though parts of the country have vital reserves left. >> the volume available in the reservoir is the death volume. that's a strategic reserve. it won't be enough to get through the end of the year, so it's absolutely urgent that measures be taken right now. they can't be postponed. >> in saw sao paulo are being charge first degree they use more water and they're given discounts if they use less. >> if we don't receive the water truck, and we don't have water the factory has to stop. our machines only work with the cold system and it only works if we have cold water. >> today there was no

electricity. >> the drought means hydroelectric power plants have barely enough water to operate. local authorities did not react fast enough because they didn't want to alarm people ahead of a local election. the brazilian government insists there is enough water left in other reservoirs to avoid rationing for another six months. >> still to come for you this half hour, the biggest slice of support. we look at why there is an appetite of change for "n" scotland ahead of the u.k. general election. and meeting a group of runners who competeed seven marathons on seven continents, and they did it all all in the swaysspace of a week.

>> welcome back. the senior kurdish official say that they need foreign boots on the ground to defeat isil. they're struggling to push back isil fighters in the north of iraq. thousands of people are taking part in demonstrations in yemen against houthi rebels. at least 16 people are dead and 83 injured in ukraine as rockets hit the city of mariupol. >> the fighting in ukraine has split the country it has also

split families. many have left loved ones behind to keep the rest of their families safe. >> when elena left her home in donetsk, she thought it would be only for a couple of weeks. nine months on she and some of her family are living in poland, living as refugees. >> on may 9th the shooting started. we thought it was for celebration. but when we heard more shells exploding and machine gunfire we understood that it wasn't a salute. we began to pick up quickly and just left. we took the kids, mom and off we went. >> by contrast her husband listed as a fighter with the pro-russian militia. they have not heard from him in over six months. even if he is still alive

elena does not expect a reunion. more than 1 million people have fled their homes. in excess of 333,000 are classed as internally displaced people. and 600,000 have fled to neighboring countries. while the rest of the family chose a new life in poland elena's elderly father chose to stay all alone in donetsk. he is staunchly pro-russian but it does not make the the family rift easy to bear. >> no one expected it. everyone fled. i'm the only one if of the family left. i'm at the age where all my friends are either dead or left, and my family are far away, and i'm here. >> he can't afford to telephone his estranged family, but i showed him video of them in

their new home. he was visibly moved. conflict has polarized attitudes in ukraine but family ties are difficult to sever. where there is love there is still hope. paul brennan donetsk. >> boko haram fighters have killed 15 people including a village leader. the village where the attack took place is right outside of maidugruri. in zambia's presidential election the opposition claim that voting in some areas has been rigged to prevent them from winning. the election follows the death of its president. celebrations in the

democratic republic of congo there were violent protests across the country. the greece's prime minister said that despite years of austerity, the country is showing signs of recovery. many have been forced to accept handouts. >> he goes out on the streets to ask for leftover food. this former merchant naval man wants to help those who have fallen on hard times so he visits the restaurants and bakeries for anything they have not thrown out. inside today's boxes are rice, pasta, and plenty of chips. he's one of the small army of

volunteers trying to make life a little easier for those who have lost everything in greece's economic troubles. this soup kitchen hands out a take away meal twice a day. it's not in the greek nature to take charity. more from the not the local community tries to help it's own. but they have developed a new system to pay for goods and services if you're jobless or you've run out of euros. whether you need a teacher electrician or somebody to put new tires on your car they brought in a bartering system that is done across the internet. >> say you need a dentist appointment for your car being serviced there is credit on the internet account that can be spent on anything. it has been going for five years and has a thousand members including doctors steam

seamstresses and engineers. >> if we go back to the euro years, people would want to change oil change with something else. the money bring us to these situations. >> the people behind this don't think their alternative currency will replace the euro, but savings can be substance and the tax man would have to take his cut. >> the tax man's reaction for that. they're not going to like it, but we don't exchange anything in euros. when we're in our own city, we're exchanging in a way our services. i'll give you the job, but i'll donate a plumber today. they need somebody for the air conditioning. so just exchanging. >> even if life does not improve under a new government they have schemes in place to help the

most needy. whether greece remains in the eurozone or not they already have an alternative greek currency. >> now freedom and whiskey gang together. it's not my motto but those are the words of scotland's national poet who is being celebrated across the world this weekend. among those very enthusiastic are the scottish party before the national elections. we have this report on what it could all mean. >> reporter: a celebration of scotland's most famous poet, and his homage to a meal made from a sheep's stomach. as this national party burns

supper they're more interested in politics, and it is more positive than ever before. >> i think its just a national progression. the 19th century was the era of the great nation speech. the 20th century saw a lot and in the 21st century scotland the family of nations. >> the supper is in dundee, one of two scottish cities that voted for independence in in the referendum. they lost and scotland remains in the union but now the nationalists are so popular. since they lost the referendum last september support for the scottish nationalists have risen, risen and risen again. if the polls stay as they are at the moment they would win every single parliamentary seat in scotland in national elections in may. that would make them the third

biggest political party which would give them leverage when they fought tooth and nail for an independent scotland. those who voted for independence did so on the assumption that scotland's wealth would be on oil selling at is hundred dollars a barrel. >> you can't run a country just on that one commodity. i think voters do realize that that economic credibility has just gone. it's shot to pieces. >> opponents are wrong. our independence was not predicated on oil. that is a bonus to the scottish economy. >> how striking the haling of

its value has not affected the opinion here at all in scotland's increasing ability to stand up for itself. al jazeera dundee. >> the operation to raise the fuselage of airasia flight. they were able to recover four more bodies from the site. the operation will resume on sunday. u.s. president barack obama is on his way to india for three-day visit. relations between india and the united states has been strained in recent years. al jazeera's white house correspondent takes a look at what is at stake. >> as u.s. president barack obama leaves for india, it will be a trip of firsts. his first attending a foreign country's national day. and the first time india has asked an u.s. president to be a guest as they celebrate republic day. as they watch the military

hardware parade by, they hope will result in more u.s. companies including defense contractors. >> there seems to be a momentum in the relationship that had not been there in the last several years. a momentum to really not only on a strategic--from a strategic standpoint but from an economic and commercial standpoint. >> the obama administration has long put the focus on india but the promise of increased trade has not really panned out. the obama administration is hoping modi can change that. one priority, changing indian laws that would make it easier for american companies to build nuclear power plants. that would help with other priorities in this trip, getting india to take steps to combating climate change. >> there is no chance that u.s. and india are going to strike a bargain akin to what the u.s.

and cline did. india is, quite frankly too poor and behind china to commit to so much targets. >> the obama administration is aware that this trip could be interpreted as much more than a three-day visit. they insist he is not taking sides between india and pakistan because president obama has never been to pakistan, and in another first he is the first u.s. president to visit india twice while in office. patty colhane al jazeera, washington. >> a group of 11 men and one woman has run seven marathons on seven continents, and they did it in the space of a week. they have gone from antarctic to dubai's desert sun. they will end in sidney, australia. >> these 12 people have been running around the world since

last saturday they've run six marathon courses on six continents. that's 42 kilometers in antarctica and in chile, and in florida the same before further marathons in spain morocco and dubai. the runners, of course, have flown more than they've run. nine flights since their first antarctic race. their final flight to sydney, some dressed up on board. before the landing mode, the real running gear was on. >> your head is all over the place from what day it as it, what country are we in, what is next, what time zone. >> ted has raised more than $200,000 for charity. his wife has multiple sclerosis. >> i just got a text from her saying i was up to £136,000. every time he get on the plane it goes up. that's nice. two years ago doctors found a tumor on douglas wilson's brain.

he beat that. >> the body has held up but the mental fatigue is starting to kick in. all the flying and jetlag, it's all coming to a head now. >> in sydney a midnight start is needed to get all seven races run in a week. quickly the runners spread out. each marathon has had its own particular challenge. in antarctica it was the cold. in morocco it rained. in dubai the heat. here in sydney, it's running at night after a 16-hour flight, and of course, after running six previous marathons. blistered feet and swollen ankles are also badges of honor. douglas wilson was the first across the sydney line. his time was the fastest run all week. >> i think it will take a week or two to get back on track and then it all starts to come back

in. >> meanwhile there is one overwhelming priority--rest. andrew thomas, al jazeera, sydney. >> all right remember you can keep up-to-date with everything that we're covering on our website. the address for that is www.aljazeera.com. do check it out. >> the mountains of west virginia have provided generations with jobs in coal. but on january 9th, 2014, the state woke up to an example of the costs of it's industrial economy. a tank containing a chemical used the process of coal production had leaked its contents into the elk river,