>> that is our show for today, the hopes of a peace deal for ukraine butt country's president petro poroshenko is reportedly objecting to russian conditions. ♪ ♪ good to have you with us her on al jazerra, i am david foster. also coming up in the next 30 minutes. >> our coalition is on the offensive. isil is on the defensive. and isil is going to lose. >> u.s. president looking for congressional backing to step up military operations against isil isil. the retrial of two al jazerra journalists accused of colluding with the plus lime

brotherhood set to begin in cairo. they have already spent 411 days in jail. jail for an ex-i can tiff who forced a jet to divert because she didn't like the way she had been served some nuts. ♪ ♪ ukrainian petro poroshenko has reportedly called russian demands at the minsk peace talks unacceptable. diplomatic sources say they are close to signing a peace deal to stop fighting in eastern ukraine, despite many sticking points over the conditions. leaders of ukraine russia, france and germany have been trying to iron out ideal in the belarus capital. already this year alone hundreds of people have been killed in fighting between ukrainian government troops troops and pro-russia separatists let's go to rory challands who has been monitoring those talks in minute being. sometimes when there are big delays it's because there are massive problems, sometimes it's

because they are getting close to ideal. can you work out which it is here? >> reporter: well, i think they are definitely massive problems going on. there is also a huge of amount of hardball being played by the various people involved in these negotiations. more than 15 hours they have been going on for now. clearly the freeze inside is matching the chilly temperatures outside. we have at various points been thinking there there was some breakthrough imminent, all the journalists who are inside the presidential palace have repeatedly been scramble to go get ready for something and that something never happened. now, what we have heard the late zest that petro poroshenko has you have said is calling certainly parts of the russian position unacceptable. so that clearly shows you where the differences lie. they lie between ukraine and russia. and also we are hearing that the donetsk people's republic representative and the louisiana

afternoonlouhatching people's had turned down whatever was agreed here in the presidential palace. various more hawking watchers think that this is a russian negotiating tactic that the russians are telling the separatists to turn down whatever they have agreed, so that they can look more independent from the separatists in ukraine. but, of course, this is an incredibly acrimonious situation here. and there is going to be hat love finger pointing going on on all sides. >> with what is on the table rory and i suppose we don't know exactly but from what has been talked about would the separatists be gaining more ground than they would have had under a peace deal which was signed last september? does it look like they are making ground? >> reporter: the separatists are

definitely making ground, since the minsk talks were held last year which led to a seize fire, which failed, led to certain points of memorandum, very few of which were put in to practice since that happened, in september of last year, the separatists have gained i think roughly about 500 square kilometers. now, this is a big problem for these talks because obviously the separatists want to keep hold of that territory ukraine wants to take it back. so if there is a ceasefire settlement here, what is negotiated in regards to that territory, that is acquired land for the separatists? what we understand has been talked about is that the ukrainian military pulls their heavy artillery back to that line the separatists pull back to their previous minsk lines but, of course, this is all going on behind closed doors. none of this has been made

public yet. there are lots of other sticking points so the talks go on. mean while the killing goes on also in east ukraine. >> thank you that's rory challands there in the belarus capital. well a defense analyst also a columnist he thinks ideal is on the cards but that poroshenko is standing firm when dealing with putin. >> i believe it's more jockeying for position. i believe that some kind of deals is imminent because right now to kind of continue the fighting would mean to introduce more russian troops, regular troops, and if you introduce them without air support, there is going to be heavy losses. and i believe both sides right now are going to be kind of saying that we want to break the deal. maybe there even is going to be some fighting. but this is a kind of middle eastern situation when a

ceasefire is inevitable. and the fighting is just to find another formula of the ceasefire. and politically it's also very important for pour shaping owe to show that he is ready to stand up to putin. personal's request formally to authorize military force against isil is likely to face some opposition in congress. there are republicans who say they wilin sift on changes to the plan. the contentious issue in particular is whether to send ground troops in to action, washington d.c., alan fisher reports. >> reporter: in six months the u.s. has carried out more than 2,000 coming raids against isil targets, this announcement by the u.s. president changes nothing on the ground. those attacks will continue. >> we are disrupting their supply lines and making it harder to move, we are destroying their tanks vehicles barracks training

camps and the oil and gas facilities and infrastructure that fund their operation. >> reporter: what this will do is set new perimeters giving fresh legal approval for the lethal operations, owe bomb as happen working under legislation approved in 2002 ahead of the invasion of iraq, some say that was a stretch legally. there is no joe owe graphic restrictions in the permission being sought. america will strike isil whenever it appears but there is a time scale in three years the law will lapse or have to be renewed. there is also a window to allow ground troops to be deployed. barack obama says this gives america flexibility. >> if we had actual intelligence about a gathering of isil leaders and our partners didn't have the capacity to get them, i would be prepared to order our special forces to take action because i will not allowed these terrorists to have a save haven. >> reporter: that interpretation of the law might be different at another time and under another president. barack obama says he wants congress to act quickly on this,

but some committees are already saying they want to hold hearings call senior members of the administration to give evidence. it could be several weeks before some version of this resolution is passed. there are voices of did he scent, some even from program's only party. republicans have welcomed the president trying to do something, but say there is still work to be done. >> i am not sure if it's a strategy this outline will accomplish the mission the president says he wants to accomplish. >> reporter: president obama will almost certainly get the authorization he requires but the situation is constantly changing on the ground. the longer the debate before any vote could significantly change the wording and therefore the mission. alan fish, he al jazerra, at the white house. an attack by al qaeda in out east yemen has left at least seven people dead. the heavily-armed group stormed a military base, four members of al qaeda died as well as three soldiers.

let's go to our correspondent live us for us now in the south of the country. i gave the bare bones of what happened what more can you tell us? >> reporter: well, david we understand that the al qaeda group attacked that military base as you say the significance of it being that it is the last point towards the southern city, the oil-rich city there where oil production is and it's very strategically important. what some analysts are saying in those who are close to where the fighting is taking place although the base itself doesn't have so much strategic importance, the fact that it does reach there but possibly there could be a new frontier being opened up there to combat houthi rebels the shia minority who took control of the country around a week ago and are looking to advance and consolidate their gains as they

push further south from the capital is nah. sanaa. are these al qaeda fighters looking for a territory gain or a base to launch further operations? >> reporter: well, the way they have operated so far is actually the latter. david, they look for different bases where they first get more weapons and replenish their reserves so to spring and essentially increase the military might. in terms of territorial gains they have never really at least in yemen looks to control specific cities or towns. maybe because they don't have the popular support that would allow for them to control populous areas. and therefore it's more ativan take us for them to get these different bases where they can then launch a tabs from one hand and also the other where they can then capture weapons and armorments. >> we'll leave it there for now thank you. jamaal in southern yemen.

to egypt where a retrial is pictures he could to begin in the new next few hours for two al jazerra journalists that have spent 411 days in jail accused of colluding with the outlawed muslim brotherhood. al jazerra says that is most definitely not the case. victoria gatenby reports. >> reporter: al jazerra evening ire's cairo bureau chief mohammed fahmy and producer bahar mohamed were arrested december 29, 2013 alongside correspondent pete are greste. initially their detention was believed to be temporary and based on bureaucratic problems with their media accreditation but within daisy i didn't want's top property cuters announced they were being held on terror charges alleging they were aiding the out loud plus lil' brotherhood. the journalist and al jazerra network rejected the charges. so did the global media community. protesters around the world demonstrated in solidarity with the three men.

when the trial finally began in february the three pleaded not guilty. the proceedings were ridiculed by legal experts around the world. evidence presented by the prosecution included footage from a different champion, music found on the journalists' laptops and some of peter's work in africa. on june 23rd. the verdict guilty. mohamed and peterson tensed to seven years bahar order today spend a decade behind bars. six other colleagues from al jazerra were sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison. criticism of the verdict came from the corridors of power around the world. >> the issue you of the al jazerra journalists in egypt, we have been clear both public and privately that they should be released. >> reporter: and yet the men had to wait several months before their case was reviewed the court of cassation found the trial failed to link them to the muslim brotherhood or even a

terrorist attack had owe court. meanwhile a new decree by president abdel el-sisi offered new hope for two of the men greste an australian and fahmy canadian egyptian were eligible to apply for deportation a path to freedom not available for egyptian bahar mohamed. diplomatic efforts continued alongside the slow-moving legal process. on february 1st, peter greste was freed on his 400th day in detention. met by his relieved family in brisbane airport his unconditional release was tinged with sadness and frustration. >> a midst all of this relief i still feel a sense of concern a real sense of worry because if it's appropriate for me, if it's right for me to be free, then it's right for all of them to be free. >> reporter: peter's release raced expectation that his fahmy release was eminent they want but as the days drags on it was clear that he would stand in

court. again in the hands of the egyptian jew derrek air judiciary. still on come. raids by boko haram fighters. and we are behind the scenes of a life saving certainty in spain. stay with us if you can.

>> the new al jazeera america primetime. get the real news you've been looking for. at 7:00, a thorough wrapup of the day's events. then at 8:00, john seigenthaler digs deeper into the stories of the day. and at 9:00, get a global perspective on the news. weeknights, on al jazeera america . ♪ ♪ we are going to particular you to belarus now where they have been holding those peace talks about events in eastern ukraine. just out of shot is the russian president vladimir putin.

we do understand that he has according to two sources, that is the a.p. news agency and russian tv, he has said in the last few minutes that there will be a ceasefire. a ceasefire in eastern ukraine starting it at midnight on saturday. a massive delegation inside the presidential palace in belarus. president poroshenko there meeting and greeting not for the first time the russian president vladimir putin. and this was the location where we were expecting to hear any announcement after all-night talks involve the leaders of france germany ukraine and russia. and we were told early on there were a couple of sticking points well, more than just a couple of sticking points, but at one point the ukrainian president petro poroshenko

describing russian conditions for any kind of ideal as unacceptable. so we'll go back to that as soon as we get a signal that they are about to say something. president obama's request formally to authorize military force against isil could face opposition in congress. the republicans say they'll insist on changes to the plan. possible use of ground troops being a contentious issue. al qaeda fighters have attacked two army bases in southeast yemen, at least seven people died. three of them soldiers. the heavily armed group stormed two army brigade bases. and expecting pretty soon the retrial to begin in egypt for two al jazerra journalists mohamed fahmy and bahar mohamed have spent 411 days in jail accused of colluding with the

outlawed muslim brotherhood. with going to our correspondent rory challands unfortunately for you rory outside in the freezing cold in front of that presidential palace in minute i minsk. rory challands can we see rory? i can see rory. can we hear? okay, we are hearing that vladimir putin is saying there is go to be a ceasefire, are you getting anymore on that? >> reporter: well, that's the news that has been coming out on various news agencies. i think vladimir putin spoke in the last few minutes what he announced is there has been sort of agreement reached on the main points and a ceasefire on the 15th of february, that is sunday that's tell a couple of days away. that means there is a couple of days worth of fighting still to be done before the ceasefire comes in to place. we can see one of the main motorcades leaving now. it does have the russian flag on it.

so it looks like vladimir putin is link the talks rights now at this moment driving off onto the minsk streets. that shows from his perspective at least that he feels that some of the heavy lifting has been done in these negotiations. but, of course, let's remember, we have been here before. minsk talks happened in september of last year, 2014, at which there was a ceasefire declared, at which the minsk memorandum was signed with all sorts of orders for what should happen on the ground. those never happened. and that's why we are in this position now. it's a bit of a deja vu situation, we now it seems have a new ceasefire agreement reached. but the crucial question is will it stick? will the fighting stop? what will happen actually in eastern ukraine? >> rory, you may be correct in saying that was president putin leaving. we have no confirmation, let's go back to the pictures inside the presidential palace. we can see there alexander the

host for these meetings, he was shaking his russian counterpart vladimir putin by the hand a few minutes ago. no sign at the moment of either angela merkel, francois hollande or petro poroshenko. it's very difficult to know exactly what will follow on from this rory about but if we are talking about another two days, you were mention is earlier on that there are representatives of the separatists already there in belarus and perhaps vladimir putin has gone to consult with them unlikely perhaps given the publicity that would attach to that? >> reporter: i don't know. i don't know whether vladimir putin would personally consult with them. he would do that through various intermediaries and aides. there has been an aide fairying backwards and forwards between the talks here and the representatives of the donetsk people's republic and the

luhansk people's republic, what's been going on in ukraine in the actual battle front has been of crucial importance here as well over the last 15 hours or so of negotiations. actually going back much further back than that. because we should look at what's been happening in two flash points in eastern ukraine, one a railway hub town that is between lou afternoon and donetsk. it is essentially been encircled bicep tests forces and that is what is been quite a serious boot on the throat of the ukrainian negotiating position here in minsk. also down on the coast there's been a push from the ukrainian army eastwards towards the -- towards the russian border. these things are very important

for what has been discussed in minsk. >> and we'll be back with you just as soon as the picture becomes a little clearer, as soon as we get some focus for now, rory challe and in belarus thank you. in south korea a former airline executive has been jailed for a year over a bag of nuts. heather cho argueed with a korean air steward about how he had served the nuts in a bag instead of on a plate. the jet which was about to take off from new york was forced to return to the terminal. she is the daughter of the korean air chairman accord to this steward she treated the flight crew like futile slaves. leading marine scientists are warning this year could mark a mass bleaching of coral worldwide, devastating reefs and marine life. we sent steve chow under without never indonesia. >> reporter: for decades this incredible under water landscape has been the focus of study for

martin. he is work to go protect this diverse region. it's home to 75% of the world's coral species, 3,000 different fish and a host of other unique marine life. >> it is the home for fish. nurse are you ground for fish, feeding ground for fish. coral reef is like shelter in the desert. >> reporter: but climate change is warming the ocean causing mass cases of coral bleaching and die off around the globe welly fears this year's el nino however small will further warm the waters and take reefs another step closer to extinction. >> if the coral disappear then fish also will disappear from that area. >> reporter: there are other threats to the coral. an leash a dive resort operator has been battling an iron ore mine that shed up shot near pristine shores. protests last year by villageers turns violent with rocks being

thrown. the mine is protected by local officials. authorities we are told have been very aggressive in keeping divers away from their operations so what we are going to do is dive in here and spill swim over as close as getting to the jetty under water. the visibility is so poor it's all we can do to stay together. and when we find the reef, it is covered in layers of thick silt. even the visible patches are choking. after only a few minutes we surfaced. how was the coral here before? >> it was really beautiful healthy, lots of colors, lots of fish. and now mine, it's nothing. >> reporter: but not all is lost. welly's research has found that climate change isn't having as big an impact on coral here that's because the triangle reef coral lies deeper in colder water so he has formed community team to his guard the reefs. >> i am convinced if we do

something, if we protect that coral reef, the coral reef will be still access, life resources of the people still access people still can eat for tomorrow. and in the future. >> reporter: and with the way currents carry coral throughout the oceans, welly believes preserving this under water paradise could ultimately save reefs worldwide. steve chow, al jazerra in the coral triangle. boko haram fighter from nigeria have intensified fights in niner and cameroon. now we have more. >> reporter: the streets are almost empty. shops are closed. in this town, in niger along the border with nigeria does ends of civilians have been killed by attacks of boko haram fighters think the wounded are treated at this hospital which is now protected by the arm i.

doctor in charge of this small in facility and the staff are now struggling with a growing number of casualties. >> translator: in the last few days we have treated 50 people who were injured in the attacks. 10 of them died of their wounds. almost 34 people have been killed so far. they were mostly civilians. >> reporter: these are the victims of a boko haram suicide bombing in a busy market. the armed group has been in the offensive and. its fighters say their attacks are a retaliation against a military campaign in chad. many people have escaped from the area, they are worry about more revenge attacks. al jazerra. people in spain are generous in offering life-saving organs for transplants. emma hayward went to madrid find

out more. >> reporter: when the telephone rings here it can really make the difference between life and death. >> now we have a donor and we have a liver emergency in one part of spain. >> reporter: people with organ failure in spain have a realistic chance of eventually getting a life-saving surgery they need. when a family decide to donate, medical staff will call through to here the national coordination center. where the process of matching a donor with a potential recipient really begins. spain is a world leader in organ donation. few people carry donor cards here. the key to spain's success are on call trained transplant coordinators. it's their skill in being able to identify potential donors which has helped turn around donation rates. doctors are trained to sensitively steer families towards donation if they are phased with the most -- faced with the most difficult descension of the loss of a

loved one who may have been declared brain dead. dr. rafael designed the program. >> the most important is this critical moment when a person has died. but the hard is still beating. it's very me indicate today explain to the family that this person is really dead. and so to have the adequate person in the adequate place at the adequate moment is practically the main reason which makes the family say yes or the family say no. >> reporter: and that moment can make all the difference. julio has had three kid any transplants. the first two from anonymous donors the last from his sister. >> translator: it's very important for society to know what it means to be able to donate honor began it can save a life. in my case it allowed me to grow from up a child to an adult. to go to university. to have a family. and to have a plan. >> reporter: for julio the future is looking bright.

offering hope to others who may also be pulled back from the brink by the kindness of strangers. emma hayward, al jazerra in madrid. our headline is the fact that putin says there should be a ceasefire in ukraine aljazerra.com. i'm phil torres here to talk about innovations that can change lives. we're going to explore the intersection of hardware and humanity and doing it in a unique way. this is a show about science by scientists. let's check out our team of hard core nerds. dr. shini somara, life and death in the or, one woman in desperate need of a transplant. will the donor lung arrive