help us now, mes plea from vanuatu's president for the island nation.i'm lauren nation. i'm lauren taylor this is al jazeera live from london. ten years on, two police officers go on trial for the deaths of two teenagers which sparked weeks of riots. and vladimir putin reappears in public as crimea prepares to mark a year since it was annexed by russia.

hello, vanuatu's president is urging the world to provide immediate help to rebuild after the cyclone that's devastated the island nation. sever tropical cyclone pam hit after ones of 320 kilometers an hour. the official death has risen to 24 but that could rise again as aid agencies reach the outer islands. the storm wiped out recent development, and vanuatu will have to rebuild everything. he blames climate change for the degree of the storm. >> it is a summon monster. for the government and for the people of vanuatu. after all the development that has taken place all this

development has been wiped out. so it means of that we will have to start anew, again. >> al jazeera's andrew thomas has this report from vanuatu's capitol port villa. >> reporter: from the air you get glimpse of the destruction. but it's up close that you can see the impact that cyclone pam had on port villa. aid agencies say 90% of the buildings have been damaged many beyond repair. trees are down everywhere. rain and floodwaters made what the wind did worse. thankfully though, few people died in port villa and injuries too were light. at the hospital was colin litch who hurt his foot at the storm. back home he showed us how he got the injury trying to save his garage and car. it was futile. >> the metal of the garage hurt your foot.

>> yes. >> his partner pleaded with him not to go out in the storm. >> i was praying. i was panicked. i thought i'm going to lose him. yeah. >> litch is a builder. there will be plenty of work coming his way within meters of his house. destruction, house he crushed by trees, boats thrown from the normally idyllic lagoon. as the cyclone struck there were four people in here when the roof started peeling off they ran. luckily they did as can you see the house has been totally destroyed. the house had been in annie's family for generations. >> emotional. you know. it's really when the roof just came off. >> similar stories are

everywhere help is arriving into port villa but a lot of help will be needed here and many outlying islands haven't been heard from since the storm. andrew thomas, al jazeera port villa, vanuatu. >> iran's foreign minister is meeting european ministers in brussels after four hours of talks with the u.s. to try to reach a deal on his country's nuclear program. it appears no major break through was made in lausanne but as our diplomatic editor james bays reports there was slight progress. >> the u.s. secretary of state relaxing. after an intense afternoon. >> secretary, good afternoon. >> is that thumbs up, the reaction of the latest nuclear negotiations? they were intense the latest negotiations led by secretary

kerry and the iranian side, zarif, as he left mr. zarif made his most upbeat comments today. cameras had been kept a long awaywayaway finally we're getting something. meetings in brussels with european foreign ministers the diplomacy is underway, at a hectic pace. >> if i'm john kerry my hard work is paying off. u.s. iran bilateral relationships and the nuclear negotiations more generally in aan unprecedented phase. we are in the home stretch in the 11th hour. he more than anyone else with the possible exception of president obama wants to seal the deal. >> secretary kerry is expected to stay in lausanne all week. zarif will return here for more talks in the coming days. but the iranian delegation will

leave at the end of the week to get home for its yacial annual holiday. >> what's happening now? >> as james bays spaicted in his report the foreign minister mr. zarif, earlier he had a one on one with fredericka margarini, she was aware there were still gaps between the two sides, but she was hoping the eu could help close the gaps. that bilateral meeting has now been expanded to include the foreign secretaries of britain france and germany who of course crucially are also part of this p-5 plus one organization which is driving the talks forward. and that is what we understand is happening right now it's

hinted that those talks should be wrapping up within about 45 minutes. >> and you mentioned the gaps. do we have any idea what they are? >> well, there's been very little on the specifics of what these gaps are. but it is well-known that the key issues separating the sides in the months up into this last crucial two weeks don't forget they want to get this deal signed by the end of march are concerned basically how much of iran's nuclear program will be allowed to be active. how much of the centrifuges that iran has currently will be able to remain in operation what will happen to iran's already enriched uranium, how much of that will have to be exported, the level of investigation and monitoring which the international community wants to be very, very aggressive to make sure the iranians don't cheat on the deal and particularly with the eu they want to know how quickly these punishing sanction he are going to be lifted so

mr. zarif can go back to iran and say this is the deal, and the sanction he are going to be lifted swiftly. the speed in which these damaging sanction he will be lifted once the deal is signed is the principal iranian concern, the eu sanctions on iran are very strict and i'm sure that's what the iranians have come to speak of this seefng forevening for sure. >> simon thank you very much. the trial of two police officers for failing to come to assistance to a person in danger. if convicted they face five years in jail. from ohen jacky rowland reports. >> it's been a long journey for the two families. ten years in the making. from a suburb of paris to the

town of rennes. the incident in 2005 is as fresh as it was today so is their sense of loss. >> translator: we remember, we never forget. a few days ago it would have been his birthday. he would have been 25. from 15 to 25. his life would have completely changed. he could have finished his studies. he could have done the things he wanted to do. particularly in football which was his great passion. >> ziad and bu thrvetiona had not committed any crime. they had been playing football with friends when a police patrol car pulled up. fearing they would get hassle from the police the boys climbed the fence of an electricity substation where they were electrocuted. their deaths triggered rioting in the neighborhood. night after night protestors set fire to cars and public buildings. the riots spread to other suburbs and the government declared a state of emergency.

it's been an extremely long legal process. now ten years later the families hope that this trial will finally give them some answers. the death of the teenagers and the riots that followed drew public attention to the suburbs. it also raised broader questions about the policing of these communities. lawyers for the police say it's important to focus on the facts and not to turn these two officers into scapegoats. >> translator: my clients did not know that there was someone on the site so they could not know that they were in danger. therefore they could not take the deliberate decision not to go to their rescue. >> the trial will last one week. the judge will then have two months to decide whether the police officers did fail in their duty to protect or whether the death of the teenagers was simply a tragic accident. jacky rowland, al jazeera

rennes. the muslim brotherhood's top leader has had his case referred to egypt's grand mufti. 13 others to the state's highest islamic legal official. the grand mufti's decision must be sought before any execution can take place. charges against him include murder and insighting violence in 2013. iraqi army says it's paused the fighting in the israeli city of tikrit. trying the recapture tikrit from the islamic state of iraq and the levant. i.s.i.l. took total control of the city in june last year. >> translator: more than 90% of our poivets are toivets objectives are going according to plan. troops are making progress to

liberate the city. the enemy planted bombs in government officest and buildings. we aim to give an opportunity for civilians to get away from the battlefield. in yemen the houthis have released the prime minister and many other ministers from house arrest. houthis seized control of sanaa. raising the risk of a north south split. still to come this half hour can israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu secure another term or will isaac hertzog steal his crown? and why is the chinese interested in this tech fair in germany? >> thursday.

>> to the apaches, it's an ancestral place. >> sacred lands threatened. >> were the apache consulted on this? >> no. >> a controversial deal. >> we would love to have a mine in the community. at the end of the day, it is an issue of fairness. >> america tonight gets an exclusive interview with a foreign mining company accused of taking native american land. >> people have been very critical of your company, saying that it'll leave a permanent scar on the landscape. will it? >> an america tonight special report: "mining sacred lands". thursday, 10:00 eastern.

>> tomorrow 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". tomorrow, 1:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> hello again a reminder of the top stories here on al jazeera. vanuatu's president is urging the world to help him rebuild his island, the death toll has risen to 24 as aid agencies reach remote islands. in brussels where he's continuing discussions on his country's nuclear program. follows earlier talks with u.s. secretary of state john kerry. negotiators have until the end of the moo month to reach a trail

work agreements. electrocuted in 2005, while hiding at a power station in the suburbs. in nigerian military says it's recaptured the town of bama from boko haram. bama is the sedge largest city in the borno state. seablght johnsecretary of state john kerry says bashar al-assad should be included in talks. concrete action from warren. >> washington. >> we are still waiting for the actions, we have no choice but to defend our country. we have had no other alternative since day 1 but to do so. any international changes if genuine that come out are something pofer. >> nor on the reaction to john

kerry's actions let's cross to rosalyn jordan. did kerry get ahead of hymns here? >> well, lauren, if you were to ask if french or the turks they would say john kerry did get ahead of himself. if you take a very close look at what the secretary of state actually said during that interview on sunday you'll see that he was talking about the assad regime not about bashar al-assad himself except in a very colloquial sense. at any rate, aids here at the time state department in washington insist that bashar al-assad is still not the legitimate leader of syria, that he ought to leave and that any political settlement to resolve the four-year-old civil war in syria did -- cannot have him on the table. >> and on that point how likely will there be any negotiations to end the civil war?

>> probably not any time soon lauren. that is because even though there have been russian attempts to bring parts of the issue onto the table to resolve the civil war, those closely aligned with the u.s. government say they don't think moscow is brokering in good faith because moscow is an ally of damascus. however, the u.s. says it's open to get the talks back on track but they don't see that happening right now. >> all right rosalyn jordan, thank you very much indeed. >> the italian diplomat fernandoo rosilini tony blair will resign from thinks current role of middle east quartet.

>> ahead of tuesday's vote the election will determine whether prime minister benjamin netanyahu can retain another term in office. imtiaz tyab reports in jerusalem. >> reporter: when prime minister benjamin netanyahu forced snap elections late last year, it was all but certain he would keep his job. but as israelis go to the polls his future is less clear. netanyahu and his right wing lehud party are trailing behind central parties and essentially a referendum on his nine-year tenure. at this rally organized by pro-israeli settlement groups on sunday the strain was starting to show. >> translator: they're attacking me if we don't close

the gap with our rivals there is a threat that left wing government could come into power. >> reporter: this is the man who could be israel's next prime minister isaac hertzog is the leader of the labor party. gained a referendum after it forged a compromise with another party, signaling a potential of major shift in israeli domestic and foreign policy. hertzog wants to remake ties between particularly the united states the long strained relationship between president obama and netanyahu when netanyahu addressed a joint session of congress without first seek egg permission from the white house. >> we will know how to correct the relationship and return them

back to being intimate strong strategic, with full alliance between us and the united states. >> the party expected to place third in the election is the joint list. an alliance of israeli-palestinian parties. it is the first time the parties which are divided along religion nationalistic and political lines, expected to win 13 seat out of the 130 seat parliament. ruling out joining government coalition, some political analysts suggest if the right wing secures more votes than expected, they might be part of a coalition. >> the party winner that wins the most seats doesn't necessarily become prime minister. the job goes to typically whoever can form a governing coalition with smaller numbers.

it seems increasingly unlikely that benjamin netanyahu will be able to do that. imtiaz tyab, al jazeera west jerusalem. met kir asan's president outside st. petersburg. laughed off rumors about his health saying life would be boring without gossip. it's been nearly a year since crimea was absorbed by russia. they are preparingto to celebrate in simferopol about rory challands has the story. >> such jubilation isn't for everyone, others have business to run. on the wind buffeted step land of central crimea these new vinyl yards have struggled

through winter frosts and a year of political upheaval but for the director it's come with upsides. >> since crimea became a part of russia we have a status of domestic producers and can easily sell our produce. plus, we have good government support. >> reporter: one of the biggest challenges for producers has been water supply. ukraine provided 85% of crimea's water down this pipe. now the canal is dry. ukraine shut the water off last april. for other kinds of businesses the problem has been substantial. >> taking all the money in our current account. for a small business like us, the sum was considerable. we needed the money for taxes salaries bills to suppliers the money is irretrievable now.

>> for this area off many vees visa and mastercard pulled their service. the only thing i can do is cancel. this has been annoying for businesses and individuals. there is no sign whether the services will come back. near the airport children's murals project keeping crimea afloat has cost russia $2 billion, promising $10 billion by 2020. people like pavel and elena it would be unwise to toast a prosperous future just yet. rory challands, al jazeera crimea.

justice for islamic movement, he's linked to bombings and beheading and two suspected fighters wanted which the united states. the daughter of malaysia's jailed leader, anwar ibrahim has been jailed for sedition. referred to her father's sodomy conviction unclear which part of the speech has fallen foul of the law. sedition is used to silence dissent. as dominic kane reports china is playing a major role. >> it is germany's window into the technological world. the seabit conference in han

hanover, this year the main foreign partner is china. >> we are an infrastructure provider, which means we need partners for application we need partners for integration in different systems and we're going to have a lot of agreements memorandum of understanding signed with different partners, scientific partners, business partners that will push our business in europe and germany. >> and to put that into perspective, trade relations between china and germany are worth $177 billion every year which explains why both governments are so keen to encourage trade fairs like this one. seabit is also important for german firms to appeal to the chinese market. in recent years some people have expressed concerns over unfair competition there. but one german industrial laser company says that's not a problem. >> translator: we're very complex machines, to copy one is

not that easy. such knowledge acquired that we really don't have to worry about it. >> reporter: another hotly debated topic at seabit is online security and the challenge that china's potential 1.3 billion web users represents. >> the possibility of this government opening getting new members from the online community that means you have more people with more ideas. and you will get more hackers with more bright ideas. so more things can happen. >> seabit's organizers say their fair is the perfect place for companies to meet and discuss new ventures. dominic kane, al jazeera hanover. >> a third round of talks between u.s. and cuba have gotten underway in havana.

new york cosmos have announced they will take on cuba next year. >> the cuban federation has said they would like to play a match against you. sometime before the gold cup. and at beginning he said okay. talk about it. where are you coming from? i said coming from new york, we are the new york cosmos. his eyes opened up and said we would love to play with the new york cosmos. >> cricket world cup first ever appearance at the at the tournament, appeared a wonderful bit of good news from a team mired in conflict. jennifer glasse. >> cricket team here in kabul as they returned from their very first ever world in australia

and new zealand. they are being hailed as heroes here. they have come a very long way in a very shortly period of time. cricket is a relatively new sport here and a bright spot in a country with so many challenges. world showing with this afghanistan team means it will get an opportunity to play more against their international counterparts even if only in practice marches. >> two days after celebrating her 100th birthday with a skydive above cape town, a sent americancentenarian has taken a shark dive. she's pretty game, i have to say. if i'm declining are as 100 i'd

be very pleased indeed. plenty more stories on our website, the address aljazeera.com. talks over u.s. and iran over iran's nuclear program. watch live. >> i became beautiful when i became a fenninist. up to then i was a pretty girl. i was not pretty. >> the face of filminism, gloria steinem. believes the women's battle is going on. >> a blue-colour uniform job for a man pays more.