>> rockets hit homes shops and markets in ukraine killing 27 people. >> this is al jazeera america live from london. nine people killed between tribesmen and houthi fighters. more feet on the ground in the fight against isil. we look at a community that has turned it's back on

currency. >> hello separatists in eastern ukraine have begun their battle over the port city of mariupol. it has seen little fighting so far, but if splittists separatist capture the city it will be be a connection to the sea. >> this am future video shows residential apartments their windows blown out. the body of a woman in the rubble. >> a man close by. >> there is a lot of damage to the buildings and the market. they hit the moment people were buying grocery. you can see it over there. >> ukrainian military say that

pro russian separatists attacked the mariupol, a major city betweennear crimea. they blame russian president vladimir putin. the attacks come just days after the ukrainian military withdrew from donets airport after more than eight months of fighting. the separatists took control of this ukrainian military post on thursday and they've continue to launch attacks from northern areas of the city. >> these attacks should come as no surprise. they came saying they had enough. efforts putting in place truce.

many were attending a ceremony for those who had been killed in a bus earlier this week. they say the battle for mariupol has begun. >> nine people have been killed in fighting in central yemen. elsewhere, tens of thousands of people have protested against the houthis and called for yemen's president to return to power. >> reporter: chanting against the yemen group that controls the yemeni capitol the largest group yet made it clear that they're against the houthis who moved into sanaa in september. >> we're protesting the for the

over throw of the armed militia. >> reporter: they don't want president hadi to resign. he said on thursday that the country was in a political deadlock and he could not stay in office. it has been four years since they pushed president ali abdullah saleh out of power. >> young protesters took to the streets to restore the revolution of 2011 that was hijacked by the houthies and saleh. >> on saturday 5,000 people protested against the houthis. but there are many others who support the rebel group. on friday thousands of them marched in support of the howes and their plans to transition into a new leadership. but as people pushed the political agenda in yemen many suffer the consequences of four years of unrest. the aid group oxfam said that

millions of people need humanitarian aid. 10million people don't have enough food and children are malnourished. many others have no access to clean water. >> this situation could get worse and we may have a situation on our hands. the people who are in need of humanitarian assistance will go unnoticed. >> while humanitarian problems grow applications will still have to work out who is in charge. parliamentary members will meet on sunday to discuss the president's resignation. they need to approve it before it takes effect. >> japan is working to verify the authenticity of a video which is said to show the murder

of a japanese hostage the group had threatened to kill haruna yukawa a and others. japanese prime minister shinzo abe said it was unforgivable. >> i feel deep resentment and condemn these facts. i would like again strongly call for no hammer harm to be done against kinzi gji goto. we have an exclusive report from northern iraq. >> reporter: kurdish peshmerga groups have been winning battles, but the war against the islamic state in iraq and the

levant is far from over. air support provided by the u.s.-led coalition has helped them but the commander say that they are not enough. they say the slow pace of the offensive allows isil to regain momentum. the chancellor of the regional security town council oversee the operations on the ground. he told me that the international community needs to engage more. this, he said, would require ground troops because it will take time for iraqi forces to be ready to defeat isil. >> to wait until the training is completed, until the forces especially in iraq are coming to a position where they can take a longer time. i believe that there has to be a way of bringing more forces to the ground. and not only defend on the airstrikes. >> so you're calling for foreign troops? >> i wouldn't be calling that. i'm just saying that that depends on how quickly does the

international community want to get rid of isis. >> reporter: the coalition does have military advisers on the ground but it has ruled out sending combat forces, at least for now. but the iraqi government has made clear that it would not remain foreign forces, that is not the only disagreement it has with the kurdish regional government. some of iraq's arabs see the kurdish advances on the ground as part of a plan to carve out mortar tore for their autonomous region. the commander denies this but says that the iraqi state would have to be different. >> i hope the government could be based on federalism, and brass a more loose type of unity, maybe confederation would be best to address this problem. >> the peshmerga are fighting a costly battle against a better-equipped opponent. they have criticized the decision to exclude them at the

meeting in london. at that meeting the iraqi military has asked for more military port support. the peshmerga want the same thing, except they're willing to accept foreign soldiers on the ground. >> soldiers will head to the middle east to undergo training to fight against isil. inside syria the u.s. military said that forces control 70% of kobane. it was close to fallling to isil towards the middle of last year, but isil has been pushed back by kurdish forces and u.s.-led airstrikes. fighters linked to the al nusra front are in the lebanon area.

al jazeera continues to demand the release of our three colleague who is have been imprisoned in egypt for 393 days. they were convicted for helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. al jazeera demands their release. >> the king who presided around saudi arabia for two decades passed away on friday. his successor promises to continue with his predecessor's policies. >> the dignitaryies came to give their respects to the leader who died and the half-brother who took his play. in keeping with tradition there was no formal swearing-in ceremony. it was during the funeral of king abdullah that regional heads of state from qatar

bahrain among others would meet the man who would lead one of the richest areas in the region. >> we're going to continue with the approach of father, king abdulaziz who built this state and is followed by his sons. we're going to continue to implement the qur'an and the character of the prophet muhammad into our legislation. >> one of his first acts as king was to set the chain of succession for years to come. by royal decree his half-brother has been affirmed as immediate successor. but king salman also appointed his nephew as deputy crown prince second in line to the throne. the prince is now the first grandson of saudi arabia's founder to be named as future heir. he is a power figure behind saudi security policies.

>> he was interior minister and is an expert on counterterrorism and i think that's a signal that the kingdom under king salma no, is going to be very focused on internal security and regional security. >> and it's a region in transition. king salman's reign begins against the backdrop of war in syria and turmoil in yemen. saudi arabia long seen as a pillar of stability in the arab world, al jazeera. >> boko haram fighters have killed at least 15 people. it happened outside of maiduguri. boko haram is believed to have killed thousands of people in an effort to establish it's own state. still to come, the u.s. president is on his way to india. we'll tell you why as it is an

important trip at a crucial time. and back on track how investment is breathing life in nigeria's colonial era rail network. tonight at 7:30 eastern. only on al j

>> sunday night. >> 140 world leaders will take the podium. >> get the full story. >> there is real disunity in the security council. >> about issues that impact your world. >> infectious diseases are a major threat to health. >> "the week ahead". sunday 8:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> top stories here on al jazeera. separatists have begun the battle for the strategic port of mariupol in eastern ukraine. it follows an attack on a market that killed 27 people. tens of thousands of people across yemen have been protesting against houthi rebels. it's the biggest demonstration yet against the houthi shia

group who have taken control of the capitol in sanaa. calling on international community to send ground troops to defeat isil. the peshmerga want more help. campaigning has ended ahead of the general election in greece. the prime minister ahead in the polls is trying to tell voters that the economy has shown signs of recovery. we're live from athens. there is a lot at stake here john people talking about greece to exit the euro. are we quite at that point? >> well, i think that at the moment greeks are more resolved on staying in the eurozone than they were in 2012 when that election essentially acted as a referendum around the same questions. the polling companies have shown that that proportion of voters

who want grease to remain within the euro eurozone at all cost has risen to 80% now. there is a key difference between the two camps. the conservative supporters could not believe that they will buckle if greece challenges them on the austerity measures according to the memorandum with those creditors. the opposition supporters on the left wing in the overwhelming majority believe that if greece challenges its creditors, they will buckle and make concessions. there is on the one hand unanimity about staying within the you're own zone, but there is decision on how to achieve this. >> what kind of scenarios can we expect next week. will we have a government or repeat election? what is your forecast? >> well, i think that it is now clear that the radical left

coalition, as they call themselves although many people doubt the extent of their radical nature at this point will come out on top with a five- or six-point lead. that would give them roughly 140 seats in the 300 seat-legislature. they would need 151 minimum in order to governor. that could be done in one of two ways. they could ask for a vote of confidence or enter into a full blown coalition. which is what most voters seem to prefer. there are at least three parties with whom they seem to have a lot in common. one is the old socialist party whose voters it has now tapped. the other is the independent greek's party who are to the right of the conservative, but oddly enough they share a common distaste, if you like,

spitefulness against the recommendmemorandum of understanding, and the third are the people on the moderate left. the voter movements show that they're taking a lot of voters from the parties. and it's perhaps in the interest to form a coalition. i think that's the likely scenario. the fact that they will not win an outright majority. that's not something that most greeks want and wasn't in the first round of elections in 2012, it shouldn't be necessary here. >> thank you for that live update from athens. greece's struggling economy has dominated in this week's

election. one community has created a cash-free barter system. >> basilus goes out on the streets in all weather to ask for leftover food. this former merchant naval man wants to help those who have fallen on hard times so he visits the cafes restaurant and bakeries for anything they haven't sold and would throw out. the owner of this cafe admires his kindness giving of his time. in today's boxes are rice, pasta and plenty of chips. >> basilus is one of a small army trying to make life a little easier for those who lost everything in greece's economic troubles. this soup kitchen hands out a take away meal twice a day. >> 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 or electrician or somebody to put new tires on your car they brought in the bartering system that is done across the internet. rather than an straight exchange of a dentist appointment for your car being serviced, the members get credit that can be spent on anything offered on the network. it has 1,000 members including doctors, steam seamstresses and even air conditioning engineers. >> if we go back through the years, 50, 100 years back, people want to change oil exchange oil change with work. the money bring us to this situation. >> the people behind it don't believe their currency will

replace the euro, but member savings can be substantial and the tax man has yet to work out how to take his cut. >> oh, the tax man reaction for that. they're not going to like it, but we're not exchanging anything with euros. we're in our own city, we're just exchanging in a way our services say that's what it is. i'll give you the job but i'll just donate a plumber today. it's just exchanging. >> people here know if life does not improve under a new government they have schemes to help the most needy. they already have an alternative greek currency. >> u.s. president barack obama is on his way to india for a three-day visit. relations between the u.s. and india has been strained the last

few years. we explain what is at stake and what the countries want. >> as u.s. president barack obama leave for india, it will be a trip of first. his first of at another country's national day. and the president and prime minister narendra modi watch the military hardware parade by, the president hopes this will result for more business for u.s. companies including defense contractors. >> there seems to be a real 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. his very first state dinner held in honor of mode predecessor. but it has not panned out. the obama administration is hoping that modi can change that. one priority, changing indian

laws that would make it easier for americans to build nuclear power plants, and getting india to commit to stept to steps against climate change. >> there is no way that india will spike a bargain with u.s. like china did. india is too poor to commitment to such targets. >> there are some that this is more than a three-day trip to india, but that obama is taking sides between india and pakistan pakistan. but the president denies this. it is the secondhe is the first president to visit india twice.

>> in venezuela problems are made worse by falling oil prices prices. >> a day in the life of a venezuelaen shopper. this is a sad daily reality. many stand in crowds daily to buy diapers. tempers rising as quickly as the heat. >> they're trying to jump the queues and others are selling places in line. >> no wonder others are firous. it is now 11:25 in the morning. given the length of this line it will be 5:00 before anyone reaches the registers if there is anything left to sell by then every day the they humiliate us in these lines. and look at all these mothers with children.

no one is spared. >> while they, wait, downtown president maduro addresses a rally showing support for these hard times. maduro blames speculators and the olgarky. >> this is the last chance that i'm giving the capitalist distributers before i take drastic action. >> while he's not saying what that will be, he has called on the pro government national assembly to launch an investigation starting on tuesday into what he calls an attempted economic coup d'etat, and there is no doubt who will be blamed. back at the supermarket these opposition students march past still enormous queue.

we don't deserve this, said a demonstrator, urging people to join the protest. but as they hold their place in line people just look on in silence. at least for now. lucia newman. al jazeera caracas. >> nigeria he is government has embarked to revamp the country's railways. for years it did not run at all. >> after decades of neglect trains in nigeria are back on track and passengers are breathing life in this century-old railway system. this refurbished line from lagos reopened last year. >> he says he no longer has to worry about bandits or bad drivers when he takes the journey back to his family house twice a month. richard says that this is his second time on board. he's going to visit his grandmother.

>> i like it because it's cheaper compared to air. what i don't like about it is that it's slow. >> the train does seem to move as a lower speed than scheduled 50 kilometers an hour when we took part of the trip, it was not crowded but passengers tell us that more people join us along the stops. at time there are not enough space for everyone to sit. >> the nigerian railway majority estimate 500,000 passengers use it. that's not considered very many in a vicinity of country of 170 million people. $8billion to $10 billion were committed to the contract. a $12 billion provisional agreement with a china company

to build it along the coast. >> fund something a georgia issue when it comes to railway construction. i'm not aware of any other country offering nigeria as we speak today a better offer. i'm talking about next to nothing interest rates. >> but some researchers who have been looking into these contracts are concerned about financial irregularities and the slow pace of development. >> the process is not as transparent as it ought to be. it will be inflated, and then not as competent as they're made to look. >> the government insists that the push is crucial to expanding the economy particularly as roads are no longer able to cope with commercial freight, trains are used to move food, cement and petroleum product. as far as passengers are concerned, the more lines that are competed in five years 26 million people will be using the train per year.

al jazeera lagos. >> and you can always keep up-to-date with all the news on our website. the address for that is www.aljazeera.com. all the news and sport are still. the latest in ukraine at www.aljazeera.com.