and glare. the death toll rises from the devastating cyclone with isolated communities still out of contact. i am lauren taylor. this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up nuclear negotiations count but a major deadline is looming. sources say major gaps remain. >> head to head can israeli benjamin netanyahu succeed? den years on, two police officers go on trial for the deaths of two teenagers which

sparked weeks of riots in france. hello. calling for immediately head to rebuild after the cyclone devastated the island name. pam hit on friday night with winds up to 320 kilometers an hour. the u.n. says the official death toll has risen to 24, a figure that's certain to rise as aid agencies reach outer islands. president baldwin said the storm wiped out all development of recent years. he blames climate change for the disaster saying the country has already seen rising sea levels and hi year than average rainfall. andrew thomas has this report from the capital, port vila. >> reporter: from the air, you get glimpses of the destruction, but it's up close you can see

the full impact cyclone pam had on port vila 90% of the buildings have been damaged, many beyond repair. trees are down everywhere. rain and floods waters made what the wind did worst. few people died and injuries, too, were light. at the hospital it was collin lynch who hurt his foot during the storm. at his house, he showed us how he got the injury trying to safe his garage and car. it was futile. the metal broke. ms. partner pleaded with him not to go out in the storm. >> crying: i thought i am going to lose him. he is a builder. there will be plentypy of work coming his way within meters of his house, his destruction.

houses crushed bytrees. trees thrown from a normally idyllic lagoon? >> you can only imagine being in this house. there were four people in here when the roof started peeling off, they ran. lucky they did because you can see the house has been totally destroyed. >> the house had been in the family for generations. >> emotionally, it's really sad. we just couldn't do anything. >> similar stories are everywhere. help is arriving at port vila. a lot of help will be needed here and many outlying islands haven't been heard from since the storm. and thomas al jazeera. port vila vanauatu. >> we spoke to the charity world

vision as she told us about what she had witnessed. >> during cyclone pam, we had winds whiring like the ocean and really strong rain and i have been able to see the damage that this caused. sudden buildings, they have desnated villages. they have blown and washed away by cyclone pam. the immediate concern to get people access to clean drinking water, access to food and shelter. it's been arriving on these aircraft coming in from all over the world. but then beyond immediate priorities. we have seen people move absolutely everything. they haven't just lost their lives. they lost their livelihoods. children have lost places to learn. this will be part of a much longer and much bigger asset than just the immediate response. >> iran's foreign minister has been meeting european ministers in brucels after four hours of talks with the u.s. to try to reach a deal on his country's nuclear program. it appears no breakthrough was made at either talks. sources say major gaps remain.

as our diplomatic editor reports, there were small size of progress at the meeting with u.s. officials. >> a u.s. secretary of state relaxing after intense neck negotiations. is that thumbs up from john kerry an education of progress in the latest round of nuclear negotiations? they were certainly intense, meetings between the u.s. delegation led by secretary kerry and the rainian side headed by foreign minister mohammed zarif lasting almost five hours. as he left mr. zarif made his most upbeat comments to date. cameras have been kept a long way away. we can clearly make out his words. finally, we are getting something. mr. zarif was whisked by motor kade to meetings with european diplomacy is now underway at a hectic pace. >> i found john kerry feeling like hard work is paying off.

the nuclear negotiations more generally in unprecedented phase. so now he is in the home stretch. we are in the 11th hour. he probably more than anyone else with the possible exception of president obama wants to seal the deal. >> secretary kerry is expected to stay in lusanne all week. foreign minister zarif will return here for further talks in the coming days. the iranian delegation is leavedue to leave at the ends of the way. it's iranian new year. with a deadline for a framework agreement set at the end of this month, time to get a deal is tight. james bays al jazeera, lusanne. in isusinusis's election, they have made their final appeal. prime minister benen min netanyahu has vowed to

strengthen construction in east jerusalem settlement. his party is trailing the centrist zinist union. a report from west jerusalem. >> when prime minister benjamin netanyahu forced snap elections last year it was all but certain he would keep his job. but as israelis go to the polls, his future is less clear. ♪net and his right-wing lakud party are trailing behind center left rivals. many political analysts say the vote has essentially become a referendum on his 9-year tenure. at this rally, organized by pro-israeli settlement groups on sunday, the strain was starting to show. >> they are attacking me. we don't close the gap with our rivals, there is a threat that a left-wing government could come in to power. >> this is the man who could be

israel's next prime minister icic herzog is the leader of the labor party. labor gained momentum after it forged a left of center alliance with the hatnua party. they could win more seats than netanyahu's right-wing lakud party, signalling the potential of a major shift in israeli domestic and foreign policy. herzog wants to repair ties with the palestinians and the international community, particularly the united states. long strained relationship reached a low point this month when netanyahu addressed the joints set of congress warning against a nuclear deal without first seeking approval from the white house. >> we will know how to and and correct the relationship and how to return them back to being 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 parties. parties. it's the first time the parties which are divided along religious, socialist and nationalist lines have campaigned as a group. the ticket is expected to win a record 13 or more seats in the 120 seat parliament while the union's leaders have publiruled out joining any government coalition, some political analysts suggest if the right wins more votes than expected they just might potentially deciding the results of the election. >> no party generally wins an outright majority in israel's parliament and the party leader that wins the most seats doesn't necessarily become prime minister. the job typically goes to whoever can form a governing coalition with smaller parties and it's looking increasingly unlikely that benjamin netanyahu will be able to to do that. al jazeera, west jerusalem. muslim brother hood's top

leader had his criminal case. they decided to hand the case of him and 13 others to the state's highest illegal decision. it must be sought before any execution can take place. the charges against him include murder and inciting violence during a protest near cairo in 2013. four filipino nurses have been kidnapped by fighters from an isil-linked group. they were taken in broad daylight from the main hospital in the city of seit. dozens are fleeing there as clashes escalate in the citih city. people have been headed westward along the coast. fuel is in short supply there. some shops are closed. >> in yemen, houthi rebels have released the prime minister and several capk cabinet minister from house arrest. the prime minister says he was

released as a gesture of good well. the houthis seized control placing the entire government under arrest. it raised the risk of a north/south split. iraqi army says its in the city of tick realty to allow any time to leave. sunni tribal fighters is trying to recapture tikrit from the islamic state of iraq in. the levant. they took total control of the city in june of last year. >> reporter: more than 90% of our objectives are going according to plan. what remains is a very small part, the center of tikrit. we have stopped our military advance towards tikrit to lessen casualties amongst our troops the second thing is to protect what remains of infrastructure and property. the enemy planted bombs in government offices and buildings by halting military operations. we also aim to give an opportunities to civilians and families to get away from the

battlefield. >> still to come on al jazeera: why south koreans are showing little interest in defense drills that are meant to show they them how to respond to a possible possible. one year after crimea was annexed, to find the winners and the losers.

a reminder of top stories, vaneutu's president is urging the world to help his island

nation rebuild after cyclone pam caused massive destruction. iran's foreign minister has been 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 breakthrough was made at either talks. sources say major gaps remain. israeli prime minister been min neltnet said there will be no palestinian state as long as he is leader. aeu foreign ministers appointed a representative. al post is the filled that is helped it will make real progress toward an israel-palestinian peacedeal. tony blair says.

. >> the death nearly 10 years ago of two teenagers in the suburbs of paris, the teenagers were electrocuted after climbing the next of a substation to try to escape from a police patrol. jackie roan reports. it's been a long journey for the families, 10 years from the making, from the suburbs of paris to a court in the town of rin. but the memory of what happened on october 27th, 205, is as fresh as if it happened yet yesterday, and so is their sense of loss. >> we remember. we never forget. a few days ago, it would have been buma's birthday. he would have been 25. from 15 to 25. he could have done the things he wanted to do particularly until ball which was his great passion. >> zya d & b una had not committed any crime.

they had been playing ball with friends when a police patrol car pulled up. they climbed the fence of a substation where they were electrocuted. their deaths triggered rioting in the neighborhood. night after night, protesters set fire to cars in public buildings. the riots spread to other suburbs and the government declared a state of eye mergency. it's been extremely long legal process. now, 10 years later, the families hope that this trial will finally, get 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 in to scapegoats. >> 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. jackie roland al jazeera, ryn. >> to the conflict in syria now and remarks by the u.s. secretary of state john kerry who said that the syrian approximately bashar al assad should be included on any negotiations to the conflict in syria. assad acknowledged kerry's comments but said he is wooing waiting for concrete action. >> we are listening and have to wait for the actions and then we will decide. we have no choice but to defend our country. we have had no other alternatives since day 1 but to do so. any international change is genuine that come out are

positive. >> rosalind jordan has more from washington, d.c. . >> if you were to ask the french or the turks, they would certainly say that john kerry did get ahead of himself. both countries are opposed to any negotiations that would involve bashar al assad. if you take a close look to what the secretary of state actually said during that interview on sunday, you will see that he was talking about at a time assad regime, not about bashar al al assad himself but in a colloqual sense. in the state aid department here t insist assad is not the legitimate leader of syria, that he ought to leave and any political settlement to resolve the four-year-old civil war in syria cannot have him at the table. >> the u.s. has hit it's debt limit and can't borrow more money until the depressed acts.

congress has to authorize increased borrowing, a deal that expired on monday. the treasury department says it can continue to fund the government for months just by moving money around. the u.s. senate's republican leader says that his chamber will act and the country will not threaten to default on the debt again. >> the latest twist in brazil's corruption scandal, people arrested six people in connection with kickbacks and political payoffs at the state oil giant petrobras after nearly a million people protested against economic slowdown, rising prices and corruption putting extra pressure on the president who protesters are demanding her impeachment. she chaired the board during much of the alleged corruption period. >> more from sao paulo. >> the day after some of the largest protests in brazil in a generation, everyone is taking stock of what the impact of those protests may be. you have people who support the

impeachment hoping that it builds momentum to have her step down or make drastic changes in her government. meanwhile, she and top level cabinet ministers are trying to figure out what the best response is towards thend of the march, two of her top ministers came out and said they would arrest the issues of corruption and tackle political reform in this country, two big issues, but issues they promise to address before. we have been speaking to people and here is what they had to say. >> politicians will only respond if the people take action. in my opinion, there is no basis for impeachment legally speaking. there is political discontent. it's legitimate. every brazilian citizen has a duty to protest. >> brazilians don't want corruption. this doesn't represent who we are. so we need to change that situation and the way we have to do this is with the voice of the people taking to the streets. >> dilma roussef was elected and can continue her government but

she has to decide to govern and not disappear. she has to come out and be counted because the brazilian people have already come out. >> such sentiments perhaps, an open door to people in the government from people who are upset with the president, that perhaps impeachment isn't the only answer. perhaps there's a way for roussef to change course and respond to this massive movement and make them believe she is a president for all brazilians. >> south korea is staling a nationwide where size in preparation for a possible future attacks from the north. the civil defense drill coincides with annual military exercises and trains citizens to respond safely to an emergency. rob mcbride reports, not many people showing interests. >> when the sirens blair, erin -- blare the drill, everyone knows the problem. relatively few people respond.

civil defense teams go through their emergency responses. turning the subway into a shelter. in the nearby district, people start to listen to the civil defense marshalls, then leave the shelter for the shops. but they are not stopping. they keep coming. two years ago, when north/south tensions had reached near fever pitch, the atmosphere was differently. even some south korea ians who have come to live with the ongoing threat of war seemed concerned. today, the mood is verging on the apathetic. >> on the heavily fortified border between north and south korea, all has been quiet ahead of today's drill. this tourism village a few kilometers away is well within north korea's artillery range, but people here had to be reminded a drill was taking place. >> when they hear the siren, people think, that must be a

drill but i never give much thought to it. >> it doesn't matter if the siren is going. there are still many tourists. it's not an issue for us. >> back in seoul, this drill finished with many not knowing there had been one at all. >> generally, they know what to do. i mean they are supposed to, you know have that kind of education from the -- whatever they have. but know what to do and doing that is two different things. >> and everyone here is hoping it is never put to the test. rob mcbride, al jazeera, seoul. the russian president vladimir putin made his first appearance in public be in 10 days. he met kirghiz stan's president and doesn't explain the absence but laughed off rumors about his health saying life would be boring without gossip. >> it's been a year since cryimea was absorbed. there have been nol commenrations but there are

fears that the economy is struggling as rory challands explains? >> the official anniversary of what russia now calls the crimean spring is days away and the patriotic flag waving has already begun. such jubilation isn't for everyone, though. others have businesses to run. on the wind buffeted step land of central crimea these new vie yards havestructed through frosts and a year of political upheaval but for the director, it's come with upsides. >> reporter: the ukrainian market is considerably smaller than the russian. 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. >> one of the biggest challenges for producers has been water supply. ukraine provided 85% of crimeas water down this pipe now the canal it fet is dry.

the ukraineians shut the water off last april. for other businesses, the problems have been financial. elana's company sells roadside advertising space. >> they banks took the money in our account. for us it was considerable. we needed it for taxes, salaries, our business. the mon is irretrievable now. >> reporter: with crimea off limits, the peninsula has become predominantly cash only. getting cash out can be difficult. shortly after crimea rejoined russia, visa and mastercard pulled services in the region. >> here is my visa card. the only thing i can do is cancel. now, this has been annoying for businesses and individuals. there is no sign when the services will come bang. >> near the airport, children's murals proclaim the russianness of crimea but keeping crimea

afloat has cost russia sol $2,000,000,000 so far, promising 10 billion by 20s 20s. it's been a challenging transition, and it's not over yet. people like paval and elana might express cautious optimism but it would be unwise to toast a prosperous future just yet. for the first time in almost two decades, a u.s. professional sporting team will play in cuba this june. the new york cosmos will travel to havana for the kickoff. a report from new york. >> it's an announcement for a sporting event unimaginable for most of the past 50 years. the new york cosmos play the cuban national ball team in havanah on june 2nd, marking the first time in 16 years a u.s. professional sports team is played on cuban soil. >> this is bringing the people together more than presidents

more than secretaries of states because nothing stops sports fans from enjoying this sport the way soccer now is taking over. >> cuba is a country with a deep history of sports. so there is excitement there as well. >> this is great for both countries. everyone in cuba are looking forward to this. >> if isn't the first time sport has been injected in to politics. in 1972, the united states sentence a table tennis team to beijing to play against their counter parts. the friendly sportsmanship paved the way for a that you hadfor a thawed relationship. ping pong diplomacy is what it has been referred to ever since. it's not just about sports. since the historic announcement a few months ago by barack obama and raoul castro the number of it americans wants to go visit cuba has skyrocketed.

>> nobody knows better than bob guile who has run a travel agency for the past 36 years taking groups to cuba. in recent weeks, his phone hasn't stopped ringing from people wanting to know how to visit the island. >> it's really a brand-new world as far as cuba travel goes. from the few dozen requests we got in jana year ago to this year in the last two weeks of january alone, we had 1,500 requests for trips. >> reporter: this week regularly scheduled charter airline service between new york and havana will res i'm marking another step along the way to reopening ties business travel, and now in sports. gabriel elzondo, new york. two days after celebrating her 100th birthday with a sky dive above cape town a thrill-seeking south african has braved cold waters for a spot of shark diving. no signs of fear. gorge gorgeena said she thought sharkswere

having a hard time because of over-fishing. good for her. don't forget: plenty more on our website any time. the address is aljazeera.com. you can also watch us on there by clicking on the watch live icon. can change lives. >> the science of fighting a humanity and we are doing it in a unique way. this is a show about science by scientists. . >> tonight "techknow" vets the virus hunters. >> we want to understand the evolution of these pathogens. >> this team deals with the