i.s.i.l. releases some of the sunni men it kidnapped four days ago near the iraqi city of tikrit. you're watching al jazeera, live from headquarters in dough hoe, also coming up backing president abd-rabbu mansour hadi the u.n. security council describes him as the legitimate leader of yemen. how south africa is spying on russia over their joint satellite projected and the french president presses for action. we look at how raising sea

levels are damaging malaysia's coastline. >> hello, the islamic state of iraq and the lef hand released some of the men it kidnapped. 50 were released. it was thought they were taken, because their relatives had been fighting against i.s.i.l. the armed group holds 66 men and 10 boys, belonging to one of the largest tribes in iraq. we are hearing that yili.s.i.l. fighters are tried to protect a bridge. jane arraf joins us to explain that. >> we have word in the last hour and a half there has been an

attack after i.s.i.l. took the brim which is between the town of baghdadi and haditha, along the euphrates valley. after taking the bridge and killing 20 soldiers they moved on, seized an iraqi military touch and launched a suicide bombing on an air base. the one where u.s. military trainers, as well as other coalition members are. according to security sources they reached a checkpoint 5km from the base. there was fighting there. they continued, and then a couple of kilometres interest the entrance to the base iraqi soldiers and others repelled them. three detonated suicide vests. it's a huge base like a small city but it's an indication that that base is a main target of i.s.i.l. >> stand by. there's a human rights watch report suggesting that the

kurdish regional government is responsible for ethnic discrimination against arab communities, saying that kurdish forces prevented arabs displaced by i.s.i.l. from returning to their homes. at the statement, kurds have been allowed to return to those areas, and move into homes of arabs who left them. local kurds say dozens of arab homes have been destroyed in areas identified as part of a possible kurdish autonomous expansion. back to jane arraf joining us from baghdad to tell us more about what the report says and how the information was compiled. >> it's a detailed report done by researchers from the international organization human rights watch. they point out in the report that they raised the concerns with kurdish regional government authorities previously. since raising the concerns some

restrictions have been eased. the reason they did the report is not all of them have. the essential problem is that as kurdish peshmerga forces which have led the fight in the north against i.s.i.l. and are a key ali of the u.s. and coalition partners, moved into the fight. they have retaken territory. when they have taken back the down, they have allowed kurdish residents to go in but prevented arab residents to return to their homes. kurdish authorities said that any actions they do are based on security reasons. human rights watch disputes this essentially saying that no matter of atrocities committed by i.s.i.l. it is not a justification for what it calls collective punishment of arab citizens. >> thank you for the time being. jane arraf reporting from bag bad.

>> i.s.i.l. kidnapped dozens of syrian christians. the numbers of syrians captured rose to 220. they were taken captive from veil edges in the nearby provinces. more from zeina khodr monitoring developments from beirut. deuce, activists reported that syrian christians were captured by the islamic state of iraq and levant in hasaki. they put the number at 90 at the time. they revising it saying that they've been in contact with community leaders as well as activists on the ground family members, and say 220 syrian christians are host edges, and their whereabouts are not known. there are conflicting reports. some say that i.s.i.l. took them to a strong hold of shaked adde south of the city. the community, as you can imagine is worried about the

fate. they don't know if they are alive or ted. i.s.i.l. have not made demands and it's unclear if they'll be exchanged in a prisoner swap. we under arab tribal leaders on the ground are trying to mediate a deal to release these people. this is not the first time i.s.i.l. captured people. they captured hundreds if not thousands. this is the first time they captured a large number of cifrtians. >> the -- christians. the envoy has arrived in aden, hours after the security council said it would back abd-rabbu mansour hadi as the legitimate president. he's in aden after fleeing from sapper where he was held under -- sanaa, where he was held under house arrest. the security council urged all

parties to resolve their differences through talks. there has been rallies in support. hadid. this was the seen in ties earlier. abd-rabbu mansour hadi met the secretary-general of the gulf cooperation counsel. the g.c.c. is backing abd-rabbu mansour hadi. crossing to our correspondent on the front line. with the g.c.c. backing abd-rabbu mansour hadi and the u.n. security council sawing that he is the legitimate president. how significant is this. >> it is very significantly. particularly for abd-rabbu mansour hadi. we have been waiting for the development of the support and critical of the delay in the u.n. coming forward, and expressing support. considering that the u.n. much

was behind the and played a crucial role. it has been involved in negotiations. for the u.n. to come at this particular time and be vocal about the support. it's important for him in particular, and for the anti-coup. parties in yemen. and there are several that cyst in many provinces, trying to come together. they have been asked to come to aden. there are party leaders have been invited to come. for him to have the national support from the zc c -- g.c.c. regional power and for him to move on is crucial. and for a petition

at teems there were rallies in support of abd-rabbu mansour hadi. what are you hearing about other parts of the country. >> yes, it's a sign of momentum for abd-rabbu mansour hadi. yesterday the biggest rally, and in five other regions are people taking to the treats in their thousands. in the past it could take months not like this. protests were hushed. people were desperate or they were not really soing a glimmer of hope -- seeing a glimmer of hope.

now it seems they've been given and are galvanized is shows the opportunity and helps to create a bigger change in yemen. >> thank you for that. that report from aden a taliban suicide car bomb attack in the capital killed at least two people. another person was injured. the bomber targeted a vehicle from the turkish embassy in kabul, the first known attack on the turkish target in the afghan capital. 190 people died in a series of avalanches in nearby afghanistan. homes schools and mosques were buried. rescuers expect the death toll to reez. the provincial governor describes them as the worst in 30 years. russia's foreign minister has criticized ukraine for saying it will not pull back

weapons until the rebels observe a ceasefire. he told a noose conference that ukraine's demand were ridiculous, and warnings of saptions were just -- sanctions were just distracting attention from agreements signed between the two sides in minsk. >> i think it's explainable. they are trying to exaggerate historical moves. behind the words hides the unwillingness of these figures, countries, organization to achieve the implementation of what is agreed in minsk on 12 february. south african agents are spying on russia, for details on the joint satellite project - that's according to a top secret table obtained by the al jazeera investigative unit. the plan is so secretive even the spies are not sure what is going on.

hi above the south african government building a satellite watches, it's a joint south african and russian project. it monitors all of africa creators are struggling to monitor it. few know what it is or what they are playing for. the opposition politician has been spending five years trying to find out. >> the government is trying to hide a procurement rally. given the fact that it's a top secret project to get any notification. spy cables show that state intelligence is in the doork. >> so little is known, it can be revealed that the state security

agency is spying on its counterpart. relying on a russian spy. agent activist is said to have access to the government. the top-secret cable provided information. according to him russia has 30 technicians working on the satellite and we hope it allows them to spy op all of africa up to israel. the secrecy and consuicide acting of 100 million sparked conspiracy theories. >> it was not long before i came across the theory that a former secretary of defense, was assassinated because of his involved in this project. meeting people talking to sources. it was suggested to me by an individual that this is the kind of thing that i should perhaps not be looking into and it was a warning. >> for years, the status of the satellite programme is unclear.

south africa's defence minister said it was ongoing, and it would cost over $100 million. with revelations that south africa is spying on russia to get information about its own initiative. appears that not even the government here understands what is going on with project condor. >> more to come on al jazeera, including following the death of a leading prosecutor. argentina's president reveals the changing face of a national spy agents si. tensions running high after a teenager was shot dead by police during an anti-government protest.

>> today on "the stream". >> how one man's inability to read drove him to become one of the country's biggest crack dealers, and the consequences, on "the stream". >> "the stream". today, 12:30 eastern. on al jazeera america.

the top stories on al jazeera. the islamic state of iraq and levant reportedly freedom of the men kidnapped four days ago. the armed group holds about 80 men and 10 bows. -- boys they belong to the al-obeid tribe the president abd-rabbu mansour hadi has meeting leaders, hours after security council is backing him as the leader south african are spying on russia according to a top secret cable obtained by the al jazeera investigative yup. the spy cables show the intelligence has been kept in the dark. protests continued in venezuela over the death of a

teenager killed by police. demonstrators rallied outside the vatican, demanding an intervention from pope francis. >> thousands of students took to the treat to protect the preent arrest of opposition figures and the mounting economic woes. this video, wide by circulated showed the moments a young boy was caught in the confrontation and shot in the head by the policemen. >> translation: i saw the boy there with his brain spilt out. >> this is the voice of an eyewitness who didn't want to be seen on camera. >> translation: this sign days that he was bon and died in revolution a reserves to the 15

years that the revolution has been in pleas, adding. >> he never lived in a dem okay wasry. >> president nicolas maduro haas condemned the killing, and the police officer that shot him is behind bars. >> if any member of the security forces commits a crime, especially those in charge of maintaining public order, let me tell you, i'll be the fers to have them arrested -- first to have them arrested. >> translation: in venezuela, armed demonstrations is against the law, and the constitution puts limits on the use of force. >> reporter: the tragedy of the death is made worse by dissent. what could be be doing, what could he be holding in his happened, his school books. it's not right. i have marks on my arms from the

police who didn't want me to hold this child. after they shot him they wanted me to take him away. why. >> they didn't want to love the evidence. >> the repercussions of the death are not clear, as tensions rise, it could be the spark that sets off a wave of protests at the city at the heart of last year's clashes. >> argentina's congress passed a law to get rid of the intelligence agency and create a new one following the death of the prosecutor. yazidi's editor reports. >> it's an old photo, one of few of former intelligence chief, a manned to have moved in the shadows. from this building located next to the presidential palace he controlled the spy agency for decades.

information is pour. and for years kimpcristina fernandez de kirchner used and abused. >> the president liked to receive not just the transcripts, but tapes to here the tone of voice. she controls allies ministers. >> reporter: a former secretary of the intelligence agency himself should know. he describes the upsolved 1992 bombing of the jurish cultural -- jewish cultural center as the agencies black box. a former investigator says his abduction was ordered and had the words amiat carved on his back. the spy agencies it was revealed paid $400,000 for false testimony to derail the original investigation. >> today we don't know what line

of the investigation to follow. intelligence agencies raised or contaminated the evidence. >> after the pushes death of the prosecutor, she asked congress to create a more accountable intelligence service. >> it was agreed that the dis mantling of the intelligence service was long overdue. the question is why now. sources close to the palace say it's because the spy agency turned against her, leaking information to the media. 14 months ago the president named a seasoned intelligence officer accused of human rights abuses as head of the armed forces creating what men record as a parallel service more hoil to her. the president is asking the country men to believe a federal

intelligence agency would be transparent. given the history, many argentines can't be blamed for having doubts the french president francis hollande arrived in the philippines at the start of a 2-day visit and is being joined by a delegation of u.n. officials to press for action on climate change. the trip is part of a campaign ahead of a conference. the meeting, cop 121 i am sure to create a binding agreement. at the previous talk in peru a framework was set. experts warn striking a deal would not be easy. we have more from manila. >> that's an historic visit by the french president. the first time a president will

visit the country, meeting government leaders, industry and businessmen, but visiting one of the most damaging communities by tropical storm haiyan from nearly two years ago. it was the strongest on record to make landfall and it is put down to climate change. storms came across the philippines, never as strong ag hay an. it's expected tomorrows in the future will get stronger if nothing is down to cut down on the global footprints. the emphasis is that this is a collective responsibility not just for developed countries, but to work together. the philippines here pretty much a small carbon footprint, but is refusing the brunt of the climate change crisis. storms are just going to be getting stronger. the country is struggling to cope with the effect of such

typhoons, and basically the presidents of both nations, france and the philippines wanting to emphasis that climate change is real and want to go into action to avert a pressing or worst disaster in the future. >> one country with high hopes is malaysia coastal erosion has tape a toll on wildlife and communities. we have this report from penang. >> miles and miles of beautiful sandy beaches surround malaysia it's the peninsula, it has water on all sides. the rising water levels set a precedent of concern amongst government officials. they hope during 2015 they can make their voces heard at gatherings such as later in the year. it's concerned those that survive or live off the sea want to hear from their government

and make sure in the future the sea is their friend not their foe. i've been to meet them. 70 years ago the coastline used to be there, now it's here. this is the effect of riding sea levels, called coastal erosion. it has been battling malaysian shores for decades. for fishermen, times are tough, earning a living in the inland waterways. sea levels rides, weakening coastlines, and sand and soil falls into the sea. kalt water enters the yest uaries. fresh water fish die. >> i have been fishing for over 20 years, and used to catch two kilos of fish in two pours. -- two hours. awary catch one. >> rapid urban development along

the water's edge is a fact effecting the environment and paraleasing economic activity. 30%. coast is at risk. >> coastal erosion is at a critical level according to the authorities in the east of the country. yet, with two very unique monsoon that affect malaysia from the north and the south, areas such as penang are causing concern for those that have to deal with the problem on their doorstep. >> $20 million usd has been pledged by the government. for some the solution is balancing urban development while being mindful of the environment. >> any development proposed must ipp carpet and ensure mango swamps exist, so you have the wetlands and the sea. >> manning rofs act as a nersry

and is a food scours for wild live above and below the water line. a plan has been in place since 120. replanting macquarie bank roes in areas where they thrived has become an urgent matter. mangroves reinforce the soil. we have planted three hectares. 150,000 plants in this area. the water never came this far. >> this person feels the same way, but wants to get his message to those that can make a difference when it comes to change especially francis hollande. >> translation: world leaders have to remember we are the poor. your decisions affect us directly. i don't want my home lily hood and memories to disagree into the sea forever. >> reporter: malaysia holds two important positions in 2015. it has a seat and is chairman of

the asian group, the association of south-east asian nations. economic bloc including indonesia, cambodia vietnam and the philippines. as a bloc they'll let the international community know. malaysia will hope that it can get the message across at the u.n. security council, and listen to concerns of other nations with problems. >> the army in the damage says it's retaken eastern areas under rebel control. on tuesday, government fors began an offensive. the democratic forces for the armed group has been active in that region for more than two decades. >> in mexico a volcano spewed ash 700 meters into the sky.

the eruption east of mexico city forced a series of flight to be cancelled. experts say it is spoorping frequent low intensity explosions. following a series of tremors, the second-highest volcano in mexico. hello, i'm ray suarez, 50 years ago this week. conspire attars caused destruction. gunmen blasted away at close range at the lectern, dead at 39, in the midst of a changing idea about america and the future of black people in it. tough, complicated, provocative, razor sharp man was dead, leaving family and followers to grieve and a tantalizing