the red cross warns of what calls unbelievable destruction after cyclone pam plows through the south pacific. this is al jazerra. live from our head quarters in doha. also ahead on the program. help for nigeria as it fights boko haram. the government says foreign fighters are part of its campaign against the rebel group. egypt launches a campaign to help boost its struggling economy and the pledges are pouring in. >> this is not murder, it's torture and murder.

conservations in the u.s. try to solve a mystery that's threatening the lives of brown pelicans in florida. ♪ hello. dozens are feared dead after cyclone pam swept through the south pacific nation. winds of up to 270-kilometers an hour have caused significant damage to the islands and cut off remote provinces the unites nations are sending emergency teams in to the country which lies east of northern australia. gerald tan has the latest. >> reporter: destruction in the wake of sigh crone pam. aid workers describe the scenes as unbelievable. the category five tropical storm has uprooted trees torn downpour lines and ripped off roofs. in the capital many buildings still stand but it's feared that the damage to villages and

remote islands will be extensive. communication is down so assessing the full account pact could take time. >> it's been a very, very destructive cyclone, hitting a country that is using a lot of traditional shelters and housing which means that they are quite vulnerable to this kind of intensity. so we are planning for the worst case scenario. >> reporter: the approach of the cyclone was terrifying. the seas swelled as driving rain and strong winds swept in. >> the winds are getting stronger by the minute. really blowing around pretty seriously now and it's really shaping up to be a long night. everyone in the country. >> reporter: in preparation, the government issued a nationwide red alert for people to take shelter in more secure buildings.

people boarded up homes and shops before heading to designated evacuation centers. the united nations has now sent a rapid response team to aid relief operations, neighboring countries are also offering to help with what's already been described by the u.n. as possibly one of the worst weather disasters in pacific history. jailed tan, al jazerra. the united nations secretary general ban ki-moon says it will take time to assess the damage. >> we are not yet clear on the impact and scope of the disaster. but we fear the destruction and damage could be widespread. a forest fire in chile has forced more than 4,000 people from their homes. a state of emergency has been declared in the port cities of valparaiso and vena delmar. the fire started in an area of grass land and pine forest on friday. warm temperatures and strong

wind fanned the flames and the blaze spread quickly destroying about 500 500-hectares of lands. nigeria has acknowledged it's bitting help from foreign fighters. it says the mercenaries are only involved in training and loss justice ticks but as we report there is evidence they are playing a vital role on the frontline. >> reporter: victory. nigerian troops sweep in to this north others itnortheastern town of borno state and regain control from boko haram. >> with confidence you go for what you call. [ inaudible ] you think. [ inaudible ] and insure they have that you have the courage to wait and you dispatch them. >> reporter: they show the carr ofcasheof weapons left behind as proof.

the military say they are turning the tide. the government now admits it's getting logistical support from what it calls foreign contractors. sources have told al jazerra that mercenaries from south africa and other countries are playing a decisive role on the front lines. >> the nigh year nigerian government has explanation that his they can stick too. they can say the neighboring armies niger cameroon and chad, boko haram has attacked them also. so they will say look, they are defending their territory and we just are cooperating with them. and as they have said about the others the foreigners from south africa and elsewhere they say these are trainers, so i think they have their story down. >> reporter: boko haram has emerged as major security threat to nigeria and its neighbors.

the it's has thousands of people over the past six years in a campaign to carve out an islamic state in northern nigeria. the group has pledged allegiance to isil which has called on its supporter to fight in africa. nigeria's government insists it has no need to unlawfully recruit soldiers to confront boko haram. it already has the support of african union regional force but as the general elections move closer later this month. some say the government's use of mercenaries will translate in to votes. al jazerra. al jazerra's nick schifrin is in northern eastern nigeria and has been speak to the nigerian government about the vikings against boko haram. >> reporter: according to a senior western official who works here as well as a senior noncommissioned officer inside the nigerian military who was actually injured by boko haram both of them say that the 40 or

so villages that the military or nigeria i should probably say has recaptured from boko haram was done in part or at least because of the help of foreign mercenaries. we have spoken to many senior military officials as well today and over the last few weeks as we have traveled throughout this region, and they insist that the tide is turning against boko haram. not because of the mercenaries but because of a combination of new arms, more political will, as well as that help from neighboring countries. egypt's government says it will builds a new administrative capital just west of cairo and it will be done in seven years and cost $45 billion. it's part of a series in a summit aimed atta tracting more investment. egypt's gulf neighbors have pledged more than $12 million to support the company.

president sey says sisi says he hopes condominium growth will be cut by 10% in five years. stefanie dekker reports. >> reporter: world and business leaders all here to listen to egypt's pitch despite years of turmoil we are opening for business. in his opening speech, president sisi personally welcomed many of the heads of state present here for their support. >> translator: i would like to thank all our brothers, kings and presidents of the arab states. that are giving us a lot of honor by being here today in owe jim i didn't want. the egypt society is 25% of the middle east, stability in egypt is a very important role for the is -- stability of the whole region, we need to make sure that this power will be for the benefit of the stability.

nation and for the ream un. >> reporter: it started off well with billions of dollars pledged by some of egypt's richest neighbors the aim is to get billions more, it's a glitzy campaign. they want a clean easy flowing traffic, businesses and industries ready for investment. the reality is more complicated. on the opening day of the conference an explosion his barclays bank and a greek bank from the city. they threatened all companies taking part in the summit. there have been a few small protests against the government and against the conference. one slogan being used, egypt is not for same. the muslim brotherhood now deemed a terrorist on objection by the government won't be too eager to see this conference succeeds. did he scentdescents has been heavily approximately held down in the past. there has been growing violence.

plus the threat of isil affiliated groups across the board never libya. all difficult issues for the government to tackle alongside high unemployment. a struggling tourism industry and low foreign investment. this may be an economic plea in egypt's economy can certainly do with a cash injection but this is also about president sisi political a legitimacy. the international monetary fund and the u.s. secretary of state were present. >> howie i didn't want fares in the coming years and how it restructures its con me. will affect not only the country's nearly 90 million citizens but many others throughout the region who aspire it a better future. that is why we are gathered here here. we all have a stake in egypt's success. >> reporter: who is president here and what is said and what is pledged, will be an indication of the level of

international support that president sisi and his policy's hold. talks to end the political stalemate between libya's rival governments have been postponed against. the delegation from the u.n.-recognized government in tobruk did not show up in ma rock oh, the u.n. envoy did meet with the members the tripoli based national congress, they are concerned of the renegade jenas its top military commander. >> reporter: talks to break the political impasse in libya won't take time in the month moroccoan capital this week. delegations have not arrived yesterday. they say they need more time to talk with their own leaders about the details of the political settlement. in the meantime representatives of the general council met with the unites nations special representative and told him that they are not happy with the recent appointment of general

hafta as army chief in the eastern part of the country. halfhafta is top military commander who launch ahead massive military campaign against the western part of the country last summer. they say that hafta should never have a say in the future of libya a political settlement is going to be a long way to go the to agree on a government arrangement and expanding military and forming a national unity army is going to take some time. now the concern of the international community is the following: if the political divide continues groups a fill greated with isil with it's take advantage of the situation. and further expand in different parts of the country particularly the east. this is exactly why they are determined to have both the east and west set their differences aside and agree on a political settlement. there have been more protests in yemen against the

houthi rebel movement. this video is from the coastal city which the houthis captured in october. they have also been frosting in other places, the shia group took control of the capital sanaa in september and dissolved the government last month. a straight strait ahead on al jazerra, when we come back. syrian kurdish fighters call for more help to did he fight isil. and remember wiki leaks founder he's still living in the ecuador vinnie em bass any london, but there could be a breakthrough in his case, that's all ahead.

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hello again, dozens of people are feared dead after cyclone pam hit the. destruction is unbelievable. winds of more than 250-kilometers an hour brought downpour lines and excuses storm surges. nigeria's government says they are getting help to fight boko haram from mercenarieses. but the government says they are only involved in training and logistics. egypt says it will build a new administrative capital just east of cairo as part i've series of mega projects announced during a summit aimed at attracting more investment in egypt. turkey says it's arrested 16 indonesians who were trying to cross the board never to neighboring syria. the foreign minister says they were planning on joining the

islamic state of iraq and the levants. a turkish tv channel released new video of which it shows a man with three british school girls, turkey says he's a turkey citizen. kurds are voting in their ring fountain a new government. the syrian information minister also said the kurds are a major partner in the fight against isil. the syrian kurdish fighters are urging more air strikes from the u.s. led co defense against isil. zeina khodr reports. >> reporter: these are kurdish forces in syria. the people's protection units or the ypg. they have been on the frontline in the war against the us limb i can state of iraq and the levants. they say that they are defending their lands against isil. they are also the anti-isil coalition's only partner on the ground in syria. the group's political wing is the py it.

>> on the ground, it is the kurtz who are fighting isil. the support we are getting is limited to air strikes it made us stronger no doubt. but we are not receiving any weapons and ammunition. >> reporter: the u.s. led coalition does acknowledge their advancement. but it is carol to identify the fighters as the y.p.g. in its statement it also them the anti-isil forces. many in the international community considering the y.p.g. fighters and their political wing to be the syrian branch of the. [ inaudible ] on the u.s. and terrorist list. >> the p.y.d. you could say it's the lolla fill yachts of the p.k. k. on the ground in the syrian areas. they are very closely i want

linked. but of course you want to be careful because the p.k. k. it still listed as a terrorist organization in the west. >> reporter: clearly it is a complicated factor, the ypg will be among the opposition groups that the u.s. plan to his arm and train and fight in sear request, even though it has organized and has been engaged in direct combat with isil. before isil advance in the region, they were enjoy relatively civility. they even have their own administration that ran their affairs, many interpreted this as as step towards creating an independent state. but the kurds say all they want is autonomy in a democratic syria. the battle for the border town of kobane was the first time the u.s.-led coalition coordinated with the local fighting force on the ground in syria. at first, it was reluctant to do so, in part because turkey also considers the p.y.d. and p.k. k. tear off assists.

months later their cooperation continues, it is an alliance born of necessity, no choice. zeina khodr, al jazerra beirut. turkey's coast guard has opened up on a ship care vinnie syrian refugees trying to reach italy. shops were fired at the i think isenginesafter the captain ignored warnings to stop. and we have full coverage of the conflict in syria on our website aljazerra.com. just click on syria broken nation on the front of page in-depth reports analysis and video. swedish prosecutors have offered to travel to london to question the wiki leaks founder on sexual assault allegations. julien has been living at the ecuador yep embassy in london since 2012. he believes if essex that diet today sweden he would be handed over to the united states.

jonah hull reports. >> reporter: at the he can away dorian embassy in london a police presence is poised day and night to arrest the wiki leaks founder if he sets foot outside. from his almost three-year confinement inside, julien a saupblg is said to have welcomed a swedish prosecution request to be able to interview him here. it's alleged that he committed sex crimes, including rape, involving two women in sweden in 2010. allegations he has always denied saying the sexual encounter in question were consensual. >> we see this as a victory for him. we see this as evidence that we were right all the time. that the prosecutor was i don't think all the time. and we welcome her initiative. >> reporter: assange lost a supreme court appeal to prevent us extradition instead seek ago sigh legal in the embassy while on bail.

swedish prosecutors want to come now because some of the crimes he's alleged to have committed will reach their statute of limitations in august. time is now of the essence for swedish law to run its course, it's not clear when the meeting may take place but chief prosecutor now hopes to come here to the embassy to interview julien a saning and to be assange and take a swap of his dna. if he were to face trial in sweden, he could be extradited to the united states where an investigation is ongoing in to wiki leaks 2010 release of hundreds of thousands of classified military and diplomatic files. no charges have yet been filed in sweden. while in britain his embassy confinement under constant police watch has so far cost the british taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. a your honor investigators say they have leads for the

whoever shot and wound the police officers during a protest rail. protesters demand the shooting held a candle lit individual ill for peace ferguson has become a folk the point of race after the killing of a white officers of a black peen tanker. >> reporter: the st. louis county chief of police says he's getting good cooperation from the community. and he's received a few dozen leads. but he needs more. the national organization known as crime stoppers has offered a reward of $10,000 for any information lead to go an arrest. at this stage, the chief said that he couldn't say whether or not the gunman or woman was related to the demonstrators in any way or connected in any way. he also said when asked if it was possible if it was the demonstrators who were being shot at, that he could not rule that out as a possibility which was an interesting admission

from a man who one day earlier had called the shooting of the police officers an ambush. at this stage it seems clear that there are a lot of questions that still need to be answered by the police and what information they do have they are keeping very close to the vest. a court in the maldives has stepsed the former president to 13 years behind bars, he has been convicted of ordering the arrest of a senior judge while in office in 2012. he was maldives first democratically elected president. his supporters says this is just a way to keep him out of politics. the united states and india have echoed those concerns. now, a u.s. healthcare worker who tested positive for ebola is now in a serious condition at a hospital in the state of maryland. the patients caught ebola while working in sierra leon this is the 11 theth person with the virus to be treated in the united states. another person who might also have been exposed is being flown back to the u.s.

the first case of this ebola outbreak was trace today a village in guinea where a two-year-old boy was the first to die from the did he sees imran kahn reports on how life there has changed. >> reporter: these people aren't taking in i chances. it's been reported that locals ate bats from this tree and contracted ebola virus. beginning what has grown in to the worst outbreak of the virus ever recorded. the bats brought the ebola in this village according to the white man and the government as the head of the young people in this village we have decided to burn this tree so that no bat will bring ebola. the government issued a press release that ebola was first detected in bats from this tree. and his son was the first person to contract the disease and die in the current outbreak. other members of the family also died. in the beginning when my children started dieing and my wife, i doubted myself and i thought they were killed by tradition. although later the white man say it's ebola. when the ebola entered my individual i was the first person to lose all of my family.

my one year son died, my doubter and wife too. accord to this world health organization, the ebola virus has killed 10,000 people. mostly in west africa. with guinea, liberia and sierra leone being the worst hit. a vaccine is being tested and modeled the rain vacs action approach which was used to irrelevant rat cat small pox in the 1970s investigators look at what's called the index case and find all of those who have come in to contact with that person. but there are challenges. both guinea and sierra leone are still reporting dozens of new cases every week and the number of ebola deaths taking place outside of hospitals remains high. and that suggests that people are wary of seeking help or hiding patients. imran kahn, al jazerra. in south african a appeal against oscar pistorius conviction for culpable homicide will go before the supreme court. the pair limb pill para olympic athlete

was convicted. they want pistorius convicted of murder he's currently surveying five-year prison sentence. weeks after mexico blamed pope francis for saying it was a breeding for gang, they have blaming the devil for the violence there. >> i think the devil is punishing mexico with great fury. and for that reason all of these things you have seen that throughout history. there have always been areas of great conflict. who is at fault for that? the governments are always to blame. yes, but all of us are to blame in one way or another by not taking responsibility for the suffering. a wildlife conservational in the u.s. state of florida are puzzled more than a dozen approximately cans have been found with their pouches slashed and no one nose why. a reward is being offer today find the culprits, andy gallagher has more from florida. >> oh, my poor baby. my little baby.

my baby. >> reporter: mia trained as a nurse in her native croatia these days she's putting those skills to good use. a makeshift refuge center in big pine key. has become a vital lifeline for the areas unique wildlife and things have never been busier. >> 24 hours a day, seven days a week. you know, we -- that's what i do i don't like to go outside. i don't like to go here, i am happy with my animals think i am happy here. they need me. you know. they are still alive. >> reporter: but in the last few months mia's refuge has been inundated with badly injured brown pelicans at least a dozen of the birds have been found with sliced pouches injuries that veterinarian don harris says are both deliberate and malicious. >> the horror in that is they don't want the birds to die they want them to die a slow, spheuz ph*euz rabble death it's not just murder it's torture and murder. easy buddy.

>> reporter: dock dr. harris believes fishermen angry about pelicans stealing their catch may be responsible i believe think despite a reward and growing concern so far no one has been caught or charged. >> i would look i can to fem to number testimony shelves in to so weekends this first and foremost. but, you know, if anything we were out there looking for you. >> reporter: for the most part, well cans in the keys are deeply respected. but it's theiral sometimes frowned upon dependency that may be getting them this trouble. what makes them vulnerable is their relationship with people. at got gutting stations they gets a free meal and show absolutely no fear. but that also makes them an easy target. but for pelicans that are found and treated, there is a good chance of survival once they are rereleased. and as long as mia lives here, the pelicans of the florida keys have a protector who it seems will never give up hope. >> i love you babies, oh, there she goes, got a fish.

>> reporter: andy gallagher, al jazerra, big pine key florida. now for the viewers joining us in the united states "america tonight" is up next. and whenever you are there is lots more on our website. aljazerra.com. get the latest on all of the stories we are covering there, plenty of news, analysis and perspective. >> on an "america tonight" special report: drugging america. >> marv and linda lost their son jason last august. >> i never thought he was going to die. >> the tomah va told them his death was caused by an aneurysm. >> despite the va's most serious warning, they found the nursing home residents with dementia