>> yemen's chaos worsens as the rebels take the city's airport. you're watching al jazeera live from doha. coalition talks are underway in israel. the president said it's time to heal society. >> a warning that in indonesia's population is growing. >> pigeons have been bought by

chinese pigeon fanciers for hundreds of thousands of dollars. >> we begin in yemen where houthi rebels captured the airport in parts of yemen's third largest city. they've fired shoots into the air to disperse a rally against them. they are pushing towards aden where the president is trying to hold power. anti aircraft guns opened fire at an unidentified plane flying at president hadi's compound. >> the united states pulled out its last remaining special forces teams giving this explanation. >> with each day houthi fighters move further south yemen's moving closer to all out war. these are the rebels, taking over the third largest city and here they are taking over the

airport. here's what the reason might be. >> the houthis attacking through the air from sanna to aden, they now can attack aden from only minutes away. >> ousted president adou rabbo mansour hadi is trying to hold power from aden. >> i stress the following firstly, the evacuation of all armed militia's from the militaries the withdrawal of all gunman from snap and other cities. >> that is unlikely. the united states is pulling its troops out of an air base in the south, a serious setback for the fight against al-qaeda, which has an off shoot based in yemen. >> this makes all the sense in the world for the limited number of troops there specifically to take on the war and the fight against al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula. they don't want those forces

caught in what may become a full blown civil war. >> that would become a conflict with the houthis an one side and the on the other al-qaeda possibly backed by isil as well as various other warring factions a nightmare scenario for washington and yemen's neighbors fritz's mosque attacks give us a glimpse of what a civil war could mean for ordinary people in the arab world poorest country. yemen's been dogged by electric running insecurity and has the third highest gun ownership in the world. it's now faced with a monumental security challenge. al jazeera. >> let's take a look at the detear rating security situation in yemen and how we got here. there are several rival groups involved. first we ever the houthis, who belong to a shia muslim sect and have the backing of iran. the former president has his own force, now allied to the houthis then there are forces loyal to yemen's president adou rabbo mansour hadi backed by the gulf

corporation counsel. there are also tribal forces at play here, aregional wing of al-qaeda and yemeni branch of isil. let's take a look at where they are found. the houthi's control sanna and are advancing south. they've reached the country's 30 largest city along with supporters of the former president. forces loyal to hadi are in the southern port city of aden where the president fled last month. the security council will hold a security meeting after president hadi appealed for an emergency intervention. editor in chief of the yemen post explained to me why taiz has become a target fought

houthis. >> with only minutes away, this is strategic for the houthis and quicker reaction when it wants to attack hadi in a specific location in aden they are trying to ensure that no one stands in their way. they know saudi arabia and hadi have international allies one they only have iran. they are confident that the allies supporting hadi will go in slow steps which will allow them to control the areas that hadi controls now in a very quicker pace. like taiz, the houthis have been trying to enter taiz for months right now but entered it within hours only, because they know

that mr. hadi cannot react very quickly and send forces to taiz to ensure that they do not grab it. the houthis are reacting very quickly and they know that the u.n. security council, as well will not react quickly and they do not want more attacks against them to take place in sanna like what happened two days ago when 150 civilians were called. they want to take the war the clashes outside sanna their stronghold currently. >> tunisia's president said a third attacker involved in the museum shooting is on the run and urges all citizens to help them locate this man. they're asking anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact the police. >> meanwhile the government's released security footage showing two gunman with an assault on the museum, they shot 21 people dead before shot by security forces. prosecutors say they've detained 20 people in connection with the

attack. tunisia's president spoke about the attack. >> there were three we identified on film. two are executed. one is on the run still but he won't go far. we are vigilant and need to pay tribute to the police who handle terrorism. they were on site within 10 minutes. the people are interested in this. we ask them to help. >> to libya hopes of nailing down a political deal in morocco are looking unlikely. peace talks between the rival parliaments are on the verge of collapse with fighting continuing around tripoli. >> libya's rival factions are still divided and unable to reach a compromise. as delegations try to stitch together a deal, fighting has been flaring in libya.

forces loyal to general hafta on the offensive to recapture tripoli. the attack was repelled by forces loyal to gnc government. one of its senior commanders was killed. the united states envoy brokering the talks is concerned. >> there is a new military operation against tripoli. precisely in a decisive moment of the talks, now a reaction to today is as strong as it was in the past. this is not only a military activity, which is undermining the situation in libya and preventing the unity of the

libyans fighting terrorism, it's also an operation that we condemn in the strongest terms. >> the eyes of the representatives of the tripoli based government talk about the fighting. >> orders were given to defend the capitol. it is under control and tripoli is safe. >> the delegation for the government in tobruk insists a deal is still possible. >> our biggest concern is to stop violence, fighting and the airstrikes. there are those who want to undermine dialogue. what happened in tripoli is an attempt to disrupt what we hope to achieve. we are determined to go ahead with talks. >> after weeks of talks and months of fighting, libya remains deeply divided. in the east, there is a government backed by the international community. in the west, a government reinstated by the country's supreme court. talks have been overshadowed by fighting in libya, undermining chances of reaching a political solution to a crisis that could lead to a full-blown civil war. al jazeera, rabat. >> can't dates in nigeria's

presidential elections have until saturday for a push on their campaigns. president goodluck jonathan hopes for a second turn, promising nigerians he will beat boko haram. his opposition is focusing his campaign on the economy and combating corruption. the candidates are debating today. we understand that the main opposition candidate says he's not taking part in that debate. what's the thinking behind that? >> well, the campaign for the general accuse the broadcaster of partisanship. they accuse the broadcaster of having aired what they he call unethical advertisements and documentaries based on ethnic, religious and tribal sentiments

to divide nigerians. there are also a couple of high-ranking opposition physician who filed lawsuit against the channel accusing them of libel. they also say that the general has agreed to take part in three other debates which president jonathan refused to take part in. not sure if that's accurate. what the ruling parties say and the organizer behind jonathan's campaign is this is more evidence if anybody needed it that the president is not prepared to face nigerians and face president jonathan and take questions about his past as a military dictator, and links to boko haram. they accuse him of having links to the group he is link said apparently to hamas and isil. there were other candidates taking part. there are 14 presidential candidates and most of showing up today. the ruling party is saying why

not the general because he doesn't want to answer serious questions. >> what about president goodluck jonathan, what's he going to tell us and what are the main issues people are worried about in nigeria? >> i think the key issue is obviously going to be security, particularly in the northeast region. over the last four weeks there's been a dramatic turnaround of affairs. it seems that boko haram is on the verge of elimination every other day. we've been reporting various towns retaken by nigerian soldiers and forces from countries like niger. questions are going to be asked about would you it took so long for president jonathan to deal with this crisis. it's been going on for six years. questions about repatrioting people displaced from the region is another issue. another issue is corruption. there is a sense at least the opposition say that monumental

corruption has taken place under this government. there are so many examples, you have to stop me when you've heard enough. one of the things the opposition point to is a scandal involving the central bank government in which with the ex-governor said that there was $20 billion missing from state coffers from oil sails. there was on audit done by price warehouse which said that actually only a billion dollars couldn't be accounted for but it's things like that that the opposition point to and say this is a question and this is the question jonathan has to answer. the third is the massive unemployment in the country it runs at about 25%. many people are unemployed, can't find work and of course that has a huge impact on the poverty situation. i think finally the on going crisis in the power sector, we have a chronic problem of electricity provision in this country. nearly every other home has a generator, people have to find their own source of electricity

despite the fact that since 1999 when the ruling party came into power, that's 16 years at least $30 billion has gone into sorting this crisis out but it hasn't been sorted out. those are the issues and questions president jonathan will have to face and of course the other candidates who have decided to take part in this debate. >> thank you. >> lots more still to come on al jazeera. we'll have a report on the afghan army that's taking on the taliban. more an that. stay with us.

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>> shia houthi remembers in yemen fired shots in taiz to break up a rally against them. they've taken over the airport in the southern city. fighters are pushing south to aden where president hadi is trying to hold power. >> a third attacker involved in the museum shootings in in tunisia are on the run. the government is asking for help locating this man. >> israel's president is under pressure to form the next government. talks are underway between the three political parties that won the most seats in last weeks election. >> we've been through a stormy and passionate election season. this is the time to begin the process of fusing and healing israeli society. government that will be formed was chosen by the majority of israeli citizens but answer to all citizens, jews, arabs left, right, north south center and

periphery. >> let's go to west jerusalem. there's no doubt at this stage that bennett will be asked to form a new government by the president there. >> indeed, very little doubt. still, there are form ats that need to be carried out. in the last hour or so, the israeli president who rejust heard from has been meeting individually with the leaders of the three parties that supreme court the most seats in the march 17 pole, that includes the prime minister, benjamin netanyahu. it also includes the opposition leader isaac herzog and oday, the leader of the joint list. for the first time in israels elections history, there was a joining together in the polls and won a number of seats coming in third place. after these consultations with these leaders, one will be

appointed to form a government, given the fact that nobody has been able to have an outright majority with 61 seats a coalition government will have to be built. >> as you said, the horse trading has already started. what would a possible coalition look like? >> well, looks all but certain that benjamin netanyahu will be asked, given he's won the most seats in this election, surprising many, securing over 30 seats. we only have to think of the last selection in which his likud party had only 18 seats. he he does have a bit of a tough choice ahead of them. president obama in an interview just the other day put some questions over mr. netanyahu's statement and behavior in the final hours and days of the elections, appears that there seems to be significant tension between him and washington. so mr. netanyahu can decide if he wants to form a hawk issue

coalition with the far right and religious parties or decide he he wants a a more doveish party. whatever he decides we won't know for weeks. six weeks is given to form the government. still some time before we see israel's parliament. >> the afghan president ashraf ghani is on his way to the united states, his first visit since taking office. he is expected to discuss the pace of u.s. troop withdrawal. while most foreign troops have pulled out the size of afghan's army is at its lowest level in four years. we report from jalalabad. >> these afghan soldiers are getting ready for a highway

patrol. first up, a lesson in using an american-made machine gun. the men tell us they prefer russian weapons. this one, they say, sometimes jams. over the last five years, the number of troops at this base near jalalabad has increased four fold. just as well, the taliban operates in many parts of afghanistan's eastern countryside. the base commander said the problem isn't troops, it's weapons. >> lack of air support intelligence balloons and drones ever affected our operations a lot. we should have an air force so we can destroy the enemy's bases. we're also very weak and having long-range weapons. these days the war has been modernized. we need modern weapons. >> even the food budget has been cut. there was no meat nor lunch, instead, rice, spinach and potato. while most foreign troops have

pulled out, the size of afghanistan's army is at its lowest level in four years. desertion, lack of recruitment and casualties are taking a toll. last year, troop numbers dropped by 8.5% to just over 169,000. >> the u.s. military leaders overestimated the strength of afghan security forces. they thought there were more police and troops than there really are. that makes it difficult to judge the afghan government's ability to secure the country. >> 1300 afghan soldiers were killed last year. for many poor afghans, it's the only job they can find. muhammed has to support 13 people in his family. he gets home every six months and says it's just as well he's single. >> there are provinces where boys are left for a long time.

they get bored for nine, 10 months or a year without leave and when they finally get a holiday, they go back to the military wondering if they'll get a leave again. that's why they don't come back. >> the road is swept for i.e. de's. they say if they had night vision goggles and jammers to block remote controlled homemade bombs, they could do a better job protecting people. taliban fighters are only a few kilometers away. the challenge is holding them back, and it's one afghanistan is now facing on its own. nicole johnston, al jazeera, jalalabad. >> indonesia is facing a population crisis. the crisis will get worse if the numbers of people continue

to grow. >> this is a crisis, too many people living on too little land with too little resources. every five years, 100 million are added to the population. there are 250 million people. it could have the world's third largest population after china and india. >> we can't back off. this isn't only a threat to our country or to our people, but to all of us, including the countries surrounding us. if our population keeps growing so fast, there will be a moment on this island when living conditions will be under threat. we'll face shortages, water, rice and oil. what will people eat? >> in an effort to stop this boom, the government reintroduced the family planning

program that was very successful 30 years ago and encouraging families not to have more than two children. the average is 2.6 children per family. many have a lot more. >> he and his wife have 11 children. doctors working for the family planning board have failed to persuade him to use birth control. >> i don't want to use birth control because i'm against it. i believe it's up to god to decide how many children i'll have. >> despite offering free birth control and regular visits of mobile clinics to neighborhoods, the family planning board is fighting an uphill battle especially when it comes to religion. >> if men are worried about vasectomies, we will use religion to convince them. if we can't persuade them, we'll bring a religious teacher to explain to them that religion is not against it. >> not many here are aware of the looming danger.

a population explosion is hampering already quality of life. experts warn if nothing's done quickly, even basic needs will be at risk. >> family planning workers are trying to explain the urgency of birth control but have little staff and a limited budget. many don't know the program exists. >> what we see is that the government is not focused on controlling population growth anymore. we used to have a minister for population control and a family planning board with strict birth control programs. with democracy and reforms, it's up to the people to choose how many children they'll have. the government hardly interferes. >> demographic experts have urged the government to tackle this population crisis and assign more money and man power to promote birth control. thirty years ago, indonesia was

recognized as having one of the world's best family planning programs. many say there need to be improvements and fast. finally, pigeon racing has become more popular than ever. the chinese are spending a lot of money on the hobby. some of the best racing pigeons are brett in belgium. >> in this box is a belgian racing pigeon called nicholas, something of a long distance star, a national champion just sold to a chinese billionaire. >> this was the most expensive pigeon in the auction and also in the whole auction season. this is the most expensive pigeon sold since may, 2013, after bolt. he was sold for 224,000 euro. >> this is an exclusive breeding center. last year, $23 million worth of

racing pigeons were sold from here, mostly to china. this is where retired champions breed, with the all important bred in belgium tag. to chinese fans, that means they're buying the best, court see of decades of competition and expertise. >> it's also a matter of maybe snobbery that people from china, even they know they have good quality pigeons in china, but they prefer to come to belgian and buy pigeons here. >> 220 birds are on their way to china, $911,000 total value. >> it's a long way from when pigeon racing was just a hobby. using the birds homing instincts, races started with pigeons released hundreds of kilometers from home. owners anxiously waiting for

them to come back or not, all for a few hundred dollars. >> what's transformed what used to be a cottage industry into a multi-million dollars global business is the huge popularity of pigeon racing in china, where millions of dollars change hands both in racing and gambling. according to some, with that money has come mistreatment and cruelty. thousands of birds die during these races off the coast of taiwan. elsewhere, there's been doping extortion and bird theft. >> the whole principle of pigeon racing is to send birds hundreds of miles from where they belong from their homes, their mates and babies and bet on whether or not they're going to make it back alive. >> a pigeon paradise, birds of very well treated. as you see young pigeons spreading their wings for the first time, it's hard not to be taken in by the original attraction of this sport, the connection between humans and the birds who always try to come home. al jazeera, at pigeon paradise in belgium.

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