>> hello there welcome to the al jazeera news hour. coming up over the next 60 minutes, regional neighbors join nigeria's battle against boko haram and help recapture the town of damasak. a temporary cease-fire in aleppo now even residents of the besieged syrian city voice offense to the u.n. plan. >> first they wanted to freeze the fighting in aleppo province, then it became just the city and

now it's just the district. we reject them as a leader and the initiative. >> plus cracking down on tax dodgers, greece gets tough on the demands of the the under the demands of international creditors. >> reports of covering up lance armstrong drug tests. >> soldiers from niger and chad have joined the fight against boko haram. they've held to recapture the town of damasak. niger and chad's military vehicles into burn know state on saturday. this is the latest offensive by neighboring countries inside nigeria. on saturday the african union

agreed to a force of 8,000 troops with contingents from cameroon and benin. >> for nigeria's neighbors the fight against boko haram has taken a new urgency operation from chad and niger in the group is underway. the objective is to push the fighters into a corner against the expected final onslaught. so far more than 30 towns and villages have been liberated from the fighters. five years of violence has kept affected africa's biggest economy. and there is also a fear that if the group left unchecked will become a bigger threat in the entire region. they have tried to crush boko haram in the last five years now say they're in position to do

so. >> there is a real change. we've taken the liberty of the game changer. we've been taking the liberty of new equipment, one of which you see right behind me there and this was a defensive operation. >> the military in february asked for six weeks to clear boko haram to pave way for elections. but it has forced the group to go to the old tactic of suicide-bombing. over the weekend attacks in maiduguri blamed on the group killed more than 50 and injured more than 100. on friday the african union

created a regional force of 8,000 troops to combat the group. this is to to expand the effort against boko haram. >> live for us in abuja ahmed what is the latest you're hearing about this offensive in the north? >> well basically the town of damasak has been recaptured by forces from niger and chad. they crossed over into nigerian territory. now according to witnesses in that particular part of the country, the fighting was fierce. more than 200 boko haram fighters have been killed. a few nigerian and chadian soldiers have been killed. the wound have had been taken to

ed have been taken to the hospital. we also heard that the troops from niger and chad actually are trying to advance further to see what more they can do if that region. >> yes, it's going to be a tough fight, ahmed. what are people saying about boko haram's pledge of allegiance to isil. is there a fear that that, in practical terms, get boko haram more resources and fighters on the ground? >> yes this is a real fear here. if isil buys into boko haram's offer, it's pledge of allegiance, and then offers boko haram to fight in the north of nigeria, then the situation could get messier than it is already. a lot of fighters have been recruited by boko haram across the border.

in the north of nigeria boko haram has been recruiting for a very long time, and they could have mercenary fighters on the side of boko haram. things are bound to get messier and it's important for troops in this region for troops from cameroon nigeria and chad and niger to quickly do what they're going to be able to do before the situation gets out of hand. >> they've got an election in a couple of weeks' time. how is this offensive likely to impact the standing on the government? is this a boost for them? >> it could be both ways because they will try to control boko haram before the election. that's why they've asked for help to clear boko haram so elections could be held in all

parts of nigeria. but some have asked why has it taken so long, five years before they were able to bring boko haram to its knees. there is now a regional outrage. people are asking why this has been allowed to happen. it's a big plus for the nigerian president if the war is won before the election, but it has raised a lot of questions about why this has been allowed to continue in nigeria. >> ahmed updating us from abuja there. now residents in syria's rebel-held districts of aleppo have protested against an u.n. temporary plan of a cease-fire. both sides have failed to agree on exactly what the deal would involved. we have reports from lebanon.

>> this is what the united nations was hoping to stop but it failed to stop a conflict in syria's second largest city. barrel bombs have killed hundreds of people in recent months, and they continue to fall in rebel-controlled aleppo city. >> more than 1 million used to live in the rebel areas. now there is 300,000. there was a mass exodus because there was a time when doses of people were dying every day. >> the syrian government told u.n. special envoy that it would stop air and military bombardment on the city if. the opposition rejected that deal. it has been difficult to process. from the start the warring sides disagreed on the scope of the u.n.-proposed cease-fire. the government wanted it limited to the city. the opposition wanted it to

extend across the aleppo countryside all the way to the turkish border. there was no agreement. the u.n. tried to save the initiative by suggesting a trial cease-fire in one of the battleground districts in the city. but the people of the district accuse the u.n. of caving in to the demands of the government. they want a comprehensive settlement that would involve the government from stepping down and a cease-fire forced across syria. >> at first they wanted to free the fighting in aleppo province. then it became just the city, and now it's limited to a district. we want to tell them that reject him as a leader and reject his initiative. >> reporter: syria's war is entering it's fifth year, and in the absence of a political process, the u.n. was hoping the aleppo process could be the spatter of one. but the u.n. can only do so much without the backing of the regional and international

players which support the war inside. al jazeera beirut. >> meanwhile u.s.-led coalition airstrikes in syria have hit an oil refinery controlled by isil. it's it is near the turkish border. 30 people are reported to have been killed in the strike, including refinery workers and isil fighters. the fight against isil continues in iraq. government forces are facing strong resistence as they try to retake the northern city of tikrit. it is crucial in the advance towards isil. tikrit is important because it's on the main road to baghdad in iraq's sunni heartland. the army backed by shia militias are 30 kilometers southeast of the area.

capturing bou-ajeel and alalam would cut off supply routes. these are the pictures in alalam which we just mentioned. isil fighters set fire to some oil fields in the area to try to confuse government forces. as part of the iraqi army's advance on isil-held positions troops began amassing in anbar province. they're trying to push forward towards the city of fallujah. fallujah has been under isil control for several months now. [ gunfire ] meanwhile kurdish forces are attacking isil positions around kirku cushion in northern iraq. the city itself is under kurdish

control, but isil still controls some areas nearby. well, the advance of the iraqi army against isil is forcing a growing number of people from their homes. it's a situation that aid agencies say it's only going to get worse. we have reports from baghdad. >> a man has been trying to get by on her own since she had to leave her home in anbar province. the mattresses from the u.n. refugee agency will help to cover her floors. it's not easy for a widow with four young daughters. with a growing number of iraqis displaced as the iraqi government takes on isil, there is less and less aid. she's a bit luckier than most, after being held by the iraqi military to leave the town of baghdadi she found work as a school janitor. the teachers there give her enough money to pay the rent. more than $200 a month for this converted kitchen in a house.

but she said she had no choice but to leave home. >> no one came to tell us to leave. we left because there was no water and no electricity. there were a lot of families who left. i was afraid for the children. >> her husband was a border guard. he was killed in an attack on his post three years ago. her father and her husband's parents stayed behind. she has not been able to reach them sense. after school she helps the girls with their lessons. her daughters are able to attend classes here. tens of thousands of other displaced children don't have access to schools. the iraqi military and kurdish forces are making gains against isil, but as they do, there are actually more civilians displaced by the fighting. aid agencies did not think it could guess worse than last jean june, but it has.

it's running out of money. >> we're getting worried about getting assets to people we know there are a number of communities in serious trouble. they have not had access for some time and we have to assume their condition is very serious. >> the fighting has uprooted 30,000 people who remained behind when the rest fled. there are now 2.25 million iraqis across the country who can't go home. along the battle line the iraqi soldiers and their shia-militia partners are replacing isil flags with their own. but winning the military battle is just the first step in helping iraqis return to home. >> coming up, students protest in myanmar against new laws they

say is stifling academic freedom. plus egypt said that it's ready for foreign investors, but is it violating human rights in its efforts to boost the economy. and bangladesh wins quarter cup finals. we'll tell what you that means for england's team they beat. >> you a series of attacks come as huty fight killed 15 people. seven hut fighters were killed inial made da. there are two more houthis killed when the their car was attacked. the arab summit will take

place at the end of the march. a senior commentateor at the gulf news says that they believe the commentators to begin. >> the national security requirements of yemen the integrity of the country must be maintained at all costs. what we're going to see now we're going to see a prolonged period of negotiations between president hadi to find out whether or not some kind of negotiations could be started once again. but both sides are holding on to very strong positions and they're not willing to proceed. they'll encourage the negotiations to to occur somewhere in the rage, but that's a toss up at this point. no one really knows what's going to happen. >> warplanes belonging to libya libya's recognized government

reportedly attacked the last functioning airport. fighting between the two sides has killed hundreds of people this year. we have reports. >> this family is in mourning. they lost two of their sons. anabdul wahab was killed in fighting at tripoli's airport in july and abdul aziz, a doctor, died in december. he was treating the wounded in a hospital when it was shelled. >> his shelling of makeshift hospitals, and pounding airports. >> the family flames this man former general haftar. he is an appointed army command center tibruk in eastern libya. his operation known as "dignity" started in may last year. [ explosion ] >> his men have taken large

swaths of territory and he said he's going after fighters in the region linked to isil. his rivals in tripoli are also accused of bombing oil installations in the east. the family is also torn between sadness and pride. >> abdul was fighting a war. i expected him to be martyred, but not abdul aziz. he was treating patients. he was not fighting. >> it's not difficult to find evidence of the fighting here. hundreds of faces and names of people who have died. there are now many front lines across libya and the fighting has been fierce. many here hope that the u.n.-led peace talks of morocco can end of the political crisis and this

conflict. al jazeera. >> russia has identified the man accused of being the main perpetrator in the killing of opposition figure boris nemtsov. he is from the chechnya region has confessed to the murder. he's one of five people suspected of involvement in the shooting ten days ago. well, the directors of a mine in eastern ukraine has been arrested in connection with the deadly explosion last week. 34 miners died in the disaster in the city of donetsk, which was blamed on probably build up of gas. the man arrested, who has yet to be named was suspected of violating mining regulations. now greece is clamping down on tax dodgers to help pay its debt. it wants to convince the euro zone that it's proposed reforms

are enough for creditors to restart loans. they're discussing those reforms as they meet for the first time since an agreement was made to extend the greek bailout. >> reporter: two years ago an anonymous whistle blower left customs documents on the door step of this man. they show that some of the companies could not account for the fuel that was effectively lost, along with the tax that should have been paid on it. papers were drawn up for a court case on tax fraud which never happened. >> these documents were hid no one draws for years. they didn't come to trial. this is one way of taking care of business when faced with indictments. stuffing them in draws until the statue of limitations passes.

>> the tax free fuel can be diverted back on the streets of greece. >> itthe guest receives 12% of its budget from tax fuel, but $1.5 billion that was not collected is enough to cover the health care budget. >> once we put the whole system under surveillance we'll know nothing is getting past us. >> the oil refining companies are ordered to fit gauges but they say they need more time. time though, is now in short supply, and pressure for change is growing. >> tax evasion is connected to corruption. it is corruption that led this country to bankruptcy and national humiliation. the money that is not flowing in state coffers is strengthening

other areas. >> it will need to collect taxes if it is to deliver on its promises of helping the poor and lifting taxes on middle class. >> greece government's total income was $56 billion. now $48 billion of that was tax revenue. that's short of the target of $50 billion. compare the income with the spending of almost $60 billion and trust me, you'll work out that you have a shortfall of $4 billion. let's go to john in athens. tax revenue is not a popular topic in the best of times. what is happening there in credit crackdown of tax dodgers. >> well, the government here taking all together the statements it has made to us and

in interview hopes to make roughly $4 billion from monies at the moment are evading it. they hope to clap down on high net worth individuals and sectors of the economy like oil but also gaming. this all goes down very well with the greek voter and i'm sure it will go down well with grease's creditors. but it's a matter of taking action rather than making promises. the trouble with this, as one imf representative said, the social suspending that the government wants to make is a definite expenditure. whereas the tax evasion it hopes to clamp down on is still theoretical. therefore, it's not going to be able to weigh one up against the other in today's you row euro group. the outcome is probably going to be told to go back and start implementing some of what it

promises. >> greece is using this crackdown as one reason if eurozone creditors started to pay ask you rescue loans is that likely to happen, john? >> the government--no. the government does want that money to start flowing. interest is a fiscal gap in the next two months. greece seems unlikely to reach the end of april on its own resources. the reports that we're hearing here are that institutions like pension funds are being gutted for cash, they're being forced to loan their cash reserves to the bank of greece in order to make good on as many debt payments as it can before that european loan money starts flowing again. there has been ridicule here over some of the government's proposals for bringing in a tax revenue such as arming tourists with cameras and sending them out to spy on greek merchant who is may or may not give them

receipts for their services. the idea, as you can imagine of a german tourist for into for not handing in a receipt is not going to be going over well at all. >> thank you john in athens there. now swine flew is spreading across india. it has claimed 1,300 lives this year. indian reporting 25,000 people have been infected this year. india's health ministry is stepping up its efforts to combat the virus and says it will provide free treatment to swine flu treatments. in malaysia activists say that a new education law restrict academic freedom.

>> it's a small gathering attracting more onlookers than demonstrators. it's in solidarity of a sit-in by students against an education law. fearful of demonstrating without a permit, they disperse after ten minutes. >> education is not just related to students. it concerns the younger generation. 50million people in the new generations to come are subject to the education system. so it needs to be better and more democratic. this is why question support it. >> for the past few days activists have been trying to eaggravate police, holding protests in different places, announcing the location just days before the protest and sometimes turning up hours later to give security the slip. the main protest is a three ours drive from yangong.

students are unhappy with the new education law which does not allow them to form unions and leaves little scope of decision make to go universities. they want to bring their protest to the former capitol and main commercial hub, but they're unable to do so because of the heavy security presence. police however have not been able to stop the protests in support of the students were popping up all over the city. there are signs that the government is losing patience. they have used vigilanties to break up a protest last week and arrested protesters. use of civilian force is allowed under its law and was in use under the former regime. the government said it's listening to students' demands. it's appointed a parliamentary committee to hold consultations on the matter. >> the reform process i'm hearing is being held because of the student strike. it's the result of talks between

students advocates and law makers. >> how the government handles the protest will be closely watch: it transitions from a military rule to a semi civilian one four years ago and will hold elections later this year. it is calling for citizens the right to a peaceful assembly as a democratic society. >> still to come here on al jazeera, find out how a group of women in guatemala are combat combating poverty by turning waste into wealth. plus. >> as china's government tries to revive it's suffering property market, i'm in the town of yingkou that has buildings it has roads. it just doesn't have people. >> we will have all the details from jo in sport after the break.

>> protestors are gathering... >> there's an air of tension right now... >> the crowd chanting for democracy... >> this is another significant development... >> we have an exclusive story tonight, and we go live... >> the stream, >> your digital community >> you pick the hot topics and express your thoughts the stream it's your chance to join the conversation only on al jazeera america

>> welcome back. you're with al jazeera. the top stories this hour regional neighbors have join nigeria's battle against boko haram, and have helped to recapture the town of damak asak. iraqi forces have liberated a city near tikrit of alalam that has been under the isil control for many months. and greece is pushing for more rescue loans in the meeting of european finance minister in brussels. the greek government faces a cash crunk within weeks if it fails to secure the loans. now egypt is counting on foreign investors.

many are expected to attend a conference, but many say that the government is putting the conferenceforeign investors before it's own people. >> this video was produced for the economic development conference that will begin on friday. >> we're welcoming visiters. >> but a new report from the egyptian center for economic and social right says is that egypt's request for foreign money is violating human rights, damagic the environment and allowing companies to get away with shelf and tax evasion. the reports says that new laws gives multi national companies immuneity. egyptians center for economic and social right says that egypt allows foreign companies to crush workers rights whether it

stops them from unionizing. investors say despite the turmoil, the country is a safe bet. >> stable and back and ready to receive investments. but bombings have become an increasing threat for egyptians. once confined to targeting police stations and military posts, armed groups are now attacking commercial areas killing and injuring civilians. egypt has implemented some restorms. all foreign companies will now have to pay a 25% tax on profits. but the report says that the country must tip the balance in favor of its citizens so they can begin reaping more of the benefits of foreign investment. al jazeera. >> the families of two australians facing execution in indonesia have visited them on death row.

>> it's the first time that the families have seen the. they were sentenced to 2006 for attempting to smuggle heroin. indonesia's president widodo has rejected clemcy clemency. back to our top story in nigeria nigeria. soldiers from niger and chad join the fight against boko haram. let's go to journal and security analyst live in the capitol of abuja. good to have you with us. what are the expectations on this joint military force. they seem to have a moment at the moment, but is it expected that they will drive barry bonds from strongholds in the north? >> yes absolutely. for those of us who have been watching the unfolding scenario in nigeria it is obvious that

there is a turning tide from the offensive so far. there were several several towns and cities on the boko haram occupation. but in the last two weeks since the multi national task force we've seen a turn in the offensive of boko haram. several towns have been liberated, and they're no longer on the occupation of boko haram. >> so many people are asking why on earth wasn't this done before? why didn't the nigerian government ask for regional military help before? >> well, it's not really correct to say that it has not been regional support to the fighting. if you'll recall the multi national task force has been in baga since 1998, but i will say

that they were trained to be an encurrent insurgency force. it has taken too long, five to six years to see regionalization of the offensive and it should have been so. >> do you think that the fighters are enough, or should the nigerian government be taking other strategies as well? >> absolutely. it needs to take other strategies aside from fighting boko haram. one of the strategies the nigerian government should take is building a new intelligence structure. if you let's boko haram has been taking on successful suicide bomb attacks and this should not be so. several hundreds of people have

died in suicide attacks and it's high tide that they look at how they can combat boko haram in certain areas. >> do you think that boko haram will become more dangerous now that it has pledged allegiance to isil? do you think that makes any practical difference? will boko haram get more help in its fight against isil? >> absolutely. the danger that we face at the moment is isis. isis has more money. isis has access to more dangerous weapons, and this is not a good omen for nigeria at the moment. these weapons and funds can get into the hands of boko haram and this could be a fatal mistake if it happens.

>> thank you very much indeed, for joining us. alkasim abdulkadir, military malt analyst from abuja. >> the sierra madre mountains, a lawless land with a heroin corridor from mexico to the united states begins. we meet a woman who leads us to her family plot, a rare glimpse of what people here call their garden. her husband tends the crop, colorful poppies thousands of them the key source for heroin.

>> the demand north of the board is why these farms exist. southern guerrero state is a leading producer of raw poppy sap. once collected it's processed into high grade heroin. it's delicate, time-consuming work but the payoff is higher than legal crops like avocado. arriving at these fields of flowers, it's easy to bertha these poppies are the root of an increasingly lucrative and violent industry. the farmers who asked us to hide their identities, fate threats from drug traffickers but also from authorities.

>> the farmers we met say that they meet up for the poppy, and they have to agree for whatever the price is set. asking for more is suicide. poppy farmers can earn hundreds of dollars a day in the high season. community leaders say that they would prefer to grow fruits and vegetables but need good roads to get them to market. >> no support they say but there is punishment. in recent years mexico's government has stepped up fumigation. the result, a whole harvest of poppies lost. sometimes neighboring legal fields are damaged too. but the flowers continue to

flourish. and mexican cartels are now the main source of the heroin found in the united states. and with american users demanding more of the deadly drug, a difficult journey out of these mountains is well worth it for the traffickers. adam rainy al jazeera, mexico sierra madre mountains. >> china's prime minister is looking at ways to stabilize the property market after a major slump in prices. harry faucet reports from the port city of yingkou. >> there is not much construction going on at the construction site. the state agency said that it's just a seasonal pause while the ground is frozen, but she admits they've decided not to put any apartments up for sale yet. >> a few years ago some developers ran away with investors money. that's why people are nervous. our boss is a local man. he wants to finish everything before selling to try to reassure buyers. >> this is how it's going to

look. homes for government workers perhaps when the local government moves here. but for now there is little more life on the streets of yingkou as there is on the model. the government was having to cover $1.6 billion in bad debt as developments fail. if the present is the future, then there want be much prospect of getting that money back. so it's sunday afternoon in the main park, and what do you know, i've got the place entirely to myself. s. >> china local governments have been betting on grand projects just like this one. across china ghost towns just like this one has been emerging as a result. the national government has been trying to tackle the problem of oversupply and falling property prices, but selling prices in yi yinkou has not gotten any easier.

>> the new town is not as convenient and busy as here in the old town. >> i want to live in the old town. it is more convenient. it's in the city. the old townthe new town is too far away. >> they're spending $1 billion on mall and office and apartment complex. the management said they would never going to invest here if they felt that the government really was going to move. if it stays put yingkou will be fate will be sealed. >> still to come on al jazeera, we'll be telling but the history behind a dog sled race in southern alaska.

all the details coming up with jo in sports.

>> all thanks to teague little creatures and a lot of patience and determination. david mercer, al jazeera, guatemala. >> well, let's get to sport now. here is jo. >> thank you. the head of international cycling brian has admitted that the sport governing body assisted lance armstrong to cover up his drug use. a report released by a commission on monday said dope something still rife in political cycling. a sportcompiling a 227-page report attacking the sporting body to investigate how cycling lost it's way, and the

conclusion was that a culture of doping still persists, and that the uci has helped it happen. a particular scrutiny, the manner in which they allowed lance armstrong to get away with doping failing to target him for testing and actively covering up a test of cord zone in 1999. >> i think it was demonstration that uci was always going to prioritize the image of the sport and the business of the sport over the integrity and honesty of the sport. that was a very bad signal given out at that time, and subsequently, i think if we hadn't had that decision we would have a different landscape of our sport at this moment. >> one of the problems historically in the fighting against doping and cycling and it's a common problem internationally is that these sports are too close in forming the elite athletes. that's what you saw between uci and lance armstrong. >> the american was stripped of

his seventh tour de france titles after admitting to doping in 2013. he spent two days of being interviewed as part of his investigation and issued a statement saying i'm deeply sorry for many things i have done however it is my hope that revealing the truth will lead to a bright, dope-free future for the sport i love. brian cookson was brought in to the uci in 2013 promising a clean slate for the organization. it's president stand accuse of prioritizing the sport's public image over action. the doping policy was the report says, was to give the impression that uci was tough on doping rather than actually being good at anti-doping. >> these sports are in a degree of denial in certain cases and they'll face the problems that we're facing up to in this

report today. >> cycling has had many so-called fresh starts, but they have to prove another test in the long running battle to establish faith in a clean sport. al jazeera. >> england's cricketers have been knocked out of the world cub by bangladesh, who grabbed the spot for the quarterfinals for the first time in their history. it was do or die for england. a win would have kept them in the tournament, just. but bay length bangladesh put england under pressure from the start. captain alan morgan was out from the start. and the back end of the batting order collapsed and they won by

5 runs. >> i would say it's great for us. if i go back, i think our problem was consistency. but in this work up two out of the five match have been very consistent, and hopefully it will keep going for next few match, and we are really happy and hope that that is one of the best for us, we'll move forward from us. >> the head of football is meeting with greece's deputy sport minister to discuss the on ongoing crisis of greece football. it was team was suspended for the third time this season because of crowd violence.

many say the root of violence is corruption in football. >> fans believe quite justifybly that nothing is as clean as it should nobody greek football. there are a couple of criminal investigations under way by the justice system into corruption and match fixing rings operating inside greek football. now if that is not cleared then i suspect that violence will be difficult to tackle. >> thethe iditarod dog sled race will get under way. the race has been moved from its

traditional start in willow for the second time in history due to a lack of snow. instead, the start line is north in the city of fairbanks. from there competitors will embark on a journey west and eventually finish in the town of nome. well, the race is inspired by the 1925 serum run when mushes and their dogs would deliver vaccines to tackle a dip diphtheria epidemic. the winner will collect $70,000 in prize money. i love the dogs in the pink booties. >> that's a great race. thanks very much for that. now it's the era of the smart watch with manufacturers making a major push in the market this year. the challenge is mixing technology with fashion. scott hide letter takes a look

from bangkok. >> science fiction is becoming a reality, a smart watch. they can do most things that a smart phone can do and more. but so far they've been struggling to convince consume tours buy them. more models are being released this year, and they're more stylish, less like a smart phone, and more like a watch. some have a push to talk button and others have a panic butt for emergencies. one manufacturer even has a sapphire crystal face. >> you have turn by turn navigation and some of the apps are quite compelling, but they are expensive and the battery does not last long enough. >> how will the new smart watches be received here in asia traditionally an early adapter market, will people start buying them because they're the newest thing or

because they can use the technology? the now the opinion is split on the streets of hong kong. >> the technology now is so advanced it will be able to do so many more things and be far more convenient. >> whatever function the smart watch does, the smart phone already does it. it's just smaller. >> if it was really pretty i would consider t but for girls it has to be sparkly. >> in trying to make 2015 sparkle for them, manufacturers continue to position this as the year of the smart watch. they're banking on the idea that consumers will agree. but in asia there is no clear consensus. if this will become a must-have item. al jazeera bangkok. >> manufacturers take note for girls, it has to be sparklely. that's it for the news hour. we have more coming up in the news hour.

i'll be right here after the break.

>> regional neighbors help attack boko haram and recapture the town of damasak. also coming up in the program iraqi forces drive out isil in a key tune in the city of tikrit. greece meets with finance ministers in brussels, and cycling governing body admits they covered up lance armstrong's positive drug tests.