humanity... only on al jazeera america >> welcome you to the news hour. coming up in the next 60 minutes, thousands turn out in moscow for boris nemtsov's funeral, but some european politicians don't attend. >> iraq's army said it is making gains against isil in sadaam hussein's hometown. >> my speech is not intended to show any disrespect for president obama. >> netanyahu said his differences with the white house

are mitt well can be not personal as he prepares to and the u.s. congress. >> nowhere to go, thousands left homeless as fire ravaging were you ever manila's poorest districts. >> thoses unmoscow queue said up to pay respect to boris nemtsov who was shod dead near the kremlin friday. the polish and latvian official who wanted to attend were denied entrance from russia. >> long queues as people pay respect to boris nemtsov. several u.n. politicians have been barred from the funeral. >> he is a reformer. that is how he will go in history. over the years when boris could

not tolerate what was happening in russia and watch out the russian constitution be stomped out and rights taken from the people, him and i were fighting against it. >> the russian government is called upon to investigate his killing. >> he stood for liberty. the things he stood against were very important aggression, repression and corruption, and if anyone believes that his voice would be silenced by his murder then i believe they have made a very serious error. >> nemtsov is to be buried later tuesday on the outskirts of moscow. those close to vladimir putin deny involvement in killing him. he was shot in the back four times on friday, within sight of the kremlin walls. nemtsov's a former deputy prime minister and the most prominent opposition figure to be murdered in russia during poo tin's 15 year rule.

>> amnesty international's deputy prom director for powerplay to and central asia doubts those responsible for nemtsov's murder will be brought to justice. >> there is a string -- there is really already a long list of people who were killed in similar circumstances human rights defenders journalists politicians and in many of these, senior russian politicians declared they would take personal control over the progress of the investigation. in not were you ever those cases, maybe with the exception of one journalist have we seen progress and in her case, people who implemented the killing were put in jail, but we don't know who ordered it. mr. putin announced that he will personally control the progress of this investigation. now, if that's genuine, then the killers have little chance of escaping, but we shall see whether they do. >> we're taking you now litsch to moscow. this is the cemetery where nemtsov's body will be laid to

rest later in the day. nemtsov, a critic of president vladimir putin, was killed on a bridge near the kremlin wall on friday. as of now no arrests have been made. >> moving on, in a combined force including the iraqi army, shia militia and kurdish peshmerga say they are making gangs against isil in tikrit. they've taken control of high ground to the southeast that overlooks the city. the u.s. is not providing air support, but one of iran's most senior military commanders is helping to supervise the attack. the operation is billed as a dry run for an assault on mosul iraq's second largest city under isil control. we have a report. >> the attack started with shelling. these mortars were aimed at paving the way for soldiers and fighters to advance towards tikrit. in central iraq, the iraqi

military have pushed back isil from small cities and towns but sadaam hussein's home tone, an isil stronghold has significance. >> this is prepared for the isil rats. we will cross them near tikrit. it is the site of the single biggest massacre by isil since it seeds territory last june. gunman killed 1,000 unarmed military recruits at the camp. militia members blame sunni tribes for supporting isil. prime minister abaddi has tried to assure the people that they won't be attacked by the militias but said if they are not supporting the fight, they are supporting isil. >> there shouldn't be anyone standing on the other side. in this battle, we should all be united. anyone who claims to be taking a neutral side will mean they are

standing with the other side, those killing our people, those killing the husbands of our women, turning them into widows or orphaning our children. >> in this fight and in previous ones, iran is playing a leading role. the iraqi militias it is equipping and advising are considered more effective than most iraqi army units. sources on the ground say the commander is helping coordinate operations from the front lines. in the air it's only iraqi aircraft, according to the military. the united states is helping in other ways, but not backing this major offensive with u.s. airstrikes. about 2,000 sunni tribal fighters ever joined the battle. as iraqi forces fight for tikrit, a major question is how many more sunnis will join them. >> some military leaders see the battle as a launching point to move further north to take back isil. as the battle moves into sunni provinces, there is deeper

iranian involvement and some fear the potential to become bogged down in more sectarian conflict. al jazeera baghdad. >> let's look at this military operation with a journalist in tehran. explain to us what is iran's interest in helping iraq against the isil fighters? how does iran benefit? >> it's not just iran that is going to benefit from the operation, it is also the rest of the regional countries. iran is proud to stand beside the iraq forces to flush out the terrorist group isil from that country. iran is going to push them out because what iran is basically trying to do is to build a safe border between rack and syria then to provide better support for the syrian government forces

to defeat isil also over there. so, the stakion are high. we have tens of thousands of iranian pilgrims visiting the holy site every month in iraq, so iran has to provide some sort of security when they go there but let's not forget that this is also about america and its coalition forces. i think there is some kind of coordination between them, but they are not asking for help, because the iranian military advisors refuse to share intelligence with their pentagon officials. that's why america has been put aside in this particular operation. >> i just want to go back here to the iran-iraq tie here. now with he know iraq is struggling with sectarian strife. some could view iran's actions in iraq could worsen the sectarian divide further between shiite and sunnis. >> that's a very good point but

i would like to thank you for being so honest approximate your report before this conversation. you said that sunni and shia volunteer forces are helping the iraqi army. this is not a fight between sunni and shia, this is a fight between the good and evil evil, that's why iran is helping the forces that's why the sunnis have joined the iraqi forces. this is not just about tikrit, it's about the liberation of the sunni dominated city of mosul. they are not there just to protect the shia community but the sunni communities. that's why everybody has come together and joined hands. this is just the beginning because the liberation of iraq is going to pave the way for the liberation of syria. >> can you guarantee that iranian forces or iranian soldiers who are helping out to protect as you say shia, the

community there, can you guarantee that those forces will not turn against the sunni forces and the sunni population in iraq? >> well, iraq -- yes yes that's another important point. the iraqi government learned their lessons last time when they had the malachi government in office. they are not going to make the same mistake. iran is only there to provide support to shia and sunni communities and there is definitely a guarantee on the part of the iranian government that these forces will not turn against each other. at the end of the day they don't have anything to lose. they learned their lessons these communities from the brutal military dictatorship of isil and don't want any part of it anymore. they are now more than happy to see the iranian and the iraqi forces and military advisors liberating their cities, but this is an honest, honest cooperation and there is no doubt whatsoever that there will

be any dire consequences when these cities are liberated. >> thank you so much for your insight from tehran. >> israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu has said that his speech to the u.s. congress, which he will deliver in the coming hours is not intended as a show of disrespect to barack obama. there are policy differences between israel and the white house. netanyahu is using his trip to argue against nuclear deal with iran. we have this report from west jerusalem. >> the last time israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu addressed a joint meeting of the united states congress, he was warmly welcomed by lawmakers. >> israel has no better friend than america and america has no better friend than israel. >> that friendship is being

testified. officials at the white house are angry netanyahu accepted an invitation from opposition republican leaders to make the speech without first notifying them as is the norm, and so close to israel's march 17 general election. political analysts say the address aimed at warning against a potential deal with iran over its nuclear program is less for lawmakers and more for israeli voters. >> according to some, the main issue on israeli's minds at the moment is the socioeconomic issues and netanyahu is seen by some to be weak on those issues, so any opportunity to turn the agenda towards security issues, defense issues could potentially play in netanyahu's favor. >> whatever the case, opinion across israel is also divided over the speech, while many support his address to the u.s. congress, others fear it could cause a lasting rift with

washington. >> i think it's a terrible mistake. i think it's already done tremendous damage, unprecedented damage. you have members of congress signing a petition against israel. >> in my opinion the security of israel is paramount and i believe that it's important for the country to be led by a government that stands up for security for now and in the future. >> netanyahu's relationship with the white house has been difficult. the president has refused to meet him during his visit and dozens of lawmakers from the democratic party will not attend his address including vice president joe biden. >> the dispute between the obama administration and prime minister netanyahu is in press dented, but most political analysts agree he that it's unlikely to affect the long term relationship between the two countries. israel and the united states have deep ties, and many say that it will take much more than

a questionably-timed speech to undo them. >> let's go to our correspondent waiting for us in washington d.c. kimberly, we know that netanyahu is about a address the congress on the iranian nuclear deal anytime soon. how do you think he will be received? >> i can tell that you speech is going to take place in just under three hours' time. the question is how will it be received. people are really divided over this. they are not only divided in the jewish community in the united states, the american public, but also members of congress, as you pointed out. last count, we were up to now possibly 56 members of congress that may not attended the speech. that is really astonishing when you compare the speech to just a few years ago with a packed full house and multiple standing ovations. we'll have to compare and contrast and see what happens this time. most are really upset about any sort of effort by the israel

prime minister to undermine white house efforts to negotiate a nuclear deal, a framework deal with iran by the end of the month. there is concern that this is really usurping the president's efforts there and secretary of state kerry's efforts there. there's a real resentment by many here in the u.s. congress and in the united states about any attempt by a foreign leader to dictate american foreign policy especially when it comes to iran. >> while knelt net addresses congress, we know the u.s. secretary of state john kerry is speaking with iran's foreign minister, two very different agendas here. >> really competing agendas here and that's really the issue. we know that benjamin netanyahu is expected to make the cake that any deal that is worked out with iran will be a threat to israel's security, but the obama administration has the exact opposite view, it feels that this is what israel needs to be more secure, so there are these

competing policy differences. we know president obama has made his points very clear and interviews on monday night in washington, where he said that he feels that in order for this to succeed, there needs to be a deal that extends to 10-15 years would limit the number of centrifuges as well as result in very strict inspections of iran's nuclear program. this is what will deliver the security that israel is looking for. i can tell you, there are many here on capitol hill, especially republican members who differ, saying the only thing that can be done is more district sanctions. i can tell you that this is an argument that will be made by benjamin netanyahu. we are told he will reveal details of this agreement that are not yet known by members of congress. that is something the white house disputes. there are competing policy differences here. we'll just have to see how well benjamin netanyahu's arguments are received. >> thank you.

kimberly speaking to us from washington d.c. >> still ahead on the al jazeera news hour. >> i'm nicole johnston in the panjshir valley in afghanistan where helicopters are finally start to go reach villagers cut off from avalanches. >> what hope for peace in yemen when the competing factions can't even agree he on a location for talks. >> in south africa, smashing the sixes, but can they beat ireland in the world cup? >> a suicide car bomb attack in afghanistan has killed 14 people. a jointly army and police patrol were targeted. ten security personnel and four civilians were killed. >> more than 200 people have died in northeastern afghanistan in what's called the worst series of avalanche to say hit

the country in 30 years. the military has started flying supplies to stranded villagers but other areas are still cut off. nicole johnson reports now from one of the worst his areas panjshir province. >> high above the panjshir valley the scale of the disaster unfolds. village after village, covered in up to three meters of snow, and it's still falling. communities are cut off from each other roads disappeared. everything is white except for the houses, the ones that haven't been lost. the village survived. thirty people who lived in it did not. they were buried beyond the trees in two mass graves. we are shown around, and he points to the houses where people died. >> the avalanche hit at midnight

when everyone was sleeping. i was so scared. i heard a great noise later i felt sad. it hit my friend's house and he died with his family. >> this little boy is alone. mother and four sisters died when their bedroom crumbled under the weight of the snow. >> in many ways, this village is one of the lucky ones. helicopters are ail to land here and the main road has almost reached it. there are still dozens of remote villages far off in the mountains that the government simply can't get to. >> the weather has closed in in this district, helicopters can't reach it. >> the most important issue for us is the areas we haven't reached by road. we are trying to help by air but the aid we are dropping is not enough for everyone. >> the government is giving cash payments of up to $1,800 to the relatives of anyone who died in the snow storms. the oldest man in the village

said he has seen avalanches before but never anything like this. recovery will take a long time. many people are still in shock. >> from midnight to 5:00 a.m. we worked hard to take the dead bodies out of dust and snow. people were so frightened, you'd think it was doomsday. there was no hope for life. we didn't think we would ever stick together again. >> here the snow has been cleared away to make room for two freshly-dug graves. cousins, young boys, they died when the roof collapsed. the panjshir valley's bracing for many more if you know release before the snow melts. nicole johnston, al jazeera panjshir. >> egypt's administrative court issued a ruling that effectively halts the parliamentary election process, following a decision by the supreme constitutional court that found an election law

defining voting districts as unconstitutional. the first phase of parliamentary elections were due to start march 22. >> recordings suggest egypt's military sought to use one of the countries construction project to say gain a political advantage is elections. recordings were made when al sisi was defense minister under morsi. sisi is heard saying he will collect a fee for electricity although it is not clear if he is talking about himself personally or the army. >> in libya the u.n. recognized government launched airstrikes against a military airport in tripoli. according to security officials the attack was aimed at militia who took over the capitol and set up their own government. there have been strikes against an oil port in the north of the country by the rival administration. >> in yemen negotiations have

begun to help to find a resolution to violence in the country. so far, the different sides have been unable to agree even on a venue for negotiations. we are live in the port city of aden. president hadi is calling for the talks to be moved from the capitol sanna. where to, and why? >> he asked for the talks to be moved to the saudi capitol riyadh, and according to him. riyadh is the seat of the gulf cooperation headquarters. the council has been supervising the transition in yemen the gulf initiative, the roadmap has helped yemen to some extent move away from the time before the coup against -- before the -- i'm sorry the downfall of the

former president the uprising that led to that. that roadmap is still in place. most of the parties to the talks believe this roadmap should be kept and even the united nations and the u.s. ever expressed support for this roadmap. president hadi thinks that saudi arabia can give the necessary regional and international guarantees for the talks to be successful once they are moved to saudi arabia, but we understand the houthis are not likely to accept this demand, because they don't have much trust in saudi arabia, accuse saudi arabia of interference in yemen, they accuse it of supplying the tribes with weapons. the talks resumed last night a big success for the u.n. envoy here to yemen but they are still stuck with this point because if they can't settle it, they can't move on with the talks. the u.n. has tasked the envoy

himself with finding a resolution to this and choosing a place, but he has not himself talked about that. we're still waiting for reaction from the houthis in this respect. >> we'll come back to you when there is some development. speaking to us from the port city of aden. >> let's change tack now and take a check on the weather with everton. >> southern africa, very much a case of fire and floods i'm afraid. there have been fires burning around cape town since sunday. hopefully things will improve over the next couple of days. it is flooding in madagascar and mozambique. see this massive cloud around the northern part of mozambique, the latest circulation is now swirling away. we see very heavy rain coming in here. another 52 millimeters of rain here in the mozambique channel. we have had flooding since around october of last year, so

really heavy downpours coming and this persistent band of cloud of rain has been in place for quite some time now. clearer skies there as you can see across south africa itself, and well yesterday, we were looking at temperatures just to the east of cape town, getting close to 40 degrees. those temperatures have now eased. we've lost the hot winds coming in from the interior, winds coming from a we really direction, things slowly starting to improve but we really do ever critical situation going on here at the moment, cape town is 21 degrees celsius, we are looking at the valleys through the next days. further flooding here over the next couple of days. >> thank you. >> that's move on. police have blocked student protestors from marching to the city's biggest city. they want the government to scrap a newly passed education

law they say curbs academic freedom. police warn they'll take action to restore law and order if protestors continue their rally in myanmar. >> a blaze swept through a poor community in downtown manila on monday. we have the latest. >> he tries to put on a brave face. everything that his family has built for decades has been reduced to this, lost in a fire that destroyed the homes of over 2,000 other families in downtown manila. >> i can't expression my grief when i look around me. i can't even explain what happened. there's nothing to say. we accept that this is a tragedy. we ever to start over, find a job, work again and rebuild everything. >> she lost her home.

she does not know how long she will live in this temporary shelter along with nine members of her family. >> we will be grateful for anything we can get not just for my family, but for all of us here. we hope that those who can will help us. >> according to the local government, at least 80 homes are destroyed here every day due to fire. majority of these are in areas like this one in shouldn'tty towns where electrical wires are faulty. >> the lack of housing for poor urban communities has long been a problem. one in four of manila's 16 residents lives below the poverty line. most have left their provinces in hopes of a better life in the city and that has left ma nil in a extremely congested. >> you ever to put these families to a different place

where they could build residential houses. they could have work through programs in that area. >> it is one of the most impoverished communities here. most scavenge, living on less than $3 a day. people here ever always thought life couldn't possibly get worse. they say they just have to start all over again. al jazeera manila. >> much more to come on the program, including don't forget us the plea from west african nations where the economy is crippled by the ebola outbreak. >> we speak to kenyan farmers about their fears for their future. >> later in sport a blow ahead of the formula one season opener.

>> considered person say they are making gains against isil, taking control of grounds to the east.

>> talks in switzerland while netanyahu is set to address the u.s. congress in the comes hours detailing his case against any nuclear deal with iran. >> this is the scene now at the cemetery in moscow where boris nemtsov is being laid to rest. let's cross now to our correspondent rory challands. we know nemtsov commands respect from both sides of the divide. how is he being remembered today? >> he's being remembered by many, many hundreds of people who came down to the center earlier on in the day where a memorial service was being held for the slain opposition leader. they brought flowers and they brought candles they queued and queued and queued.

the line went out of the believe, looped around the building and up the streets to the nearest metro station a kilometer away. the people that we spoke to there said that he was a good man, spoke the truth and that's how they want to remember him. after that service finished and finished before many people had a chance to lay their flowers so when the car taking his coffin left, they resort the to flowing the flowers at the car when it drove off. the car was brought here to the cemetery. i've been on the hill behind me, watching the funeral take place. a liturgy service held and then his coffin laid into the ground. >> there have been high profile

physician who weren't allowed to attend the funeral. who were they and why? >> >> there was a polish, the leader of the polish senate was not allowed here. the reason given for turning this person away at the airport was that they are on the sanctions list russia has drawn up essentially as a tit for tat to western sanctions against russia russia's come up with sanctions against the west over the crisis in ukraine. also various opposition figures have not been allowed. alexei no oh valney, currently serving a 15 day prison sentence for handing out leaflets for a protest rally. he applied to be allowed out of prison to come here to pay his last respects and he was turned down, as well. >> rory, thank you speaking to

us from moscow. this is the scene at the cemetery in moscow, where mourners in russia are gathering to honor the murdered opposition leader boris nemtsov. we are also expecting to hear from russian president vladimir putin in the next 15 minutes or so. we will bring you the latest on that address once we get it. >> the ukrainian military says three soldiers have been killed and nine wounded in the east of the country in the past 24 hours. it follows calls from the u.s. secretary of state for both sides to fully implement the minsk peace deal. from rely-held donetsk john hendrno reports. >> the silence is broken daily by small arms fire and mortars.

that's ours, he says. the ceasefire is holding in principle, but there is regular small arms fire, so complete ceasefire can't exist. before you arrived here, several small shells landed on our side before we fired back. there were grenade launchers firing at us. >> as volleys continually vital the ceasefire, a report from the united nation found 6,000 people have died so far. separatists say ukrainian forces are violating the ceasefire. >> the cease area from our side, we are upholding it. the fire yesterday was because the ukrainian side again vitals the minutes ask agreement and started to open fire. >> a year in, the death toll continues to rise in ukraine and a landscape is transformed by wart. each passing day the front line continues to shift. >> in weekend fighting, three

were killed. few here at the ukrainian front line expect the ceasefire to hold. >> we are strengthening in preparation for the next offensive. we are preparing to deflect their attack. >> if that happens with separatist troops appearing to want to expand on the gains they've already made, the front line could shift again. al jazeera donetsk eastern ukraine. >> pakistani police arrested hundred was parents accused of refusing to vaccinate their children against polio. 500 people have been jailed in the northwest of the country on charges of he be dangering public security. widespread arrest for vaccine refuse also are rare in pakistan, but local officials say it shows how determined the government is to eradicate the disease. health workers have been the target of taliban attacks in the past. >> india's foreign secretary is in islamabad for two days of talks with his pakistani counterpart, the first meeting as i understand india called or

talks last year aimed at easing tensions between the nuclear rivals. we will hear from new delhi but first to islamabad. >> the indian foreign secretary's trip is given importance because relations between the countries have dipped to an all time low. promoting connectivity, pakistan is going to ask india to talk about the contentious issues, such as the water distribution. although nobody expected any substantive talks on these key obstacles between the two, there was expectation that they would perhaps promote the resumption of dialogue between new delhi and islamabad. pakistan that shown its concern

at a time when it said it is operating on its western border against the taliban pakistan does not want to see an escalation on the countries frontier with india. it is seen as a ray of hope for resume that go dialogue. too many problems remain between the two countries and for more, we go to our correspondent in new delhi. >> relations between india and pakistan appeared to be warming last year after the foreign minister was elected and invited pakistan's prime minister here to new delhi for the swearing in. it was seen as a bold step and a possible break through in relations. it was short-lived. india canceled four secretary level talks scheduled for september last year after india accused pakistan of violating a line of control in kashmir and after the pakistani ambassador met with separatist leaders here in new delhi.

neither side was interested in rehe assuming talks until now which was encouraged by president barack obama during his recent visit to india. while many hope today's talks will lead to more dialogue between the countries many are cautious about the outcome of today's meeting. >> african leaders and european officials are meeting in brussels to discuss the ebola crisis. it's more than a area since the outbreak started in west africa. its spread i go slowing but far more needs to be done to wipe it out. >> leaders and delegates around the world face one of the their biggest challenges ever. since december, 2013, there have been almost 24,000 cases of ebola and more than 9.5000 people have died. cases are leveling off in west africa with no new cases in nigeria since september of last year and no new cases in liberia

in the last week. there are still no proven treatments or vaccines. thee experimental vaccines are being tested. it's not clear how effective they'll be or the doses needed. the world health organization says it will decide in august whether to roll out a large vaccine program. until then, the focus is on raising awareness. new cases especially in guinea are blamed on burials without proper care. the fear is the rainy season in april and may will make it difficult for health teams to travel to the worst-affected areas. >> let's go to our correspondent jacki roland live in brussels. there have been several conferences on battling the virus before. what's the focus of this one? >> this conference is very much looking forward not just to question the remaining

challenges facing health workers in trying to eradicate the disease, but also looking forward further down the line to the way in which the disease the virus the epidemic has a devastating impact on the countries, the health care systems, really, everything. to talk in more detail now about the challenges still lying ahead, i'm joined by the international president of the conference that thank you for taking timeout from the session to talk to us. this goal of actually reaching zero infection how close are we? >> i think we are much closer than we were in spring, in august. what is important to know now is that there is a huge decline in terms of cases and we should not give up oh until it's over, so we are not doing a marathon.

we are doing an iron man right now. >> one thing we heard is the importance of local leadership and importance of really taking advantage of the huge respect and authority local community leaders enjoy here. how can we strengthen that local leadership in the fight against ebola? >> i think that to strengthen it is to support as much as we can the home countries to take responsibility and give them means to be able to deploy and in form the population. right now we still have a lot of distrust in the community and the only way to strengthen trust into their response is to have the leaders of their home country being able to take the leadership in their response. >> talking now about what we've been hearing about progress made in research into drugs to treat ebola, what is the way ahead in your view, particularly as a professional, as a doctor, what should the direction be going now in terms of research and

development into cures and treatments for ebola. >> well, right now the research and development has been fast tracked to a certain extent, but we are facing major roadblocks in terms of practical i would research. we don't have the -- and how can we make sure that in terms of the little evidence we have best news for treating patients right now. whatever we found out in terms of evidence, the country's leadership are in on the studies and what we learn from it. >> thank you so much. >> looking at the challenges ahead and the best way in which to involve and empower the countries in the region who have been most affected by the epidemic. back to you.

>> thank you. >> firefighters in south africa battling to put out wildfires in cape town. strong winds and hot temperatures are challenging efforts to contain the blaze. helicopters are being used to douse the flames. the fires are causing widespread damage to thousands of hectares of land. >> kenyan cat farmers are struggling after the leaf is banned. the plant is a stimulant when chewed. farmers say they are now forced to sell it below market price and can only export to somalia. we report now from central kenya. >> growing khat is what families have done for generations.

farmers complain somali middle men manipulate the market, forcing them to sell their plants cheap. >> people maximize from profit, so want to maximize their profit and we have no other market, so they sit down and lower the price. >> farmers used to get $600 a bag. now prices can go down just $200 a bag. several european countries stopped importing the plant because of social and health reasons. doctors say it can lead to insomnia, high blood pressure and heart problems. the european market was the most lucrative. farmers in kenya need somalia their only market. >> it's a mild narcotic. people chew the leaf for hours. they say it helps keep them awake, always puts them in a good mood and helps suppress their appetite. >> 16 planes leave for somalia

carrying ruffle 60 tons of khat each. it's a multi-million dollars tried, but it is cartels benefiting. >> they want to continue benefiting from this industry, they must take into account the means and requirement of the farmer who toils in the farm to pros it for them. unfortunately, they are very short-sighted, see only the profits they can make. >> recently, farmers stopped selling khat to somalia but got desperate, couldn't pay school fees and rent so resumed. it is a constant battle. >> the problem will persist if the farmers increase the price. we will insist on paying less, so we can survive. >> it's nighttime and they will head to the capitol to planes bound for mogadishu. diversifying into other crops

could be a solution, but changing a way of life is difficult for some. >> still ahead on al jazeera china faces criticism that it's crack down on the illegal ivory trade isn't tough enough. >> in sport we hear from afghanistan's cricketers preparing to take on australia at the cricket world cup.

>> tuesday marks word wide

wildlife day. a sophisticated network of crime with demand from china has smug would ivory driving the killing of elephants in africa. the wholesale price in china has tripled in four years. the number of licensed shops has quadrupled in the last 10 years. last year, ivory poachers were killing elephants faster than they were being born. our correspondent adrien brown has more from beijing. >> their tusks sawed off these rescued elephants now perform for tourists. it's billed as a cultural show and takes place four times a day. britain's prince william is expected to be a spectator on wednesday. china's government insists, this is more than a tourist attraction. they said it's slowly rebuilding the local elephant population

and strengthening laws. convicted poachers now face the death penalty. environmentalists are cautiously optimistic that china is getting the message. >> it's important for china to have concerted efforts to change consumer behavior in order to reduce the demand for illegal wildlife product. we've seen that they have taken some steps to doing that. >> one step was announced days before prince william began his visit. when the government imposed a ban on imported ivory products for a year. >> together, we can save our wild rhinos. >> it is an abiding passion for the prince, who's recruited some of the biggest names in sport for his campaign. such advertisements are now common on chinese t.v. hong kong, an important hub for the trade is playing a role, too. this recent hall was one of the

world's large evident destined for the mainland. >> while china is the largest importer of smuggled imported ivory, the government said it is doing what it can to eliminate the trade. this is a stockpile the country acquired and sales are still legal from it. >> conservationists want to ban that illegal trade saying it would help to end the illegal one. for now that remains a step too far for china. al jazeera beijing. >> time for sport now. >> two time formula one champion alonzo will miss the opening race in australia. he suffered concussion when he crashed into a wall during testing in spain last week. his team said he won't compete to avoid the chance of having another concussion. kevin magnusson will take his

place. >> south africa world cup campaign firmly on track following their group b. match against ireland on tuesday. they were in top form, with a total of 411 setting ireland up for a difficult chase. sarah reports. >> high on confidence after winning their prefers matches south africa and ireland were both looking to move further up the table. south africa's start wasn't ideal. that would be ireland's only joy for a while as he sparked a ton, then his highest one day score of 159. notching a century. a south africa batsman puts him in a commander position, setting

411 for four. after some resistance from their middle and lower order the irish were dismissed for 210 a 201-run win for south africa. they next play pakistan. al jazeera. >> competition host australia are preparing to face having a in their game wednesday. afghanistan are brimming with confidence after their win last week although they know it will be a tough test. australia come into the match having lost to cohost new zealand. they sit fourth in the pool, but could

finish second. >> if you're confident you back your own ability, you walk out and have the freedom to enjoy the brand of cricket you play. i think that's what will continue to do. >> australia's the best team, the best side for me in competition, because their own conditions, they are hosting the world cup. they are a good team. they have good fastballer. we are good bowlers our bowlers will enjoy bowling on this wicket. we will try to do our best in that match. >> the asian championship league continues on tuesday and wednesday. scoring twice in seven minutes in the second half.

the half valley into the back of the net from a corner was worthy of its replay. also had a man sent off for deliberate hand ball, securing a 4-1 win with their final goal in stoppage time. >> classical violinist vanessa may will attempt to overturn her four year skiing ban on tuesday. she skiid for thailand at the sochi olympics last year and was punished for manipulating her qualifying results. she finished 67th in the giant slalom at the games. the skier denied she did anything wrong. >> former australian rugby league star ambitions are on track. the 27-year-old signed a contract with the san francisco 49ers. has in has been put on a rookie contract with five months to prove he that what it takes to play in the league. the deal is worth $100,000 and gives him a spot on their 90 man

roster, with the chance to move into the regular ranks when the season starts. >> it was all about the los angeles clippers chris paul when they visited the minnesota timberwolves. the former rookie of the year scored 26 points for the california side. the clippers took a 17-12 lead. the timberwolves had a chance to tie the score and miss add three-point attempt with 10 seconds to go. los angeles won 110-105. that's their third straight victory. >> in gulf, three time major has recorded his first with in in the united states or europe in seven years. the irish man won in a playoff monday to win the rain delayed honda classic in florida. he was tied with the u.s. rookie at six under par but clinched the playoff on the second extra hole.

119 tournaments have passed since his last victory at the 2008 u.s. p.g.a. championship. >> getting attention, i can headlight the shots. the problem has been when i'm starting middle of the row shots, easy shots i'm just not hitting them. when i have tough shots, i can hit them. i wasn't afraid once i got myself like the last nine holes, i was a different person. >> africas victory makes the front page of our sport website. check out aljazeera.com/sport. we've got blogs and videos from our correspondent's around the world. aljazeera.com/sport. that's all the sport for now. >> stay with us here on al jazeera. we've got another full bulletin of news right at the top of the hour.

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>> tonight. did the police fail misty upham? >> if somebody did something to my girl, i need to know that. >> was is a case of discrimination? >> we had no help from the police. >> a family pleads for answers. "stolen sisters", an "america

tonight" special report. tonight, 10:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> thousands turn out in moscow for boris nemtsov's funeral. some european politicians are barred from attending. you're watching al jazeera. also on the program: >> iraq's army says its making gains from isil in the battle for sadaam hussein's hometown. >> my speech is not intended to show any disrespect to president obama. >> netanyahu says his differences with the white house are political and not personal, as he prepares to address the u.s. congress.