okay. i do apologies for the sound there and the picture quality that we have coming through. that's john kerry speaking at the economic conference. we'll tidy that have and have the latest of what he says a little later. the clean up begins in the wake of deadly cyclone pam, which smashed into vanuatu in the south pacific you're watching al jazeera, i'm nick clark, live from doha. also - investment at a new capital city. plans unveiled at egypt's global

financial summit. an historic journey. india's prime minister arrived in the tamil heartland of sri lanka. and hep for nigeria - government includes mercenaries as part of the campaign so at least eight people are confirmed dead after cyclone pam hit vanuatu. thousand prepared to spend a second night in shelters after finding their homes destroyed. emergency teams were sent into the country, which lies to the east. >> venturing out of their homes to assess the devastation left by tropical cyclone pam. vanuatu, a group of island in the pacific was hit by winds up to 270 k/hr on friday.

the category 5 storm. the most severe on the scale uprooted trees and tore apart homes. power was cut. as the storm waged. residents could do little to wait. >> i was in the bathroom. back against the door. i looked at the roof sounded like it was lifting. all they can do during this is think about people in vanuatu who have absolutely no shelter. this is going to be a horrific humanitarian disaster. >> as pictures of the devastation in the capital slowly emerge the concern is for those living in smaller veilings and the outer islands. aid groups say it's possible villages have been wiped out. >> it's a destructive cyclone. hitting a country that has - that is using a lot of traditional shelters and housing

which means that they are vulnerable to this intensity. >> the u.n. says there are unconfirmed reports that dozens of people have been killed in the north-east. vanuatu's president, away to attend a conference is unsure. >> i'm speaking with you today with a heart that is heavy. i do not know what impact. thousands of people were evacuated to shelters returning to find the homes destroyed. the u.n. is employing a rapid response team to aid relief operations and neighbours on hand. they are destructive wins rain flooding landslide, sea surges and rough seas. tropical cyclone pam, sir awe bus and the sollio mon island.

>> reporter: it is forecast to go past new zealand. vanuatu bore the brount. many areas are dangerous to assess. we have communications up with egypt. john kerry is speaking. >> we discussed efforts to develop a healthy sustainable and provide sector-led palestinian economy. one that could transform the fortunes of the palestinian people and all of their neighbours in the region. before i take your question. let me say a word quickly about the p5+1 talks with iran. from the beginning the talks have been tough and intense. they remain so. we have some progress but there

are gaps important gaps and important choices that need to be made by iran in order to be able to move forward. i want to be clear. nothing in our deliberations is decided until everything is decided. and the purpose of these negotiations is not just to get any deal. it is to get the right deal. president obama means it when he says again and again that iran will not be permitted to get a nuclear weapon. as you all know and doesn't want a nuclear weapon. that is a welcome statement that the supreme leader incorporated into a fatwa. we have great respect, great respect for the religious reports of a fatwa.

what we are effectively trying to do is translate that into legal language. every day language within a negotiated agreement that everybody could understand. they have certain obligations and we able to guarantee that iran's nuclear programme will be peaceful now and forever. sanctions alone kapt achieve that. we need a verifiable set of commitments, and we need an agreed upon plan that obviously provides the access and the opportunity to be able to know what is happening so you can have confidence that the programme is indeed peace: that is what we are negotiating about. and we need to cover every

potential path way, iranian, plutonium, covert that may exist for a weapon. only an agreement can do that. what is the alternative. in previous years when u.s. policy was not to talk to iran and insist at the same time that they could have no nuclear programme whatsoever the number of centrifuges ski rocketed. every time negotiations have broken down in the past iran's nuclear programme has advanced. only the joint plan which iran agreed to and fuli implemented has succeeded in freezing iran's programme for the first time in nearly 10 years. and even rolled it back in some cases. and they agreed to that. because they have an interest in

proving that their plan is peaceful. a comprehensive plan will lock in with greater specificity and breath, if we can arrive at it. the ways in which iran will live up to its international obligations under the npt for the long term. so we continue to be focus the on reaching the right deal. a deal that would protect the world, including the united states, and our closest allies and partners from the threat that a nuclear armed iran could pose. we still don't know whether or not we will get there. that is why i will travel to switzerland tomorrow in order to meet with foreign minister zarif, and once again engage in talks to see if we can find a way to get that right deal.

as i have said previously. it may be that iran kapt say yes to the type of deal that the international community is looking for. but we owe it to the future of everybody in the world to try to find out. if we cannot get to a diplomatic agreement. make no mistake, we obviously do have other options. but those options will mooep no transparency they will mean no verifiable set of commitments, and do not close off the potential pathways to a nuclear weapon for nearly as long as a netted agreement can, if it's the right agreement. so we will return to the talks, recognising that time is of the essence. the clock is ticking, and important decisions need to be made. with that i would be happy to answer a few questions.

>> margaret brennan from c.b.s. i think we have mikes coming to you. >> mr secretary, thank you. would the deadline for a deal being so close, do you believe that a deal is within reach? and given the recent comments by the supreme leader and some of u.s. allies do you think the gop letter will undermine the diplomacy and made reaching an agreement that much harder? >> well the deadline is approaching. as you all know we have set the end of the month as the deadline. and so we will be going into this understanding that time is critical. i can't tell you whether or not

we can get a deal whether we are close. one reason i can't tell you is because we have heard some comments from the if supreme leader. and a letter sent by the 47 senator. until i engage in the conversations. i cannot gauge on a personal level that rehabilitation. i can it will you from commonsense that when the united states. when the senate sends a letter such as 47 senator chose to send the other day. it is a direct interference in negotiations of the executive department. it is completely without precedent. and it is almost inevitable that it will raise questions in minds of the folks with whom we are negotiating as to whether or not they are negotiating with the executive department and the president, which is what the

constitution says or whether there are 535 members of congress. let me make clear to iran to our p5+1 counterparts who are deeply involved in the negotiation, that from our point of view, this letter - the letter was, income incorrect in its statements about what power they do have. it was incorrect in its assessments of what type of agreement this is. and as far as we are concerned, the congress has no ability to change an executive agreement per se. we'll approach the negotiations in the way we have approached them to date. not affected externally but looking as this administration according to president obama's instructions to get the right deal that will accomplish for

the security interests of the united states, our friend and allies in the region and for the long term security of everybody who cares about nonproliferation. >> that is john kerry speaking in egypt, talking about two things. we heard him talking about egypt and how the importance - the role that egypt is playing. and used it to defend negotiations with iran saying some choices are quote to be made. nothing is decided until we are looking at any deal but the right deal. this is john kerry speaking in egypt. we'll look more at what he has to say as the day goes on moving on in northern iraq 13 kurdish peshmerga fighters have been killed in shelling. the incident took place in

kirkuk. they been in that area for several months. i.s.i.l. fighters in the city of tikrit will be defeated in three address. a volunteer unit fighting along side the army and tribal forces have been battling. but the chief says the remaining 60 or 70 rebels will be out in the next 72 hours. john brennan assess the cia has been revamped to combat the islamic state of iraq and levant, as well as other threats to the security. the head of the agency predicted what he termed a long-term struggle. still to come - an porp

battle in brazil. will 100 million of new equipment evise the hospitals. only on al jazeera america

>> tuesday on "the stream". >> the annual south by southwest festival has been a breeding ground for some of the biggest tech innovations in the world. we'll take you there, giving you a glimpse into the future. >> "the stream". tuesday, 1:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. welcome back. let's take a look at some of the top stories on al jazeera. eight people are confirmed dead after cyclone pam hit vanuatu. united nations emergency teams have been rushed to the islands after 270 k/hr caused widespread

destruction. the u.s. secretary of state is holding a press conference. during an economic conference john kerry defended the president obama administration from the republicans, critical of the u.s.-iran nuclear talks. 13 kurdish peshmerga have been killed in shelling by i.s.i.l. in the city of kirkuk. kurdish forces have been battling i.s.i.l. >> talks between libya's two rival parties have been postponed after one side failed to show up. the meeting in morocco was halted after the absence of a delegation from the u.n. government. the u.n. envoy met members from the tripoli based general congress. delegates from the gfc are concerned with the appointment of general khalifa haftar iran agreed to give the

country $1 billion in aid, backing the building of power stations and the supply of fuel. protesters have been speaking out against a houthi takeover and a rally was held in the coastal city with similar protests elsewhere. the houthis took control and resolved the government last month. >> nigeria is getting help from foreign mercenaries. there's evidence that the so-called soldiers of fortune are playing a vital role on the front line. victory in baga. nigerian troops sweep into the town of borno state, and regain control from boko haram. >> you go for confidence. you of how it used to be.

you collect it. and few of them. >> reporter: they show the cache of weapons as proof of success. it's these operations that the military says is turning it against boko haram. and the night is not won alone. they now admit that it's getting technical and logistical support. >> sources have told al jazeera that mercenaries are playing a roll on the front lines. >> the nigerian government has explanations that they can stick to. they say the neighbouring armies. niger. cameroon, and chad - boko haram has attacked them also. they'll say they are defending their territory, and we cooperate with them.

as they have said about the others the foreigners from south africa and elsewhere. these are trainers so i think they have the story down. >> boko haram has emerged as a major security threat to nigeria. it's killed thousands of people over the past six years in a campaign to carve out an islamic state in northern nigeria. the group pledged aleej onlies to i.s.i.l. calling on supporters to fight in africa. >> the government insists it has recruited soldiers. it has the support of african union, a regional force. as the nation heads towards general elections some say the government's use of mercenaries is a push for security that will translate into votes. libya's prime minister arrived in the northern sri lankan city of jaffna.

it is the first indian leader to visit the stronghold. they were defeated in the civil war, narendra modi met leaders of the tamil alliance in the capital. and they are joined from jaffna. it's an important visit overall, not least because of the significance of where it is now. >> the indian prime minister is making several important points. we did hear him talk about support for sri lanka as it reverse to the process. they are constitutional changes. many were supported. that was at that day looked at and targeted bringing peace between the communities. here in jaffna behind mean you see historic public library, a symbol of culture and learning burnt down during the course of

the war. it's been rebuilt. he met the chief minister governor and officials, watched the cultural performance, but the messages are not political. it's the affinity between sri lanka. one that had been in previous years with the government being closely aligned to china. here in the province not just is he talking about india standing side by side in a pursuit of a future for all communities in the country, including the tam ill minority bringing equality justice, dignity and peace for all. he talked about the fact that the tamil national alliance who he spoke to should essentially acknowledge the fact that he realised that it's too much before the government took office. there's a lot of work to be done in addressing the grievances of

the tamil people that the new government may need time. >> it's an important time for relations between the two countries. they have been strained haven't they? >> that's right. in terms of this whole visit that we have seen and unfolding over the last two days. almost unthinkable a few years ago. the new government say the president himself did pledge that they could redraw or re-organise the country's foreign policy. the previous government had been aligned to the - the asian giant, china who stood by his government. however, in terms of other countries being inclusive. they had had strange relations, including with india. this visit by the prime minister in return of the president's visit, his first foreign call

since becoming president is seen as significant and a pointer to the thawing relations and potential of warmer ties in the future. >> thank you for that update. china has dispatched fighter jets after a plane dropped to become inside china's territory. it killed four people. myanmar says it is targetting rebels who want to take over the region, along the swrn border. >> florence louie has the latest in southern myanmar. >> this appears to be the worst still over of violence in china since fighting began more than a month ago. tens of thousands have been displaced and more than 100 killed. this was serious enough for the chinese air force to say it's stepping up provisions along the border area. it's serious enough for the

myanmar ambassador to be summoned. during the meeting he said he would like to see myanmar officials vet the incident. report their findings and punish whoever was responsible for the intrusion into chinese territory. the air strike comes a week after a shell from myanmar landed. there were no casualties. but it suggests that there is heavy bombardment in the area. and the region has been under a state of emergency since mid february. there are few independent reports coming out from there. two later incidents suggest heavy fighting. this is not the first time fighting in myanmar spilled into china. three citizens were killed.

the independence army that spilled over. this will make china worried. it not only wants to deal with a refugee problem. it will complicate the decision of nonintervention, not meddling in its neighbours affairs. >> a fer i sunk off the coast. more than 200 are on board. pulling 157. 26 are missing. >> a u.s. sfit dispen is being tested for the ebola in honduras. he fell ill. a healthcare worker is in a serious condition in a u.s. hospital after testing positive. the unnamed person is the 1 isth person with the virus to tree treated in the united states.

100 million worth of new equipment from china should help. >> reporter: this is harare central hospital and president robert mugabe is here to see what $100 million can buy. robert mugabe, who travels to singapore for treatment hopes it will help with zimbabwe facility yes. >> this is going on. zimbabwe's economy is in trouble. they face bans and sanctions in the west over human rights abuses. so he turned to china. >> china and zimbabwe are

all-weather friends. and our cooperation. it's almost every second, including every culture, manufacturing. mining. as well as social sebbing tears. china is the biggest trading partner. china has been accused of exploiting the vast mineral resources. she saw it as a life line. >> it's acceptable for investment. we don't want it to develop in china. what the chinese are doing, it's in the right direction for the nation. >> reporter: it will be used to

by ambulances x-ray machines and incubators. it's all equipment need theed. it comes with a price. aljazeera.com, the website. all the news. we're going to explore the intersection of hardware and humanity and we're doing it in a unique way. this is a show about science by scientists. let's check out our team of hard core nerds. kyle hill is an engineer. tonight, sharks, long feared for their ferocity, how they can protect us. the secret in in their skin. rachelle oldmixon is a