e technology meets humanity. monday, 5:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. isil fighters kill more than 20 iraqi soldiers as they take control of an important bridge in anbar province. ♪ hello, i'm darren jordan in doha. gulf nations back yemen's president to move the capitol to be near him in aden. and how south africa is spying on russia. and adultery is no longer illegal in south korea. find out why they changed the law after 62 years. ♪

iraqi forces in anbar province have lost 20 soldiers in a battle with isil filingers. isil has reportedly secured a crucial bridge. iraqi troops have been trying to take baghdadi back from the group. the town was also attacked by isil suicide bombers on thursday. jane is in bagdad and wells us why the area is so important. >> reporter: the iraqi military is continuing to evacuate families from the city of baghdadi amid fierce fighting there. isil has taken according to security sources, a bridge between the city of baghdadi and hadifa that's in that vast western province where tribes combined with iraqi military are trying to fight isil. but it still controls most of the province. and fighting has been

particularly fierce around baghdadi. which has a home to u.s. military trainers as well as its coalition partners. according to security sources, isil retook that bridge on the you fray tease river. after that they said military trucks seized from the iraqi military with suicide bombers to try to gate to the base. they didn't make it to the gate but they did make it to a check point nearby just a couple of kilometers away. that's where at least three of those suicide bombers detonated. they say several iraqi officers and soldiers were also killed in that attack. baghdadi is where families have been under siege without food and water. the iraqi military has recently opened a corridor there. they have been evacuating families by driving them to the air base and either air lifting

them to baghdad to avoid the treacherous route to the capitol or sending them on a round about route by road. there are very few families left there. and the situation is still dire. and a new human right's watch report suggests the kurdish leadership in northern iraq is responsible for ethnic discrimination. it says they have prevented arabs from returning to their homes. at the same time kurds have been allowed to return to those areas and even to move into homes of arabs who left. dozens of arab homes have been destroyed in an area identified as a possible kurdish extension. isil has reportedly released 50 men who were kidnapped two days ago. they are said to still be

holding 70 more. the u.s. lead coalition has launched air strikes against isil positions in an area where 255 syrian christians were on abducted this week. they were taken captive as the group advanced in one province. more from zana hoda who reports from beirut. >> reporter: on tuesday, activists reported that a syrian christians were captured by the islamic state of iraq and the levant. at the time they put the number at 90. they are now revising it. they are saying that they have been in contact with community leaders as well as activists on the ground family members. they now say 220 asyrian christians are host taij taij -- hostages. some say isil took them to a strong hold in the south. now the community, as you can

imagine, is worried about their faith. they don't know if they are alive or dead. isil has still not made any demands, and it's not clear if isil will agree to exchange them in any prisoner swap. but from what we understand is that arab tribal leaders on the ground are trying to immediate some sort of deal to release these people. this is not the first time isil has captured people. they have captured hundreds if not thousands both in syria and iraq, but this was the first time they captured such a large number of christians at once. meanwhile a new video posted online by isil shows gunmen smashing air artifacts in the city of mosul. the director of the mosul museum confirmed the video is real although some of the pieces smashed were copies. four of the statues were

originals but others are plastic copies. isil makes some of his income by selling looted items. gulf countries are sending their ambassadors to aden to be closer to the president. mohamed vall has more from aden. >> reporter: popular support for the president is growing by the day across yemen. people once again took to the streets in the city of ta'izz to show their support. yesterday he received the gcc secretary general and six ambassadors who expressed their support. today the u.n. envoy arrived higher and had a couple of meetings with the president. and he said they have agreed on major points and on the continuation of dialogue in

search for solutions in yemen. one person was killed and five others wounded when five bombs exploded in cairo on thursday. a bomb exploded killing one and wounding two. three policemen were wounded when another device went off near a police station. two more bombs were found outside of offices in a cairo neighborhood. the bombs left no injuries although the shops were damaged. a taliban, suicide attack in the afghan capitol has killed at least two people. another was injured. police say the attacker targeted a vehicle from the kurdish embassy in kabul. it's the first attack on a turkish target in the afghan capitol. funerals are being held after at least 190 people died in an avalanche in afghanistan.

>> reporter: one by one bodies are being pulled out of deep snow. the number of people killed in dozens of avalanches is growing. it's the heaviest snow this area has seen for decades, and it's far from prepared. afghanistan had been experiencing a mild winter until now. there has been heavy dumps of snow, up to two meters. smothering villages like this. most of the province is still inaccessible rescuers can only get as far as the outskirts of the valley. people are leaving their homes behind. they can't hope with this much snow. it has become too dangerous. >> translator: three children and one adult are still under the snow. the government only rescued two people. also 300 animals are under the snow. >> reporter: it is a province with two mountain ranges and a narrow valley in between. there's only 1 main road to get in and out. around 300 people are using

shovels to dig through the snow. >> translator: we demand the governments and help rescue the people who are still under the snow. these people are very poor and need help. >> reporter: cars and trucks are stuck on the roads. getting around the province and many other parts of afghanistan has become impossible. it's a long path. a tunnel carved through the mountains has been closed. it seems the worst of the snow storms is over. and conditions should improve. that will give many emergency crews a chance to clear the road. but for many families help will come too late. ♪ now south african agents are spying on russia to obtain details on their joint satellite

project according to a top secret cable obtained by the al jazeera investigative unit. the plan is so secretive, even the spies aren't sure what is going on. >> reporter: high above south african government buildings, a satellite watches. it's code named condor while it monitors all of africa it's creators are struggling to monitor it. few even know what it is or what they are paying for. opposition politician and shadow defense minister david has spent five years trying to find out. >> government are trying to hide a massive procurement irregularity. it's been very difficult, given the fact that this is a top-secret, or secret defense intelligence project to really get any information. >> reporter: the spy cables show south african military intelligence has also kent state

intelligence in the dark. so little is known, al jazeera can reveal the state security agency is spying on its military counterpart, relying on a spy in russia. agent africanist is said to have direct access to the russian government. this top secret cable records information he provided in 2012. according to him, russia has 30 technicians working on the satellite, and they hope it will allow them to spy on all of africa. but the secrecy surrounding the satellite, and the confused accounting of almost $100 million has sparked conspiracy theorys. >> it wasn't long before i came across the theory that a normer secretary of defense was assassinated because of his involvement in this project. meeting people and talking to sources, it was suggested to me by one individual, that this is the kind of thing that i should

perhaps not be looking into, and it was a warning. >> reporter: for years the status of this satellite program has been unclear. the defense minister recently said it was ongoing and it would now cost over $100 million. but with information that south hostage south africa is spying on russia to get information it is clear that nobody knows what is really going on here. a long line of ukrainian trainings, troops, and weapons have been seen moving down the highway in eastern your next question. the corridor runs from the strategic strategic town of debaltseve. military convoy's final destination is unclear. after a truce took hold on wednesday, pro-russian rebels are also withdrawing heavy weapons 20 kilometers east of donetsk. pro-russian separatists indmishally used the trust as an

opportunity to advance. a ukrainian military spokesman said there were few violations on wednesday night. as front lines fall quiet, the grim job of tracing all of those killed or missing in the fighting is only just beginning. paul brennan's report continues images which viewers nay find distressing. >> reporter: the battlefields are bleak and chilling places. the destructive power of modern weapons leaves a stark impression. donetsk airport is such a place. nearly four months of bitter fighting left this whole area completely shattered. the interior of the terminals are strewn with debris and rubble. >> translator: when a concrete beam falls down and a body is

buried under it we have to lift it up somehow. since it is all in a confined area we can't use heavy lifting equipment. >> reporter: a group of soldiered have been pressed into excavating the bodies of their fallen colleagues. lifting the collapsed structure brick by brick. the task of locating extracting and identifying those killed is extremely difficult. the bodies of some 30 ukrainian soldiers have been found here so far. but the process of transferring them to a morgue and then returning them to their relatives receives low priority. these corpses were found 24 hours previously but have still not been taken away.

and there were other casualties. in the chaos of the conflict neither side have definitive figures for the numbers missing in action. the international red cross is now trying to assist. >> we're cooperating with the morgues, providing body bags to some groups involved in the retrieval of bodies. now we are -- yeah we will be trying to get more involved in the process in the transfer of bodies, and we offered our services in this regard to both parties. >> reporter: only nine soldier's bodies have been transferred to the ukrainian side. across the conflict zone of east ukraine are many more fighters of both sides yet to be given the dignity of a proper burial. time for a sport break here on al jazeera. when we come back. >> i'm at a cuban-run hospital in qatar. here doctors, 12,000 kilometers

from home are de facto ambassadors, cuba's main export. ♪ >> this could have been anybody. >> but in a twisted tale of neglect, abuse, murder and suicide. >> are kids today safer? >> who's to blame? >> i've answered your question. >> a dysfunctional family... >> the mother certainly played a role. >> a flawed investigation... >> do you feel that the police has been as fair? >> and a missing child. >> i hope that the person that has her just bring her home. >> now, "america tonight" investigates the search for relisha. tomorrow, 10:00 eastern.

he's out there. there's a guy out there whose making a name for himself in a sport where your name and maybe a number are what define you. somewhere in that pack is a driver that can intimidate the intimidator. a guy that can take the king 7 and make it 8. heck. maybe even 9. make no mistake about it. they're out there. i guarantee it. welcome to the nascar xfinity series.

>> 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. ♪ welcome back. quick reminder of our top stories here in al jazeera. in iraq isil has reportedly secured a crucial bridge. iraqi troops have been trying to take baghdadi back from the group. the town is close to an air base used think u.s. and iraqi soldiers.

gulf nations are rallying behind yemeni president hadi. and funerals are being held in afghanistan after more than 200 people died in a series of afghanistans in the northeast of the country. let's go to breaking news now coming out of argentina. a judge has just thrown out the cover-up case against argentina argentina's president in the jewish center bombings. more on that of course as we get it to you at al jazeera. south korea's constitutional court has instruct down an adultery law that has

criminalized extramarital affairs for the last 60 years. the court ruled the statute was unconstitutional. adulters could serve up to two years in prison but few people have served time recently. harry fawcett has more. >> reporter: for the proponents of changing this law, it is a case of fifth time lucky. there have been four previous attempts to get this law off of the statute books. the in 2008 five of the nine yujs voted in favor of making this change but that fell short of the two-thirds majority required. this time the vote was 7-2. and they said while there may be objections on moral grounds, the state has no right to intervene in people's lives. for women's rights group, they

will be celebrating, because they argue that this is a way to punish women. the two judges who voted against, one of them said this could lead to a surge in depravity depravity. but i think there is a fair bit of depravity for those who want to go looking for it. the sex industry here is a thriving one. there are love hotels across the country which rent rooms by the hour. so for many people this law has lost a bit of its relevance. at one stage it carried a two-third's conviction rate in recent years that has gone down to 1%. since that time as well nearly 5.5 thousand have been convicted. and it's for them that this might be the greatest impact.

they have been told they can apply to have those convictions overturned. the french president warned that climate change could lead to more war and disasters. he is being joined by a delegation of u.n. officials to press urgent action on climate change. the trip is part of a global campaign for the conference to be held in paris. the previous talks in peru last september, a framework was set, but experts warn, striking a deal will not be easy. margo margo margo or tee gas has more. >> reporter: this is the first time a head of state from france is visiting the country. he not only will be meeting with government leaders and leaders of industry and businessmen, but

also visiting one of the most damaged communities by tropical storm haiyan from nearly two years ago. that storm was the strongest on record to make landfall and greatly it is put down to climate change. storms have always come across the philippines, but never as strong as haiyan. it is expected that storms in the future will only get stronger if nothing is done to cut down on the carbon footprint of the global community. this is a collective responsibility not just for developed countries, but also to work together with the most vulnerable nations such as the philippines. the philippines a small carbon footprint but is receiving the brunt of the climate change crisis. the country is struggling to cope with the effects of such typhoons and basically the presidents of both nations wanting to emphasize that

climate change is real and the global community has to go into action now to basically try to avert a more pressing, or a worse disaster in the future. bolivia's vice president has visited the country where at least eight families have had their homes destroyed from flooding. food and supplies have been flown into the affected area. a volcano in mexico has spewed ash 700 meters into the sky. experts say the volcano had been active with a series of tremendousers since sunday. it is the second tallest volcano in mexico. now during more than 50 years of isolation cuba has had one major tour of diplomacy its doctors. but warming relations with the u.s. could threaten cuba's international medical

contributions. >> reporter: introducing herself is the easy part. >> you can speak with me in english? >> reporter: communicating is a bit harder. this doctor doesn't speak arabic, but works at this hospital in qatar. >> i am here in the name of cuba. i represent my country. >> reporter: one of 450 cubans to be exact, practicing medicine at the cuban hospital an hour outside of qatar's capitol city doha. qatar needed doctors. cuba needs money. doctors are the country's greatest export. the diplomacy isn't just limited to hospitals like this one, it sends personnel and supplies to international hot spots. the small nation has sent its doctors the caribbean, latin america, asia and africa. not just to earn a much-needed income, but to establish

diplomatic ties. cuba sent more doctors to fight the ebola epidemic in west africa than any other country. and to haiti. but last year the united states and cuba reached an agreement to restore diplomatic ties and that could allow for freer travel and attract cuban doctors to the u.s. with incomes that can't be matched at home. do you think more medical professionals will be swayed to go to the united states now and work? >> you have -- they needed to get some money, you can go. because now we are free to go to anywhere. >> reporter: and qatar needs this doctor and the 14 others who just landed here. >> the challenge is a huge challenge. different language, different country, different culture, different laws. >> reporter: but the hospital

east assist important executive director says acclimateing is the most difficult part for doctors. >> by the time they came, they learn the custom and culture, then they have to go back again and a new one arrives. >> reporter: so he is trying to push a three year contract to five. now three al jazeera journalists were briefly detained in paris on wednesday as they attempted to produce a report on unmanned aircraft, also known as drones. governments around the world are scrambling how to restrict use of the devices which are now available to buy just about anywhere. legislation to control their use may be at the expense of creativity in tv and film industry. >> reporter: new technology is frequently disruptive and the

proliferation of small, cheap, aircraft known as drones is no exception. this footage was shot from a drone during protestingses in june 2013. the police responded, though and shot it down. drones like these are cheap, some of them cost just a couple of hundred dollars. this is why they are so popular. pretty much anyone can buy a drone like this and fly it pretty much anywhere. and it is that lack of control that have governments worried. they have become a standard piece of kit for filmmakers and journalists. hobbyists too see their potential. airport pilots reported dozens of close encounters with drones. now the u.s. government is considering measures including a pilot's license, bans on flying at night, and near airports and requiring operators to keep the

drone in their line of sight at all times. >> you are supposed to have them within line of sight of the person who is operating them. but very very few of these drones are licensed, which leads to the prospect of 12 year old boys using these things from the top of blocks of flats. >> reporter: late last year al jazeera reported on the mysterious and illegal appearance of drones above nuclear power plants in france often at night. >> these small engines are big enough to carry small quantities of explosive materials. >> reporter: like the flights seen in paris, it was never revealed who was behind those over the nuclear plants. but governments are increasingly concerned and tightening controls controls that will

limit use for all. tarek bazley al jazeera, doha. and a quick reminder you can keep up to date with all of the news on our website, there it is on your screen. the address, of course aljazeera.com. that's aljazeera.com. >> i had an american sitting here and he said to me are you actually running a holiday camp for criminals? and my answer to him there immediately was 'so what'?