>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ hello, welcome to the al jazeera news hour. i'm live in doha. our top stories. the iraqi defense ministry says its forces have entered parts of tikrit for the first time since last summer. violent clashes in myanmar as students marching on yangon demand more rights and better education. also this hour the ivory coaster's aaron lady is behind bars. she gets 20 years for her role in post election violence.

i'm jo gasiorowska, two french olympians are killed during the filming of a reality tv show in argentina. ♪ we begin in iraq. for the first time in months, the iraqi army is inside parts of tikrit. a statement says its forces have surrounded the town and are preparing to advance on the center of the city. let's bring in our senior political analyst for more on this. this is quite significant, isn't it? >> yes, it is because ta skreet not an easy place to take over. back in 2003 it was almost impossible for the international coalition forces to enter the city. it's a hard core sunni city.

and this time around with this iranian-backed militias joining the iraqi army entering the city that's significant both in terms of overcoming isis forces there, in terms of making progress towards other regions within the control of isis but it's also -- it remains to be seen -- what it will mean to the shia sunni fight within the city and region. >> right. you have the joint chief of staff, martin dempsey warning that the coalition against isil is in danger of failing because of the divisions among the iraqis. >> that's right. and he added it's because of the iranian interference in iraq and iranian support of certain militias, and that's what we call the shia iran-backed militias in iraq that have joined the army in the offensive against isis.

this is the sort of approach that one at one point not exactly blessed, supported or encouraged, but implicitly supported by the obama administration. it was helpful to see the iranian forces helping in the battle against isis. but think i general dempsey noticed the other demon if you will, would be a militia supported by iran that could take revenge against the people because of the tensions with iraq. >> how much support is iran providing right now? >> i tell you, a statement by an assistant to the supreme leader now -- i don't know in what context or what it was said but he said something like okay finally baghdad is the capitol of the new persian empire.

so as symbolic as that might be at the end of the day i think for all practical purpose, for the time being, the itself has been losing iraq to iran. it started back in 2003 it has been continuing and because of the deployment out of iraq because of the strong support for the central government in baghdad by iran because of geography, because of the sectarian connections, because of the interests of iran and iraq, as you know the head of the iranian guards is actually in iraq directing these battles. so iran is directly involved politically, militarily, and on all other fronts. >> which makes it even more complicated. >> yes. >> thank you very much. meanwhile kurdish peshmerga forces have blown up a heavily arer moed truck said to be driven by isil fighters near kirkuk, this video is said to

show the truck which was being driven towards the front line on a suicide mission. [ explosion ] >> but instead it exploded after an attack by kurdish forces. the kurds have held kirkuk since june of last year. the shia cleric is urging the government to investigate attacks on sunnis. he is push for anyone who damages sunni mosques or uses excessive violence against sunni muslims to be punished. the statement comes after homes were ransacked in a newly liberated sunni town near tikrit. hundreds of police have been involved in protesters in myanmar. state media say 227 people have been arrested. demonstrators are calling for more freedom in education. florence loui has more

>> reporter: a tense standoff between protesters and police turns into a confrontation. for more than a week the protesters have been camping in a town 3 hour's drive north of yangon. they are unhappy with the newly elected education law which they say restricts educational freedom and bans them from forming unions. on tuesday local officials said they would allow students to mar to yangon. but when the activists said they wouldn't be allowed to hold banners and chant logans along the way, they became angry. they tried to breach police lines, and dismantle a tent. it doesn't take long for the situation to descend into violence. protesters are dragged into

police trucks and student leaders are among those arrested. police also attack a vehicle that was being used by the demonstrators. police have responded to some of the past week's protests some held in solidarity with the students, with force. last week men in plane clothes attacked protesters in yangon. several people were arrested. yangon officials admitted using a vigilante force which is allowed under myanmar law, but it is seen as tactic used by the government to break up peaceful protests. tuesday east crackdown comes as the u.n. special repertoire on human rights in myanmar says the country is sliding back. and it has got many questioning whether the transition from military to civilian rule is genuine. florence lewis al jazeera,

yangon. >> earlier i spoke to a senior editor, and she told me the use of the power military to disperse protesters was a negative government. >> the central government does know what is going on in his palace to stop this really excesstive action on students and that's a negative as well. if it is in control and orders police to go in and break up these relatively what were peaceful protests violently, that's also a negative. so, you know there's no -- there's nothing very positive one can say about this. it -- it is i think going to add immensely to the perception of backsliding, and rolling back on earlyier pledges of reform. >> the international community is watching these events closely. tell us about the reforms they have had, if any at all, any changes since the end of

outright military rule in myanmar is 2012. >> it is not in this government's interest, perfectly separate from any issues about basic human rights it's not in the government's interest in this last six to seven months of its term and we have confirmed that there will be national elections in november, but many positive things have hand. they have come a long way. let's not forget four years ago there was no parliament in the counting try. the leader was locked up under house arrest. she is in parliament. she is a force. one might say in this debate over the education reform proposals at the heart of these student protests we have not heard a great deal from the nld, nor her herself. although one would expect something to be said after -- after the events we have seen this week. and some of the really disturbing video of police just

beating unarmed students with sticks. i mean possibly ten to 15 years ago, these students would have been shot under previous -- previous military regime. that said previous military regimes never promised openness and reform whereas this particular administration of the president has lead people to believe that they would take a different approach. they were different. and that still does not detract from how far they have come from the really dark days. as i said we have got parliament, but the government itself has implemented many reforms, released political pilsners and so on. >> there's much more ahead on the al jazeera news hour. a relationship that has gone from bad to much worse. the u.s. declares venezuela a security threat. plus hidden sometimes in place site. we're at the u.s. mexico border

where heroin smuggling is the biggest challenge. and india going for a fifth straight win at the icc icc. -- cricket world cup. relations between the united states and venezuela have turned openerly hostile. the pot says u.s. sanctions are the most aggressive unjust and harmful steps against his country. he is now seeking more powers to fight what he calls imperialism. the u.s. has imposed sanctions on several venezuelan officials and declared the maduro government a national security threat. >> rosiland jordan is in washington, d.c. for us. but first let's get the latest from virginia lopez. there have been sanctions in the past this is the third time that the u.s. is passing sanctions against venezuela.

but branding the country as a threat to national security is a very serious incident. how are people reacting there? >> reporter: to be perfectly honest, the reaction at the ground level has yet to be felt. there has been some support galvanized around maduro. especially around descenters at the fact that maduro hasn't done much to help the economic woes. we spoke to some people who despite being in opposition to maduro are now feeling that in light of a possible u.s. aggression they would again galvanize around maduro. >> how will these sanctions work exactly? i know a number of individuals have been targeted. what does that mean? >> reporter: yes this is the

third time these sanctions are passed, and it's now close to 60 government officials sanctioned by the u.s. the u.s. has been vehement in saying that these sanctions are not against people in and are not going to be effecting the economic relationship between both counties. these are targeted sanctions that the u.s. considers have been engaged in a serious human rights abuse, in crushing deskrenth, in fab -- fabricating false evidence but these are, again, targeted sanctions that would freeze assets that these officials might have in the u.s. and also ban them from traveling to the u.s. additionally, these new set of sanctions is also banning u.s. citizens from engaging in business transactions with venezuelan officials because the u.s. says that they need to prevent these elicit funds from

flooding the country's financial system. >> thank you very much virginia lopez life for us in car racks a. let's cross over to rosiland jordan. having branded venezuela a threat to national security is pretty serious. what is the reasoning from washington? >> reporter: well the designation is really a legal technicality, but it's a an order to try to hold venezuelan officials accountable for what the u.s. says has been a raft of human rights violations in the protests across venezuela. in one of the latest protests we saw a 14-year-old boy who was allegedly killed by the police and a police officer has been arrested for his death. the u.s. says at a time when it is trying to improve its

relationship with its southern neighbors, it says that venezuela is simply going in the strong direction, and while they believe that other country's efforts to try to get venezuela to be more inclusive and respectful of political opponents within their country, they say that those efforts did fail, and these sanctions imposed on monday were simply a reflection of the reality that the government's behavior in caracas could not be sustained any longer. >> thank you, rosalyn. let's now get an update on our top story, the iraqi defense ministry saying its forces have entered the city of tikrit for the first time since last summer. let's speak to jane arraf. i understand you have been speaking to some officials about the situation in tikrit. what are they telling you?

>> reporter: they are saying that iraqi trooped backed by the shia militias have entered parts of tikrit and are in control of parts of the city. but the may -- major topic here is that the -- the major bridge to tikrit has apparently been blown up. now this is part of the reason it has been so difficult to get into that city for iraqi troops. there have been explosives laid essentially everywhere by isis including the bridge and key buildings. it is going to take a lot of time to clear that city. it's still hotly contested and it does not mean the city has been regained by any means, but still a dramatic event for those iraqi forces. >> thank you, jane for the update. that's jane arraf on the line

from erbil in iraq. ivory coast's former first lady has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. she was given double the sentence prosecutors asked for. more than 3,000 people were killed when her husband refused to step down in 2010. dominic kane reports. >> reporter: simon sits in court. she was once first lady of ivory coast, but in this trial she was described as having undermined state security. prosecutors argued that when her husband lost the presidential election of 2010, she organized armed gangs after he rejected the result. in the violence that followed more than 3,000 people were killed. she and her husband were arrested in 2011 by french and u.n. peace keeping troops. her husband is now awaiting

trial at the international criminal court in the hague accused of crimes against humanity. at the court here on tuesday, his wife simon was found guilty. the verdict was welcomed by groups representing the victims. [ applause ] >> translator: we are really satisfied that this trial took place. as for us it is a victory of criminal justice over impunity over promotion of those who have committed crimes random executions and the forced disappearances that have become the way to govern under this leadership. >> reporter: but the legal team called the judgment political. >> translator: given the court's decision and the sentences, and given the absence of fact and proof against her, this is nothing more than purely political decision to keep her out of the political game. >> reporter: ivory coast is due to hold a presidential election

later this year. with simon now contemplating a 20-year prison sentence, her involvement may be limited. dominic kane al jazeera. joining us now is joseph who is a writer and commentator who specializes in african affairs, live from london. good to have you on al jazeera. her defense team describes this as a purely political decision. what is your reaction? >> quite clearly there is a political element, isn't it? the husband is -- at the icc, the icc requested for the wife to be spent to the icc, and they refused. and most of the witnesses were probably not very credible. but perhaps if it was a case

meeting international standards, perhaps having been found guilty and the prosecutors asking for ten years, she would not have gotten 20. the victims are quite happy to see 20 years of sentence the thing though whatever happened as much as it was extremely unfortunate, it was a matter [ inaudible ] so i think they would say this is probably a victor's justice. >> exactly. and i wondered what the reaction would be in ivory coast. what -- will this be seen as justice being served by the people of the country? >> i think unfortunately not. i think it will divide the country much more. across africa it might help others to watch their back. ironically if you look at what happened in kenya, where [ inaudible ] did happen and the key players actually sort of

got away with it and we look back to ivory coast, is it about bringing unity or not? it is interesting though this lady is saying in court that she actually forgave those who were prosecuting her. there is an indication of leadership down there somewhere, that she was saying look probably if approximate we want to unite this country, let's deal with it. i think the 20 years is probably not going to help much. probably if they would have said let's do it to five maybe -- she has a case to answer. but the supporters are saying this is a matter for both sides. >> exactly. what about the people on the other side those who supported the current president and who were also found to be responsible of violence? is the current government doing anything to bring them to justice? >> not that i know of and ivory coast is probably one of the african countries -- and things

are changing on the continent, and it's very kritcritical. but ivory coast is an area where leaders are much more scared to come up themselves. but these are probably guys who may be playing the politics of impunity, which is unfortunate. because it would have helped to show in africa you may have been powerful today as leader but under the law, maybe you don't necessarily escape the long arms of the law. on this occasion much of that element of the case is being made. on the other i think there's an element of hypocrisy. >> joseph thanks for your time. it's one of the biggest challenges facing drug enforcement authorities in the united states. how to control the surge of cheap heroin from mexico. mexican drug cartels are now

believed to control all heroin smuggling into the u.s. they are using existing roads for crystal meth in the southwest. border agents have told al jazeera a tiny fraction of what gets past is being captured. in the second part of his series on the heroin corridor adam raney reports from the u.s. mexico border. >> reporter: they call it the trophy room where veteran officers teach new recruits how to spot drugs. >> look at the extent they went through. >> reporter: soft drink bottles, gas tanks, even firewood is used to stash heroin. on the job officers have only a few minutes to decide whether a vehicle should be searched. it's clear that heroin coming from mexico is their biggest

challenge right now. >> we have seized double the amount of heroin that we did the entire year last year and we're only -- what maybe six months into the fiscal year. >> reporter: alerted to another drug see sewer, this time on the road into the united states. this is a special agent with homeland security. his task to dismantle smuggling rings. he has seen the same pattern with heroin. >> in 2012 we had five kilos. in 2014 we had over 200. had a weapon inside the vehicle -- >> reporter: his team intercepts drugs every day, like they did when we road with them but it doesn't stop the flood of heroin that top u.s. officials say has swamped american towns and cities feeding a boom in addiction. with so much money in play the cartels are watching too. >> that is mexico separated by the border fence, but as you can

see, those -- those buildings, the houses the residences have a direct line of site right into the operations of the port of entry. and they can see what is going on, who is coming in who is leaving. >> reporter: and smugglers told us there are many ways to get their drugs past the wall sometimes tunnelling under it. sometimes walking right across. and heroin is so valuable even in small amounts you don't even have to take it over the border in the cars more and more officials are seeing people walk it over to the united states. sometimes they are seeing it strapped to old people's bodies and young children. customs homeland security and local police just three of over a dozen agencies tasked with stopping the flow of heroin and other narcotics. still some admit the battle cannot be won, because the market is insatiable.

>> for every pound we stop there is probably at least a hundred pounds more that we don't stop. so it's a drop in the bucket. >> reporter: this deputy says he is one of those on the last line of defense before drugs get past the border area and out on to u.s. highways a route that delivers heroin to users across america. wick key pee da is suing the u.s. over the nsa surveillance program. wikipedia says the data collection might include its staff and users. joining us is jimmy wales, the founder of wikipedia. very good to have us on al jazeera. can you tell our viewers why you are suing the nsa today?

>> well, we believe the mass surveillance of our readers and users is damaging to us. wikipedia depends on a culture of openness and courage for people to participate, and their privacy is very important. we believe the nsa's actions are illegal and unconstitutional. >> how widespread is the nsa's surveillance of international -- how widespread is it and what proof do you have that wikipedia has been the target? >> you would have to ask them how widespread it is because obviously they try to keep this under wraps as much as possible. but the information that edward snowden has released tells us

they are surveillancing everything they can get their hands on with respect to communications with u.s. citizens and foreigners and they have a very weak standard of determining what is and is not within their realm of collection. we believe they are collecting data on literally hundreds of millions of our users. >> what effect is this happening on wikipedia users? what harm has been caused? >> well wikipedia depends on people being able to speak their minds, being able to speak privately. the importance of wikipedia to the world is it's place where people can have a serious discussion about things that really matter. this kind of surveillance of everyone is incredibly damaging to that mission. >> as you know others have tried to sue the nsa and failed. the supreme court has dismessed the previous challenge that

permits the nsa to collect data on the web. why should your case be any different? how confident are you that it could change anything? >> we're very confident we can overcome the hurdles that have prevented previous cases. one of the biggest issues has been the question of standing in other words finding a plaintiff to come forward and saying, look i'm being surveilled. we are being surveilled and this is impacting us. we definitely have standing. there's no question about that. so we think the case will proceed and when we think about it on the merits you look at what the law says and what the constitution says there is no doubt in my mind we're in the right here. >> jimmy wales thank you for taking the time to speak with us. thank you. there's much more ahead on the al jazeera news hour empty shelves and growing hunger.

we report from eastern ukraine on the struggle to put food on the table. and i'm in in phnom penh with a coffee movement that is changing lives.

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>> this is the true definition of tough love ♪ welcome back. do you are watching the al jazeera news hour. a reminder of our top stories. iraq's ministry say it's forces have entered parts of tikrit for the first time in months. isis has blown up the bridge entry point to try to stop the offensive. students were hit with batons and come were detained in myanmar. and ivory coast's former first lady has been sentenced to 20 years in jail stemming from

the violence in 2010. jordan's king abdullah has called on muslim countries to lead the fight against isil. he made the comments in front of the european union in strasburg. >> this is a fight that has to be carried out by muslim nations first and foremost. [ applause ] >> this is a fight within islam. and at the same time the danger of extremism must be seen for what it is: global. yemen's former president has accused the current government of destroying the country. he said president hadi who fled to the southern city of aden should leave the country and go into exile. memo -- mohamed vall is

following the developments for us. >> reporter: former president saleh is caming for a comeback. probably he doesn't want to become president again, but he has his son. we have seen thousands rallying for his son to run for president in the next elections in yemen. we have seen also loyalists to saleh everywhere around the country showing their presence and power. one of them is here in aden, a general who refused hadi's orders for him to be removed from his post and be replaced. he said he destroyed the country, he said he is a separatists and he should leave. he actually compelled the situation to 1994 when the civil war took place for yemen because the south decided to succeed. and listen now to some of the justifications he expressed. >> translator: the people cannot afford to either drink. you have gobbled up their dues.

suspended their salaries. brought their livelihood to stand still. investment to a halt and tourism too. is this what you call the modern civil state where universities faculties and schools are ruined. we ruined them all and claim it to be a modern civil state. that's their model. they are liars. liars. algeria is holding the latest round of talks to try to end the violence in libya. they are in the capitol algiers. neighboring tunisia is now home to up to 2 million libyans, almost a third of libyan population. and life for those who have escaped isn't easy. >> reporter: in a hotel this man remembers life in libya. his house in the capitol tripoli was raided by fighters. he's from a town in the west.

>> translator: it is very hard and it hurts. i spent 30 years building my life and in a split second it was lost. i have to start from scratch all over again. >> reporter: this is why libyans are leaving. this is the aftermath of an air strike in tripoli. the conflict is being fought in the air and on the ground. hundreds of people have been killed since the beginning of the year. tunisia offers libyans safety but little more. there is no work and many libyans live off of their savings. they can't buy property so they rent. which is pushing up the cost of living. >> if we don't give a hand for the libyans, where they will go in they don't have any choice. >> translator: the situation in libya scares me. it's dramatic and bloody. we aren't used to this as muslims and this terrifies

everybody, because libya is on our border. >> reporter: tunisia's army is also worried. it's deployed soldiers to the border area. tunisia recognizes both of libya's rival governments. it's trying to play a neutral role. tunisia says it will continue to welcome libyan refugees but there are concerns the violence in libya could spill over no tunisia with fighters and weapons ending up here. returning is not an option for people like this man. a former television presenter in tripoli, his life was threatened. he had to leave his family and fiance behind. >> after the politicalization and the war, you have to be with one side. if you be impartial or be agonist or criticized, you will be accused and be targeted.

there's no freedom of expression in any part of libya now, unfortunately. >> reporter: mohammed and other libyans have signed up for media training in tunisia. they have no idea when they can return to their homes. they feel helpless watching from afar as their country is torn apart. britain's foreign secretary says russia could again be the biggest threat to his country. he says u.k. spy agencies are now boosting their efforts to counter the threat. but as lawrence lee reports, hammond's warning may be a bid to boost cash for the u.k.'s defense industry. >> reporter: this is what the new cold war looks like from close up. pictures from the russian defense ministry shot from a bomber, eye toe eye with a british royal air force jet somewhere between the british coast. the raf took its own pictures

too. is this is exactly the sort of thing that britain sees as an out and out provocation. having spent years trying to carry favor with president putin, they now appear to have given up trying. >> we are faced with a russian federation bent not on joining in keeping peace between nations but on subverting it. president putin's actions, fundamentally undermine the security of the sovereign nations of eastern europe. president putin acknowledged that his decree annexed crimea. consequently be it tan has been helping train solders in other countries which lie close to russian territory.

it's easy to read these actions as a warning. >> we will face another crisis and yet again we'll be surprised caught napping and prove to be unable to rise to the challenge. there are not many more accidents of this kind before the whole military structure of nato becomes discredited. >> reporter: the biggest cheer leaders will be the former colleagues here in london. they are absolutely livid at prospects of cuts to their budget which could reduce staff by some 30,000, and reduce spending to less than nato guidelines. they are also the biggest supporters of a controversial project which is emblem attic of the cold war with the soviet

union. the replacement of missiles will cost $150 billion. many people britain can't afford it. but people like the foreign sectarian will hope upgrading it will send a signal to russia that britain isn't the little country per -- portrayed by vladimir putin. john hendren filed this report from the separatists-held city of donetsk. >> reporter: in separatists eastern ukraine, one price of independence is half empty shelves. >> translator: it's impossible to find new suppliers. as for the future we just live one day at a time. >> reporter: at this grocery chain not far away you can still buy meat and fish but the

choices are slim. what is left you can still buy if you can afford it. since january eggs have doubled in price. this fish was 45 then 95 now. separatists might consider themselves proudly independent, but they are not happy about rampant inflation. >> translator: prices have increased and salaries and pensions haven't. cooking oil used to cost 19 now it costs 32. >> translator: things are getting worse, and they won't get better until kiev understands you shouldn't kill your own people. >> reporter: the official inflation a pace for ukraine is an annual rate of 34.5%. but here in donetsk it's much higher. and that's for those who have access to their money. many have to travel outside separatists territory to collect their money. for many that is prohibitively expense and can take days. with inflation and no real banking system everyone here is poorer and that has turned once

bustling shopping centers into ghost towns. donetsk separatists minister of economic development saying all new republics go through birth pains. here she says trade with russia will help. does that mean things will get better? >> of course. it will get better. it will be two changes. first of all, it is a range of goods, and the second is it will be changing in price. >> reporter: before the economy here can stabilize, it's likely the fighting will have to stop and the borders between ukraine and itself self-described separatists neighbor will are have to settle. neither appears within reach any time soon. john hendren, al jazeera, donetsk, eastern ukraine. crowds in south korea have held a rally in support of u.s. ambassador mark lippert. lippert has left hospital after being slashed in a knife attack five days about.

he was attacked by a careerian nationalist who was demanding the reunification of north and south korea. >> i feel pretty darn good all things considered. i mean it was obviously a -- scary incident. but i'm talking, talking, holding my baby you know, hugging my wife. so i'm -- i just feel really good. i have got a little rehab left to do on the arm. the face feels really good but thanks for the great medical professionals, i feel like i said pretty darn good. now to afghanistan where an artist has gone into hiding after a daring protest against sexual harassment. she walked through the capitol wearing a large iron suit resembling a naked woman. she has been receiving death threats because of it. >> reporter: she was just four years old when she was molested by a stranger. it was on the street and the

first of many such attacks. she remembers wishing her underwear was made of iron. 20 years later she is making the point in the most public way possible. walking through a part of kabul, where she says she was sexually harassed as an adult. many were outraged. >> they were saying to me slap her. slap her. what the hell is she doing? somebody said are you ashamed that motorbike. aren't you ashamed highlighting your sexual parts? >> reporter: some in the crowd through stones. the artist who is now in hiding says many afghan women endure a lifetime of being pinched and proddeded by strangers. abuse in afghanistan is common according to the united nations. it says eights in ten afghan women experience physical

psychological, or sexual abuse. women's rights have improved since the fall of the taliban a decade ago. although not quickly enough for some like this group who dawned berkas last week. >> please take care of afghan women. they are your mothers and sisters, don't treat them that way. >> reporter: the artist on the other hand has received death threats, and is reporteded to have left her home in ka bult of fear. there's more to come on the news hour. in sport, france mourns the death of two olympic athletes in a helicopter crash in argentina. ♪

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♪ now non-profit group in cam bonia has come up with a novel first. a solar powered tuk-tuk. the three-wheeled motorbike is a common site and normally comes at a high environmental cost but not this one. rob mcbride has the story. >> reporter: early morning, and the coffee makers prepare their load. ready to december pence more than a fresh brew they also bare a message of hope while helping the environment. with a regular schedule the regular customers are already lining up by the time the vehicle is open for business. for this employee this offers

her a real alternative employment to scavenging in rubbish dumps trying to find enough to feed her five children. >> translator: before i had no time to spend with my children. but now i have regular hours, and we have more food to eat. >> reporter: as the sun comes up so this tuk-tuk comes into its own. the solar panel on its roof recharging the batteries that will propel it to its next destination. able to do up to 100 kilometers on one full charge it is a welcome whiff of innovation in a city choking on its own exhaust. no pollution, and no noise. the electric difference means this vehicle at the moment is running completely silently. a silence you would be able to hear if it wasn't for the thousands of other vehicles it has to share the road with.

with phnom penh's notoriously congested roads, this organization has a bigger message for the city. >> today in phnom penh the traffic is increasing. it costs to the air quality, you know, it is just creating the problems to the air, so we -- we -- we want something that reduce the pollution in the city you know. >> come the rainy season the gathering clouds may slow things down, but until then this coffee service is full steam ahead. rob mcbride al jazeera, phnom penh. >> now here is jo. >> thank you. footage has emerged of the moment two helicopters crashed in argentina, killing ten on board including two french olympians. al jazeera cannot independently a verify the footage. the two olympians and a sailor

with contestants in a reality tv show when the accident occurred. >> reporter: this is all that remains of the helicopters broken and burning in argentina's province. on board was a group of leading french sports men and women, part of a reality tv show called dropped being filmed for the channel tf 1. among them one an olympic swimmer camille muffat. at the time she spoke of her pride to represent france after the olympics. >> translator: you don't really take it in. it's true i won my 400 meter title. then the next day the president came to visit me. if even i don't do this for that, it is another dimension. >> reporter: another victim was the celebrated yachts woman,

florence arthaud. she became the first woman to sail alone across the atlantic. also on board was alexis vastine. he too had won a medal in the olympics. the area where the helicopters crashed is remote. it was reported that weather conditions at the time were good. the tv program the athletes were filming in argentina, was inspired by a swedish reality show that flies contestants into remote areas and leaves them to fengd for themselves. reaction in france to the deaths has been swift. the channel has expressed its great sadness and postponed the show. the rest of the crew will return to france. the sudden death of his fellow french nationals was a cause of immense sadness, the french president said. these shows are all about risk.

a full investigation is now underway into what went wrong and questions will be asked about the very nature of this kind of reality show. being sport reported [ inaudible ] says the three athletes were household names in france alexis vastine in particular was a hero to young boxers. >> in 2012 when he lost went to the olympic games, [ inaudible ] unfair decisions from the referees, young boxers were watching on tv. they were sad for alexis. he was a model. so sadness for them. and camille was only 25 years old. she won the gold in 2012. she was one of the most swimmers in france. and obviously [ inaudible ] in the 1990 was too very famous.

this is a dark day and this is a symbolic day for us french -- france sorry -- is a very sad inned today. president of the uci has told al jazeera that he doesn't believe doping is widespread in cycling anymore. a report claims that drug use is still rife and criticized the uci of their handling of doping issues. >> one writer wroted as saying 90% of people were doping. perhaps he was a rider who was doping himself and was trying to justify the situation. but others put the figure much much lower. i'm inclined to feel it is lower. but i'm not complacent about that. doping affects cycle as it has many other sports at it's something we determined to root

out from our sport. real madrid take a two-goal advantage into their second-leg match which will be played in madrid. but it's a sharp defeat on saturday, and the coach is not underestimating his german opponents. >> our aim is to do our best in this competition. it is the most important competition in the world, and it doesn't matter [ inaudible ] against that. we try to do always our best. last year we did best against german team. this year i don't know what happen. we have to play game by game. defending champions india have posted a fifth straight win at the cricket world cup, they were taken on ireland. the irish looked strong after an opening partnership of 89 runs. they went on to post 259. but india made light work of the

run chase, losing just two wickets with 13 overs to spare. [ inaudible ] scored 100, while [ inaudible ] posted 64. ireland can still advance to the final eight if they beat pakistan. >> it's a milestone that concern, you know, the most important thing is winning the game for your country. it doesn't really matter, you know, what the milestone is. it is something that every player will be proud of. the last world cup, all of the team members thanks to them and the current team also you know, because it's a team effort at the end of the day we play a team sport so everybody needs to enjoy it. >> that is all of the sport for now. >> okay. jo thank you very much indeed. that's it for this news hour on al jazeera. for me and the whole team in doha thank you for watching. my colleague david foster is live with you next from our news

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only on al jazeera america. the iraqi defense ministry says its forces have entered parts of tikrit pushing back isil forces. ♪ you are watching al jazeera, i'm david foster live from london. also coming up in the next 30 minutes . . . dozens are arrest interested in myanmar as students take to the streets, demanding more rights and academic freedom. yemen's former president tells his sucks -- successor to go