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no future about. >> he whereas a good open bright man who dedicated all his life to the task of creatings a norm current in russia. he wanted this very much. >> nemtsov was killed just two days before he was supposed to lead an opposition march in moscow. now there is anger among the opposition movement, president vladimir putin offered his condolences. and called the investigation 52 nemtsov's death. >> he was big handsome bright and talented. the very kind that they kill. we needed him very much. >> this is a new spiral in

russia's descent into a far is state. it is a political murder of one of the -- fascist state. it is a murder of a one of the brightest politicians. >> before he died nemtsov was working on a report where he believed that russia was directly involved in the rnl separatistist action in ukraine about victoria gatenby, al jazeera. >> fred, feelings seem to be getting stronger overnight and into today. the mountain of flowers at the scene of the murder has grown enormously. what can we expect from the opposition march today? >> well, i think that the authorities are bending over backwards to make sure that it will be allowed that it -- i

mean they rushed through the paperwork. it is very, very unlike this country to get something like a permit done in 24 hours. but they did. so it means that nobody wants there to be any serious trouble. so i suppose it will be a very large show of people. much larger than the rally would originally have better than. they'll march the bridge. we'll hear a lot of different opinions expressed and i think then the kremlin hopes it will all blow over and i think the opposition hopes it will gall galvanize people's minds and lead to another level of concern in the country. >> what about the lines of inquiry coming out of that? >> they have formed a committee a very high powered committee that reports directly to

president putin. it is -- i mean it gave a little report yesterday and they said they're working with a number of different theories. one of which is that he was targeted by militant islamists islamists because of his stand on the charlie hebdo killings. the other is that the poiption shot him themselves to make a martyr of him. and something to do with ukraine and one side or the other. that may have a little more traction may well be something out of ukraine. >> is it likely we'll ever find out? one can't help think about other political defendants, where there's never been any hard and fast answers. >> yes i was just enumerating them in my own mind and there

are about a dozen political killings going back 20 years. 92nd single one of which has been solved. a not a single one of which has been sofd. not the fact that putin taking charge of it suggests that they will want results. i guess we'll just have to wait an see. but those results it a not be, you know, this being russia and the terrible odor of the justice system in this country, i don't think there isfully faith that justice will be done. >> fred, thank you for that. fred weir updating us from moscow there. hamas says egypt is setting a dangerous precedent after the court there declared the group a

terrorist organization. first time an arab country hassen demed the group. north sinai who have are fighting the group. >> the palestinian people could also go against the rules as it makes israel the friend and hamas the enemy. this decision will never harm hamas and its starns as a leader but will directly contaminant the strength of egypt. i.s.i.l. fighters have kidnapped more than 250 assyrian christians. assyrian christians in syria iraq and lebanon are fighting for survival of their communities.

zeina khodr reports from beirut. >> some of these people are refugees from iraq, rest are lebron nees hosts but all are assyrian christians. they gather to speak in one voice. their message was clear. this minority community in the middle east believes its future is threatened. >> this is a conspiracy to put the indigenous people of this region the assyrians from their historical home land. >> there is a heightened sense of concern after hundreds of assyrian christian families were displaced in recent fighting in the northeastern syrian province of hasaki. some managed to escape to tell their story. >> there was a massacre. they came to our villages at

night. they burned our people in our homes. they took our women and children. why isn't the world helping us? >> there is a feeling of helplessness among the christians but there is also anger and defiance. the assyrian christian community says it is time to take up arms and it is asking the world wore weapons. >> do the christians deserve to be protected yes or no? so it's very clear, that the christians know? that the united states, we as christians we want to hold the arms with lebanese army with the syrian army with the egyptian army. >> people here fear the worst has come. christians view the displacements as yet another episode of persecution. last year, are after it was purd

captured from i.s.i.l the mass exodus was already underway since the 2003 war, it is a similar story from neighboring syria. christians say they intend to fight back and they want the international community to help them do just that. zeina khodr, al jazeera beirut. captured u.s. citizens involved in espionage in his country. ing nicholas maduro has ordered to decrease the number of americans in the country. and that they must have vees via vees vee is have visas.

>> respect between states. >> to the north of england now where marches against the kohl islamizationislammization of europe. the german based pegida patriotic europeans against the islamization of the west. right wing antiimmigration supporters have rallied in rome. earlier protesters calling for more immigration made their feelings known as claudio levanga reports. >> this is the northern league on a southern charm offensive. held a rally where they are

least popular rome. the peart has long blamed the capital and the centralized government of stealing from the industrialized rich north of italy to finance the poorer south. but its new leader says that rather than breaking up the country he wants to unite it under his leadership. >> i am sicilian, but i think northerners southerners the french should all be united against europe. >> the parties supporting 6% to 30% and it is now the most popular right wing party in italy. but he wants more, he wants to capitalize on anti-euro antisensement, essentially he wants to make the league less northern and more national.

>> to broaden its base the northern league is partnering with others and france's northern front but many in rome have not forgotten nor forgiven. part of a coalition government led by silvio is bairls bairls coin. bairlz coin. berlusconi.

>> claudio levanga rome. >> still to come on the program is israel's prime minister about to rub salt in the wound of iran and the united states? plus counting gets underway after snap elections in lesotho. will it ease the tiny country's political crisis?

>> tomorrow, the parents of captured american reporter austin tice. >> austin went missing in syria. >> campaigning for his release and maintaining hope. >> austin tice is alive. >> find him and get him home. >> a special "talk to al jazeera". tomorrow, 5:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> welcome back. the top stories on al jazeera. opposition supporters in russia preparing to march through moscow in memory of murdered

occupation leader boris nemtsov. palestinians in gaza have been protesting a ruling in egypt declaring hamas a terrorist organization. ments. captured u.s. citizens involved in espionage. nicholas maduro has ordered his country to reduce the number of u.s. officials. addressing congress by benjamin netanyahu. a growing number of congress members have decided to skip the speech kimberly halkett reports. >> every year, thousands of jewish advocates desend on

washington, to promote the u.s.-israeli relationship, one increasingly strained because joarn invitedjoarnjohn boehner invited benjamin netanyahu to speak before the joint house of congress. why it's expected netanyahu's speech will urge congress to impose tough new sanctions. more than 30 members of congress say they will boycott the speech. undermining the white house's efforts to cement an agreement

with iran, those in congress who stay issue with israeli settlement expansion in violation of international law and last summer's assault on gaza have until now remained mostly quiet. >> senate will come to order. >> but now a rare rift over supportive israeli policies are being exposed in congress and the more than 6 million juice who live in the united states. -- 6 million jews who live in the united states. >> what i'm saying is support for whoever the government is is shrinking. so i think we're at a beginning point of a transition and i think what netanyahu is going to do on tuesday is rub salt in the wound. >> another organization j street has taken owl a full page ad in a newspaper arguing that out waiting the consciousal speech

will damage u.s. israeli relations. less senior members of the obama administration will attend and traditionally it's the vice president who presides over specialing functions on capitol hill but joe biden will be conspicuously absent. kimberly halkett, al jazeera. kurdish party pkk despite last year's ceasefire there is sporadic fighting, where the pkk has been fighting for more autonomy for decades. in lesotho, an election is

called two years early. they arrived at the polling booths early collapse of a coalition government last year. >> we have been a struggling country for quite a while and hopefully whoever takes over government will amend policies that will change a life of a man down. >> 75% of the population lives in rural often remote areas of the country known as africa's mountain kingdom. they're ones who suffer the most. >> we don't have running water. we have no electricity we draw water from open wells which are contaminated. we want the next government to bring all these services here to us. >> all the opposition leaders including the incumbent prime minister are prompting to help

them. >> their standard of living can definitely raise what's happening to them to a higher level. at least i can guarantee that at the end of my five years if i get it now everybody will have three meals a day. >> the u.n. has identified lesotho as one of the least developed countries in the world. one of every nine children won't make it to their fifth birthday. almost a quarter suffers from hiv. the opposing political loyalties of the police and the military. it was that rivalry that was behind the attempted coup last year fears of violence and independent observers say the polls ran better than expected. >> their security concerns that were there at the beginning have not -- have all been taken care

of. we hope that all the political parties and candidates will accept the outcome of the elections as they have promised. and we then i think this country has to go through the post-election processing so we hope they are managed properly and efficiently. >> the these voters say they want a government that can finally get past its political and provide the country with the stability that has been missing for so long. erica woods, al jazeera lesotho. more than 21,000 people have been forced to leave their homes after heavy rain for two weeks. residents say it's the worst flooding they've seen in 25 years. security situation continues to deteriorate in libya many foreign workers are leaving.

140 senegalese migrants have just been sent back. nick you lastnicholas hawk reports. >> violence and racism. >> translator: they would cover their nose when they talk to us, give us just a cup of water a day and whip us with chains. we were animals to them. >> he traveled to libya with a $1,000 family loan in his pocket. he hoped to reach europe but he ran out of money. it took two years working as a laborer in tripoli. to get the money back. an estimated 800 subsaharan africans are being held.

>> we'll do what we can facing a dangerous situation. >> senegal teamed up with the international organization for migration to resecure their pate ration. it means returning to life they once tried to leave behind. it's the middle of the night. some are reluctant to face their loved ones. ashamed of returning empty handed. but he decides to go home. his friends jump into taxis and follow him. this ordeal has brought the migrants together and he thinks it will be easier to meet his family in the company of his friends. he hasn't been back home for two years and they don't know he's coming. it's me shouts, i'm back.

after the greetings comes the explanation. he hopes his father will not be disappointed. so many others have made the trip to europe successfully. >> no father wants to send his children in harm's way. that's why so many of our neighborhood will continue to travel to where there are more opportunities or a better life. >> their journey has changed them. violence has left them scared. yet some attempt to make the journey to europe again. nicholas hawk, al jazeera senegal. the greek finance minister says some of its payments to the international monetary fund in march. >> let me be clear. there will be no amnesty. there will be a series of measures that encourage

repayment or partial repayment without an amnesty certainly no haircut to the capital out to the greek state. we shall inform our partners of what we're doing but at the same time i need to state that for obvious reasons for reasons that everyone can see time is of the essence. we need to increase our tax take very quickly. at the same time, creating a great sense of relief among 3.5 million greeks who are in arrears. >> now the latest about our series of the falling price of cot top. prices in the united states have fallen dramatically partly because of stock piles in china. andy gallagher reports from the

texas community. >> it is a crop that occupies those who live here all year round. cotton has been planted in this region since the 18th century. >> this is when my grandparents came out here in 1904. they came out in a covered wagon. >> the price of a bale of cotton is the lowest it's been for years, demand is down and uncertainty about the future has bruce questioning his family legacy. >> i don't know that all of my grandchildren even want to be on the farm because of the uncertainty. i don't know if i will be able to stay. and that's going to be a hard pill to swallow that i'm the last one that was on the land. >> after generations they will no longer farm this land for cotton and if that pattern repeats itself across this

entire regional, the ongoing affectseffects will be disastrous. he says many of his members are now thinking hard about the future. >> a lot of guys are making decisions about what they're going to do. like i said a while ago it's going to be pretty tough and they're trying to figure out what's going to be best option for them financially and get the economics right and then everything has to fall into place. >> demand from the biggest buyer is at a 12 year low. experts predict the prices will stay down for at least the rest of the year. this part of texas known ascot on country remains vulnerable. >> this economy in the lubbock area and texas as a whole depends greatly on agriculture and greatly on cotton. if it hangs on for over a year it will have a significant

effect. >> if prices stay low he might not bl able to work be able to work this land much longer. andy gallagher, al jazeera. >> you can keep up on the day's news at aljazeera.com. a show about innovations that can change lives. >> the science of fighting a humanity and we are doing it in a unique way. this is a show about science by scientists. . >> tonight "techknow" vets the virus hunters. >> we want to understand the evolution of these pathogens. >> this team deals with the