♪ houthis step up that you aremate campaign in yemen. the president accuses them of importing iran's ideology. ♪ um lauren taylor live from london. also coming up: intense fighting around libya's capital kills a militia leader loyal to the tripoli government and threatens peace talks. caught in the crossfire, child victims of the bombing in aleppo. ron nationalinguclear talks.

stopping mother's tears, in naples' most violent neighborhood. >> hundreds of houthi fighters are advancing in southern yemen intensifying the conflict. 20 houthis rebels have been killed. as natasha gname, the u.s. pulled forces out of an air base in southern yemen. >> people gather to protest against the arrival of pro-houthi forces in their city. thing i want to drag us in to war and we refuse. a helicopter flying over a military convoy below was a sign that pro-houthi courses might be closer to a collision course.

hadi has been in aden since he was forced to flee the capital. the editor in chief says it puts them on the path to least resistance to aden and the president. >> there are those who oppose them but they are not armed. they are not quayle. they protest against the houthis but they will not fight the houthis. >> as people grappled with the bomb bombings, president hadi and on television. he said the bombings were an attempt to push the country in to a sectarian war and he needs to ensure the computer of yemenis. >> security -- the security of yemen yemenis. my job is to invite the political powers and components including those who carried out the coup. does e tete to agree on things that will help a lot of the

targets and goals of our people. >> but negotiations are in trouble. al jazeera has learned the u.n. envoy has left the country. saudi arabia has offers to host peace talks but houthi spokesmen say they will only agree to meetings in sanaa. >> talks in read riyad. we need to ask what are the results? who will implement these results? >> reporter: with talks on hold and the houthis on the move the question is whether escalation is en i havetable. natasha gname. >> a new outbreak of fighting around tripoli is jeopardizing peace talks. fighters loam to the internationally recognized government have carry out airstrikes in and around tripoli. these are the latest pictures we are getting from the region. a senior commander from the tripoli based government has

been killed in the clashes. a leader of the faction called "libya dawn" seized the capital until august. the top envoy is condemning the violence. >> yesterday, we had a new military operation in a decisive moment of the talks and our reaction was as strong as it was in the past. this is not only military activity which is undermining the situation in libya and preventing the unity of the libyans in fighting terrorism. it's also an operation we condemn in the strongest terms. >> the general national counsel who head the government are meeting now in the capitol to decide whether to continue the talks in morocco. at those talks, it seems as though the future is up in the air, hashan.

>> reporter: absolutely. more than ever. the escalation of the new state of violence around the capitol, tripoli, we understand the gnc will be discussing whether tom continue in the talks or to pull out from the talks. they have been very critical of the latest violence accusing the internationally recognized government of using those attacks to undermine the political process. for them there is absolutely no doubt in their minds, but it's general hafta the top military commander in the east who is behind these attacks and that his aim is to undermine the possibility of a political settlement. they say that hafta is someone who is not going to have any say in the future in libya. this is why he does not want to have a political settlement that brings about east and west libya on a national government. >> tell us more about the death of the commander loyal to the tripoli government and how that will affect the talks or the potential for there not being talks, i suppose.

>> reporter: the generallyingsenior military commander of the libya dawn the military unit loyal to the trop illi based gnc, he is someone who spent some time in jail in the era of former president muammar gadaffi and during the uprising, he was freed by his comrades and took part in the uprising joining some of the military units to defend and to the capitol, tripoli then he was assigned role as 1 of the tom military can commanders. he is someone who has a religious background at the same time he is a cleric. so, he has a huge influence among people in the western part of the country. his death is a blow to the units stationed in the western parts of the country. this is why today, the gnc wants

to see a review of the whole process because they cant not talk about libya while their fighters are being attacked by forces loyal to hafta. >> thank you very much indeed. tunisian authorities have made more than 20s arrests in connection with the museum killing. a mass has been held to remember the victims of wednesday's attack. of the 23, 20 were foreign tourists. the government said the two gunmen were trained in libya ♪. >> kurdish red crescent says people have been killed in

hasaki. 177 people were injured. the twin blasts targeted people celebrating the kurdish new year. is the islamic state in iraq in the lee vant is thought to be responsible. aleppo once the industrial capital but the biggest urban battleground in syria's war, now in its 5th year. despite dangers, many syrians continue to come out to protest. >> reporter: the number of people waving flags for the syrian revolution have dwindled in the last four years. these people live in the outskirts of the capital, damascus. some have seen relentless attacks but those who want to choose a new syrian government continue to come out to show the world they still want change. >> the beginning of the revolution, they used to kill people randomly in the streets while they are protesting

peacefully. the revolution turned from the demonstration and the protests into military revolution because we can't faces the tanks with peaceful demonstrations. >> protesters were the streets. the government controls much of the surrounding prove incident but is fighting off attacks from the islamic state of iran in the levant. almost every opposition group is fighting each other as well as the government prove commending upon which opposition force controls the area fighters join to drum up support prove it started under the slogan of

allah is great. >> this is what thousands of syrians face on a dame basis a government missile killed many people. most of the dead were women and children. these children were reportedly injured in a similar attack in the area. everything was destroyed. the young boy asks if she is okay. she isn't. but she will survive at least for now. al jazeera. the u.s. secretary of state is making a stopover in london to discuss iran's nuclear program. the foreign ministers of france and britain at heathrow airport. he is on his way back from a long series of talks in switzerland. iran insists its program is peaceful and wants u.n.

simplesse lifted. sanctionsanctions lifted. sanctions sanctions. >> we are united in our goal. our approach, our resolve and our determination to ensure that iran's program is entirely peaceful. over the past months the p 5 plus 1 have made substantial progress towards that fundamental goal. though important gaps remain. >> live from washington, d.c., what's known about the discussions with france today, andy? >> reporter: no specific knowledge of what's happening but this is a crucial meeting for john kerry. there are cracks showing in the development of these negotiations between france and the u.s. the french wanting something far more robust in the agreement. they say that they want no quick relief for the lifting of these u.n. sanctions and possibly along the timetable for the

restriction of iran's nuclear activities and that france's ambassador to the u.s. is anything to go about, he took to twitter calling the end of the month a bad tactic and counterproductive and possibly dangerous. there are some indications john wants to stand ground firmly. john kerry has talked about how coonfied the goals are. but there is some central disagreement here john kerry said the time to make tough decisions is now and the longer this goes on, the harder it will get. clearly, there is pressure for this meeting going on right now for john kerry to try to come to some sort of resolution before he heads back to washington, d.c. and then those talks resume against in switzerland in the middle of next week. >> despite the cracks on the side of that group how much is taking place in the talks? >>ty mean those talks renew houhani

is saying a deal is close. clearly that's not the case at the moment. as part of iran's new year's celebrations, he was saying america is attempting to bully him. there is a long way to go. it's extremely complex process. >> deadline is fast approaching. it's the inland of this month. there is some suggestion the french might want to push iran until the end of june. with days before that deadline is approaching, there is as deadline to go before any settlement, any agreement is made. >> andy, thank you very much indeed. new year's celebrations marked by a renewed call from peace from the kurd's jailed leader in turkey. afghanistan's marble exports, the producer is between a rock and a hard place.

>> after the age of 45 to get pregnant... is one percent. >> i'm a bit nervous. >> from the best filmmakers of our time. >> it's not traditionally what broadcast journalism does. >> the new home for original documentaries. al jazeera america presents "motherhood on ice". tomorrow, 10

>> sunday night. >> 140 world leaders will take

the podium. >> get the full story. >> there is real disunity in the security council. >> about issues that impact your world. >> infectious diseases are a major threat to health. >> "the week ahead". sunday 8:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> 1 of our top stories, 20s houthis have been killed in the south of yemen. they try to expand the territory they control and have called for an offensive against president hadi more fighting threatening peace talks. a senior commander has been killed in the clashes. u.s. secretary john kerry has been meeting at heathrow airport to discuss iran's nuclear program. he is on his way back from switzerland. he says progress was made on reaching an agreement with iran.

the kurdish rebels in turkey has renewed his call for peace with the government. abdullah aracharan's announcement was read during the celebrations. bernard smith reports. >> in the heart of kurdish turkey celebrations to mark the start of spring. the jailed leader of the kurdistan worker's party, abdulah orchaland called to end the conflict. would recard it historic and to decide to strategies and tactics in line with the spirit of this new era. >> reporter: the call for congress is an attempt to kickstart a stalled peace process that began two years ago.

he wants a new constitution and citizenship currently based upon kurdish ethnicity. >> the end of conflict is here for sure. the politics has replaced the conflict. from now on, we will have competition based upon politics rather than weapons. >> reporter: 40,000 people have been killed in the tarmed conflict -- armed conflict. few believe the pkk will restart that fight. but it seems unlikely the ppk will disarm by giving up weapons or even burying them, least because the kurds are fighting isil in syria. so the turkish government which wants kurdish support to change the constitution will need to persuade its supporters this

peace process will endure. bernard smith, al jazeera, southeastern turkey. france has urged italians to turn theiring backs on the mafia. a day long visit to the southern port city of naples. it addressed one of the most dangerous neighborhoods where drug trafficking and extortion are widespread. those who choose evil gain something but rob hope. the vote of evil robs hope. >> ambassador's plunge -- am bus veered off a bridge in giz all. as it tried to avoid another vehicle. witnesses say the driver and four passengers were able to jump from the vehicle as it fell.

nigerians prepare to vote and the threat of boka haram attacks is weighing heavily on their minds. minds: a report from madiguri a city that suffered from boka haram violence. until recently this was boka haram territory. it will is so extraordinary that people are turning out for last minutely campaigns dpeffying the risk of suicide bombs to better understand who to vote for after six years of violence which left tens of thousands dead, there is a thirst for change. >> 100 kilometers north of maidi guri boka haram took over and he lost everything.

three of my songs were killed. i lost my house and cars. if the people in charge of security cared, we wouldn't have reached the current state. >> the government points to recent victories by multi-national forces against boka haram but the mood here is skeptical. >> why has it taken them so long to realize the enormity of the problem after 2,000 were killed why now before the elections? >> and this anger is shared by many. >> a suicide bomber attacked this market just over a week ago. many people were killed or injured. most people in the north of the country, security is the priority. if either party is going to win here they must convince the voters that they can deliver on any promise to protect lives and

property. >> fundamental questions remain. >> the stair tory is now secure. what the military has succeeded in doing is winning the battles in many places but they have not yet won the war. >> reporter: the government may have reclaimed territories lost to boka haram but what is not certain is whether the victories are enough to win back support here come election day. mohammed digris maidiguri, northeast nigeria. >> the vansian military says two soldiers have been killed in the past 24 hours. it comes as gunfire continues to be heard around the government-held city of marioupol in an apparent breach of the cease-fire in february. observers are on the ground attempting to ensure that heavy weapons are withdrawn by both sides, a key part of the cease-fire agreement.

thousands of people in georgia have been protesting on the streets of the capital calling for the government to resign. the demonstration was organized by the party of former president who is currently in exile in ukraine. he has accused of the government dealing with georgia's economic problems. >> the foreign ministers of china, japan and south korea have met for the first talks in three years. the discussions have aimed to a couple of tensions over territorial disputes and historical issues. the territorial disputes center on these islands in the east china sea which are thought to sit on top of vast natural resources. a claim by japan which calls them the saint kaku islands and china who calls them the diau islands. china accused japan of failing to exhibit remorse. both were furious when the zap japanese prime minister visited a shrine honoring his country's war dead including a number of war criminals. rob mcbride reports from seuoul.

a long awaited pose by thefor the cameras could signal a start of a new chapter ner relations, possibly paving the way for a summit of their leaders after a three-year hiatus, which is somebody has seen relations child. >> they agree historical differences need to be addressed action specificalliesingy the continuing legacy of the second world war. outside, a regular weekly event. a protest of it comfort women forced into sexual slavery during world war ii, a crime for which japan allegedly still has not taken responsibility for. >> japan has not shown any remorse and we cannot just leave things as they are. >> only when japan apologizes can improve.

hiding from it won't solve anything. >> at the prison now turned into a museum korea's colonization by japan during the first part of the last century is remembered. inp index fighters were imprisoned here, some of them tortured and executed. on this day, there is a visiting group of japanese business people. the perception that japan has been trying to revise its account of the war as to the pain the koreans and chinese suffered. >> from japan's perspective, they do not want to see their past history in the same way of china and south korea. so we have a very different historical interpretation. >> south korea and china also have their own teartorial disputes with japan over islands in the seas that separate them. >> at the back of all of this is the competition between the united states and china tear the

united states does not want to see two of the strong event allies here, japan and south korea, falling out. by the same token, china does not want to be faced with a u.s.-backed alliance of its asian neighbors. >> basic hist offercal. >> appearlooking for a real glom attic breakthrough. rob mcbride, al jazeera. thousands have gathererred in the spanish capital demanding an ends to government cuts. the so-called dignity march brought 27 different groups to

madrid from around the country. spanish economy has remained sluggish following the economic slowdown which protesters say has been made worse by austerity. afghanistan's marble reserves are estimated to be worth as much as $200,000,000,000 and its finest rock is in the western province of herat. during the past month, almost every marble factory has closed leaving 3,000 people out of work. nicole johnston traveled to herat to find out why. >> reporter: a 14-ton block of marble shewn out of the rugged mountains is sliced into smooth slabs. this is herat's most advanced marble factory. it cost around $11 million to build. it cuts and polishes. however, 75% of its business is selling these raw blocks to neighboring countries. but a month ago, afghanistan's president announced that all

marble had to be processed in the country before it could be exported. >> countries like china and india won't accept any processed stone. it has to be unpolished and raw. so now we have lost our busy relationship with india, australia, europe and central asia. >> others say while it may be hard now in the long run, it's better to develop the local industry. >> they should bring more equipment to process it or leave the business more than 40 factories have shut down. they can't afford to buy new equipment t staff have been laid off. and its silent except for the falling snow. >> it's not easy. the government should help us with interest high free loans.

>> reporter: this isn't the only threat the industry is facing. these giant blocks of marble have come from a cuellar ry that's more than 180 kilometers from here. now, it's a long and dangerous drive for the truck drivers. the taliban is active in the area and there are often ambushes and why i ams on the road. >> dealing with the taliban usually means paying them some money to let the mines operate and the trucks through safely. the industry has huge potential, but right now it looks like its breaking apart. nick om johnston al jazeera, in western afghanistan. >> a quick piece of sports news island won the six nations rugby championship after a am final day of games. it went down to point's difference and ireland over scotland and edinburburo.

this 55 to 35 win meant they fell six points short of what they needed to move above ireland. more sports for you on our website and, of course all of the news. the address for that is aljazeera.com. and you can watch us on the "watch live" icon. ♪ profits of the slave trade. more than 12 million men, women and children were forcibly transported from africa to the plantations and colonies of north and south america. today slavery is illegal in every country on the planet. yet slavery didn't die in the 19th cen