>> weeknights on al jazeera america. >> join me as we bring you an in-depth look at the most important issues of the day. breaking it down. getting you the facts. it's the only place you'll find... the inside story. >> ray suarez hosts "inside story". weeknights, 11:30 eastern. on al jazeera america. >> searching for clues. >> we are doing everything to find out what happened and what was the cause. >> the mystery surrounding the crash of germanwings flight 2995 in the french alps killing everywhere. >> maintaining posture. >> we'll maintain our troops until the end of the year. >> president obama decides to keep close 10,000 u.s. troops in afghanistan through the end of

the year spying among friends. >> there's no which israel spied on the americans israel rejects a report that it spy said on nuclear talks between the u.s. and iran and nigerian women. >> they will never agree with a woman in front of them struggling to find a place in political life. good evening, thank you for joining us on al jazeera america i'm stephanie sy. >> i'm antonio mora. we begin with the tragic germanwings plane crash. recovery has been suspended until tomorrow. officials are certain none of the 150 on board survives. hundreds of police officers and rescue personnel scoured a remote part. it was travelling from barcelona to germany. one of the plane's black boxes

was recovered. investigators say it will be analysed to see what caused the airbus 8120 to crash. >> the plane was flying over france, it lost altitude and at 6,000 feet lost contact with radar radar. mark giordano reports. jacky row lands reports. >> reporter: in a remote valley debris is strewn across the hillsides. no one could have survived and in this difficult terrain recovery will take days. you can just about locate the rescue workers, struggling to locate many pieces of the plane. crucially they found a black box flight recorder which should provide vital evidence as to why this happened. at doesel dorfe airport relatives and friends gathered

to receive information and absorb the terrible news. the arrival board tells the story. germanwings flight 9525 never showed up. travelling from barcelona to duseldorf, but crashed near the french alps. this is thought it be footage of the plane that crashed, an air bus 320, filmed on a previous flight. the french president francis hollande was hosting the king of spain on a visit. that has been cut short. >> translation: we will do everything in our power to understand the cause of the accident and recover all the victims from the crash site. the accident has taken flays an area that is especially difficult to access. >> reporter: germanwings is a low cost airline owned by loouth hancea.

it has an excellent safety record with no previous crashes. the passengers on board are thought to include german spanish and turkish nationals. >> we are all deeply shocked and shaken. the flight of our daughter company germanwings crashed 11:00am in the french alps. thoughts, feelings and prayers are with the loved ones and the crew. 150 deaths have left so many families grieving across europe. the town of haltern in germany has been hit hard. 16 teenagers and their teachers from a local school were on the plane, returning from a spanish language exchange programme. one community changed forever in a sudden moment of tragedy. >> bad weather is threatening to further hamper who is already a difficult search operation. heavy rain and strong winds are

forecast, and possibly snow. the search is due to resume at first light german chancellor angela merkel will travel to the crash site. at least 16 were students on an exchange programme. we go to the airport with germany's reaction. >> as reports filtered in of the disaster involving the germanwings flight from barcelona to duseldorf there was concerns at the airline, community and popular level, in a community in a town not far from here where local family were concerned because a school

had sent 16, 16-year-olds, with two teachers to spain with a week-long visit. it's been confirmed that those pupils, those students and their teachers were indeed on board the plane. the school has closed for lessons. there'll be no lessons, but it will be open to allow students to come in to talk about the tragedy, which has taken 16 students out of the community. two of the teachers as well, in a small town a small community. already there has been floral tributes candles lites and left outside the school as a mark of respect to those who died. >> todd curtis is an al jazeera america transportation contributor joins us tonight. good to see you. we don't have a lot of details. we know some facts. one is that no distress signal was sent out. what does that say to you? >> it doesn't say much in

particular. if there was an emergency situation and crew were reacting communicating with the outside world would not be a high priority continuing to fly the airplane and navigating to an alternative airport, perhaps, would have been higher priority than talking to air traffic control. >> what about the dissent from 38,000 to 6,000 in 8 minutes, and after that it's believed the plane crashed. >> well, the dissent time is far greater, roughly twice as fast as what you would see in a normal dissent to landing. it's consistent with a controlled dissent that a crew would execute if they were responding to certain types of emergency situations. the most common is a loss of cabin pressure a slow or catastrophic loss of pressure where the priority would be to get the airplane to an altitude where the atmosphere is breathable without using

supplementary oxygen. >> local officials describe the plane as pulverized. what does that reveal to investigators? >> it's hard to say. official investigators on the scene have not given the interpretation of wreckage they have seen. from the overview photos they have released earlier today, it's clear that the aircraft was broken into small pieces consistent with a high speed impact with the ground rather than a slow speed controlled impact with the ground. >> how unusual is it to have something go wrong. when a plane is in the middle of a flight at cruising altitude? >> it's fairly unusual. historically when it comes to accidents involving large-scale transport, less than 10% of the accidents either take place at cruising altitude or initiated cruising altitude. it's unclear what happened to this aircraft. it may be days or weeks before we know this.

from all outside appearances the flight was normal up until the time it reached crewing altitude. presumably, whatever happened starkth to happen -- started to happen, happened at about 38,000 feet it's a budget airline, but is affiliated with lufthansa. how is there record and how does it play. >> lufthansa is a large airline in europe and the world. this is the fourth time since 1970 that lufthansa or an associated airline had an event that killed passengers. compared to other top-ranked airline the safety record is on par, if not better than most. >> todd curtis "al jazeera america"s transportation contributor, a lot of questions, i am sure we'll have you back soon. >> in the united states there's a push to privatize the air traffic control system that operates across the country.

we find out what it could mean and why it has bipartisan support in congress. that's coming up at 11:00 p.m. eastern president obama has agreed to slow down the withdrawal of the troops responding to a request from ashraf ghani, who visited the white house today. >> please have a seat. >> reporter: on his second day in washington ashraf ghani got what he came for. >> i decided to maintain the posture of 9800 troops through the end of the next year. president obama planned to cut the number in half. instead he's delaying the time tail for a withdrawal of troops much given the blood and treasure the united states expended ghani said it was the right decision. >> gains that would achieve. it's what will be guaranteed. investments of the last 14 years

chaos, in terms of gains that would ensure. >> u.s. forces continue to lead counterterror operations. the announcement came after two leaders met in the oval office. after a visit arlington, at the tomb of the unknown soldier, it's designed to portray a new era in relations and boost confidence in afghanistan's ability to take care of itself. four years ago there were it 100,000 american troops in afghanistan. now the number is 10,000. even as they ask for that number to stay constant for a few months ashraf ghani says his country is defying the pessimism. >> i'm pleased to say the departure of international troops is not brought about. the security gap, or the collapse that was often

anticipated. >> reporter: many doubt afghanistan can repel the taliban and other insurgent elements once others leave, and they'll leave on schedule by early 17. >> the way it will become less dangerous is by afghan security forces and police being capable of keeping law and order and security in the country. >> and that is not going to happen if foreign forces are continually relied upon a senior advisor to president ashraf ghani joins us from washington. good to have you with us sir. is the afghanistan delegation satisfied with the commitments that president obama made today? because president ashraf ghani in the past said deadlines should not be dogma and we are looking at a pull out by the end of 2016. is that enough to ensure the

security i'm stability of afghanistan? >> everything is going well. we are pleased, extremely pleased. this is not the revival of the relations, but this is a new beginning in afghanistan gap relations, and at this point we are happy, and i am sure the situation dictates the united states decision makers and the president of the united states will make the right decision. >> because, of course the concern, as you know is we'll see a repeat of iraq. are you worried that when americans do leave, that we can see a strengthened taliban leading to a stronger al qaeda, and i.s.i.l. gaining a stronger foothold in afghanistan. >> we are seeing a resurgence of the taliban and the additional introduction of i.s.i.l. and this is something i am sure was

in the picture when the united states commanders made a recommendation that the president of the united states accepted that recommendation. the afghan security forces have been taking on the responsibilities for months and months now. we have been defending our country, and that will continue. >> there has been issues with the afghan security forces. there has been defections and other problems. the white house statement on the meeting today offered an olive branch to the taliban, inviting is to be part of the peace process, saying it has to end violence, break ties and accept the constitution including women and minorities, is there a chance that the taliban will agree to that? >> there's more chance than ever before. and i think the taliban understand that it will never be able to win the war. the taliban have an opportunity to accept the offer, or they will lose their support - public

support as the government increases ability to provide service to the people of afghanistan and proper governance and rule of law takes hold. >> how important is the new beginning in the relationship for all the objectives and issues you face in afghanistan. as you know hamid karzai the former president and president obama did not have a great relationship. seeing what we see over the past couple of days and the warmth we see between the two presidents today, will there be a new phase in u.s.-afghanistan relations, and how significant will that be? >> i think the significance is already it displayed in the gestures and tangible outcome from the talks both in camp david and in the white house. and i am sure this will continue and the momentum will pick up. >> you managed to form a national unity government. it was a divisive process. six months later you are struggling to form a cabinet.

and you have a vice president, an important one. the vice president who is an apparent warlord. said to be fuming on the sidelines. can the government keep the factions that exist in afghanistan united. >> the formation of national unity government was a necessity that came out of the ashes of war and the structure in this country. everybody realised that the leadership and perseverance of president ghani, and his ability to read all the accurate lines that were written there, that nobody could see, that afghanistan needed a new chapter in its history to say no to violence, and start - embark on a peaceful transition for a new government. this is realised everywhere and the people of afghanistan will realise it's the best bath to be on and the pressure on warlords or no warlords - it will be such

that they have to succumb to the needs and desires of the people of that nation that has suffered so long and so much in wars. >> we wish afghanistan the best. a senior advisor to president ashraf ghani good of you to join us. thank you. >> thank you growing protests in afghanistan over the mob killing of an innocent woman. thousands of people marched through the streets of kabul chanting "justice for fawqunda", and death to the killers. the 27-year-old religious scholar was killed in a mob attack after being falsely accused of burning the koran. 28 people today have been arrested, and 13 police officers suspended for decades afghanistan has been a land of harsh realities for the u.s. and allies and the soviets in the 1980s. next in our in-content segment.

lessons and withdrawal from afghanistan. >> in our off the radar - another north african nation faces the threat of the i.s.i.l. attacks.

afghanistan - it's been more than a quarter of a century since the soviet union pulled out its citizens. the united states spent billions funding religious rebels who fought the soviets, but after they withdraw the u.s. mostly ignored afghanistan, and that opened the door to the taliban and al-qaeda. we look at the lessons learnt with john terrett. >> reporter: february 1989 - the west watches with relief as soviet troops cross the friendship bridge linking afghanistan and uzbekistan after an occupation lasting nine years. a decade earlier, forces loyal to moscow marched into

afghanistan. it was the start of a proxy war between the soviet union and the u.s. super powers fought in afghanistan. the last hot conflict of the so-called cold war. on moscow's side afghan and soviet force, on the west mujahideen - guerilla fighters. they formed two groups - those funded by the u.s. britain, saudi arabia egypt, pakistan and china. and those backed by iran. as the conflict progressed, the soviet led forces occupied the cities like kabul. while the mujahideen operated outside them. over 14,000 soviets were killed. 75 to 90,000 mujahideen lost their lives. a million civilians are set to have perished. >> in 1987, plans were announced

to pull troops out of afghanistan. once the soviets left the civil war in afghanistan worsened. the government left behind headed by the president collapsed. he went into hiding and sought refuge at a u.n. compound. but once the taliban took control of kabul, the leader that the soviets installed was cast rated, dragged through the streets and hanged from a traffic light. the era of the taliban had begun. once the soviets departed afghanistan, washington lost interest. swiftly forgetting about the c.i.a. trained and funded mujahideen and weapons provided by countries keen to give moscow a black eye. the world looked away from afghanistan for a long time. until a saudi arabian who fought with the moouja had eem, osama bin laden, ordered his fighters

to attack the united states on september 11th, 2001, comparing the american and soviet wars in afghanistan, the soviets suffered more fatalities. as john terrett mentioned. 14,000 soldiers died between is the 79 to 1989. which comparison the u.s. lost 2200 soldiers in afghanistan since the invasion after 9/11. at the peak they had about 115,000 on the ground. not all that far off from the u.s. topping out at more than 100,000 back in 2011. when it comes to civilian deaths the comparison is stark, an estimated 1.2 million innocent people died during the war with the soviets in the conflict with the u.s. civilian deaths have been tracked since 2009. the u.n. says around 20,000 have been skilled. >> joining us is amy knight an

american historian that has written a series of books on the former soviet union. great to have you with us. >> the two great powers of the last eight years, the soviet union and the united states both have gotten involved in wars. there were dramatic differences in the motivation behind the involvement. >> there were. for the soviets, their decision to go into afghanistan in 1979 was - was not made without a lot of - a lot of thought. in other words, they went in basically to support a puppet communist regime. and they were planning on withdrawing their troops, but then they ended up having to stay in afghanistan for 10 years, and fight a brutal counterinsurgency. >> and brutal guerilla war for a decade and the united states helped to fund that war by giving the mujahideen money,

arms, and then that of course led them to the soviet withdrawal, then the taliban. that opens the door to the taliban to come in leading to al qaeda and the united states has to go in. this time with our own troops as opposed to having a broxy war there. >> right, right. >> clear causal connection. >> well i think the united states has also - i mean entered afghanistan reluctantly. and president obama, i think, has a lot of ambivalence. we don't have the same kind of - the u.s. doesn't have the same strategic interest that the soviets had. remember, afghanistan was on the border of the soviet union, and it borders three of the former republics. it's a little different. >> is the important lesson here a lowson that we seem not to have learnt in iraq. when world powers get involved in these countries they have to

be careful on the way they pull out and what they leave behind. >> it's true. neither the soviet union or the united states really understood the nature of the challenge that they - that they were facing. i mean afghanistan is a tribal country. it's mountainous. they - you know they were fighting guerilla warfare. >> you talked about the strategic importance to the soviet union it's a land locked country. it may have great national resources, they haven't been exploited much. it has become over history, and is referred to as the graveyard of empires. why? >> precisely because of the nature of the country is are itself. it's just very difficult for an outside power to come in and try to impose a new form of government. it's just not working that easily for afghanistan. the u.s. fared better than the

soviets. >> i think they have. hopefully... >> history hat not been fully written. >> that's true. we still have a big problem with the taliban and the infrastructure in another structure has been destroyed. they have a long way to go. everyone seems to feel that now is the time for the united states to start withdrawing, and they have to do it. >> and the broader lesson when it comes to afghanistan at some point, should the world powers say enough. this is not a place where we should get involved not have the people on the ground unless it's necessary, like what happened after 9/11. >> i think the lesson from the last two incursions by the soviets and us is that if you really want to bring about a huge change in afghanistan, and establish some sort of order, then you have to really be in for the long haul and commit

troops and resources that probably neither country really wanted to do. >> it's good to have our perspective. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> u.s. negotiations with iran resume this week and with all that is at stake, many nations feel they have a sfak in the discussions, ipp -- stake in the discussion including israel which is accused of spying on the talks. >> and houthi rebels turn on protesters.

welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm stephanie sy. >> i'm antonio mora. coming up in this half hour of international new, dismantling terror cells in morocco, a bureau organised to fight those joining i.s.i.l. >> rescue teams in peru after a mud slide buries homes and cars

under rubble first the top story, 150 feared dead after a germanwings plane crashed in the french alps today. recovery efforts called off for the night. crews will return at dawn. the airbus a320 was travelling from barcelona to dusseldorf when it crashed. it will be analysed. >> day two of testimony in the case of a u.s. marine on trial for killing a transgender filipino. the death occurred in object, after pendleton discovered she was a transgender woman. friends of her's was concerned. it ring nights the debate over crimes in the philippines problems for crash-strapped greece. the government could run out of

money. they are trying to convince european lenders that the country is committed to economic reform. they are trying to get the e.u. to give them a billion left over from a bailout. >> the latest round of nuclear talks with iran and the timing of nuclear site inspections will likely be an issue. iran rejected a call from the international autonomy energy agency. an official said the request could disrupt efforts before the march 31st deadline. >> israel denied allegations it spied on the nuclear talks. "the wall street journal" reported that the spying campaign is part of a proceeder other to block a deal with iran. libby casey looks at the fall out. >> "the wall street journal" story attributed reporting to senior white house officials. today president obama steered clear of the political affray

taking a pass on the allegations that israel spied, and then it fed that information to members of congress. instead president obama focused on negotiations over iran's nuclear programme, and he promised transparency. >> with respect to the possibility of a - an agreement that ensures iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon we have not just briefed congress about the progress or lack thereof that is being made but we briefed the israelis, and the other partners in the region and around the world. if in fact an agreement is arrived at that we feel defendant will prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon it will be there for everyone to see. >> president obama used the forum with reporters gathered to criticise prime minister binyamin netanyahu and comments last week casting doubt that he

would support any creation of a palestinian state during his time as prime minister. binyamin netanyahu has walked the comments back but it was clear that the president is not buying that. house speaker john boehner is the one that invited prime minister binyamin netanyahu to address congress in a controversial move. he weighed in and said he is baffled by the allegations. >> i was shocked by the fact that there were reports in this press article, that information was being passed on from the israelis to members of congress. i'm not aware of that at all. >> last night the israeli ambassador to the united states had a cosy sit-down dinner with a handful of house democrats to repair a strained relationship. the latest allegations of buying and leaking are certainly contributing to the tensions between the u.s. and israel.

>> libby casey in washington. thanks much i spoke to ronan bergmann author of "the secret war with iran", saying the intelligence services invested heavily to penetrate the nuclear talks. >> even if it came from espionage over american channels it may seem as legitimate to spy on the americans when it comes to that. now, i do not support binyamin netanyahu, the israeli prime minister's defines on the issue, and notwithstanding when it comes to the international effort to reach an agreement with iran. he is the israeli prime minister. when he sees the talks and negotiation with iran as a threat to national security. it's his job to call the intelligence, the agency.

and ask them what is happening in these talks. if we view american claims about the edward snowden case and the legitimacy of espionage against friendly states and germany, if that is legitimate. then spying on the u.s. trying to understand what the u.s. is about to agree with iran may seem as legitimate. >> not to mention the u.s. according to "the wall street journal" learnt that the israelis were spying but according to the report the israelis shared what they learnt with u.s. lawmakers and tried to influence this country's foreign policy. >> if indeed israel or israeli representatives use the information and recycle the information back to u.s. congress members, this is an

outrage. not just because of breaking the protocol of field security endangering sources and modus operandi, because if this is a blunt intervention into american politics you - having such an intelligence, i think, is legitimate. playing into the game the inner american political game is something very dangerous. the relations between the two countries, the intimate intelligence and military relations are going through an earthquake. it's not just the personal distaste and frozen relations between the white house and prime minister binyamin netanyahu. it goes through all the scale of relations, and i think binyamin netanyahu the israeli prime minister needs to do something urgent to make sure that there's no further deterioration in what israel should see as the number one strategic asset. these are the relations with the

united states of america during his speech to congress three weeks ago prime minister binyamin netanyahu said it was a bad deal. if the israeli really did have details of the deals that the public may not - does that give binyamin netanyahu more credence in a way to say it is a bad deal? >> there is speculation in israel, some people that know and are aware of the intelligence as well who are convinced that binyamin netanyahu knew when he came to congress, that there is no deal and that there is no deal to be signed soon. he wanted to come to the hill make the speech and then later be seen as the one preventing the deal. he knew in advance, following that intelligence that - what binyamin netanyahu is doing. defiance against the u.s. government and president is not

just seen as a slap in the face of the president. but a slap in the face of the whole administration. this will be translated into retaliation against the profound and intimate intelligence relations between the countries. >> bergmann expect to see more leaks, and there are people in washington that want to use the information to drive a wedge between israel and the u.s. a u.s. air strike could come soon. western officials say a strike is imminent after a request from iraq's government. the pentagon declined to say whether a request was submitted, but would look at a request made. meanwhile the coalition began the flights over tikrit this past weekend. tikrit had no involved in the fighting. canada is expanding its role in the battle against i.s.i.l. meeting with prime minister

stephen harper canada will launch against targets in syria in addition to iraq and extend a 6-month mission. six canadian jets are part of a mission. bashar al-assad met in damascus with iraqi foreign minister on his official twitter page, baz is quoted as saying "consultation and coordination between syria and iraq reinforces the successes of their people and armed forces in the face of terrorism. iraq's foreign minister says relations between the two countries continue to evolve. >> moroccan authorities say they have dismantled a cell that was going to cause attacks across the country, raising fears of an affiliation with i.s.i.l. >> reporter: these are members

of moroccos counterterrorism unit storming buildings in different cities across the country. they say it was a major operation launched simultaneously to arrest members of an armed group affiliated with i.s.i.l. they confiscated weapons, ammunition and laptops. the government says the group was planning to target senior political and military officials. >> translation: we are determined to continue preventive measures at the same time developing our security approach. this is why we created the central bureau of judiciary investigations. >> the newly created bureau is responsible for fighting organised crime and terrorism. >> because since we faced the first bombing attack in morocco in 2003, we have to be conscious that we are facing a new

challenge and phenomenon of the terrorist threat. and the solution is to adopt a security approach taking account the evolving aspects of the criminality. >> morocco is part of the us-led coalition against i.s.i.l. it has recently wrapped up its security measures. that is because hundreds of more okayans have -- moroccans have joined i.s.i.l. affiliated groups. this man was a notorious commander in syria, killed during a push by the rebels to capture the city. many of these fighters crossed to iraq. moroccan authorities are concerned about revenge attacks. >> and some people here are worried the fight against the armed groups might be used as an

excuse to clampdown on human rights. officials say that will not happen. >> once we get information about terrorist acts getting prepared we get the information. we make sure that it's true and we inform justice, we work closely, we work closely, and our job is to revise and is controlled by the justice. >> the army and police patrol the main streets. government buildings and airports. it's part of the titan's security measures implemented across the king dom. >> the authorities say they have broken up cells of groups recruiting and sending fighters to iraq. the biggest concern is the growing number of moroccans fighting along i.s.i.l. and al qaeda, and the rest of revenge attacks by the fighters if they make it back to the country.

>> a setback for the reopening of a national museum in tunisia. the bardo museum was scheduled to open today for the first time since the terror attack last week. security concerns forced officials to delay the reopening until sunday. 23 people died mostly tourists during the attack by gunmen. supporters held a rally to show they were not afraid of terror groups. >> six were killed in libya's largest city. there were two separate attacks where military forces are battling fighters. five died when a suicide bomber blew up a car packed with explosives during an army camp. a 17-year-old was killed when a rocket hit a building in a besieged city. >> more bloodshed in yemen as clashes between rifle groups. four were killed. protesting against the take over of the government. yemen asked the security council

to back military action by willing countries to confront the houthis. we look at the violent day in yemen. >> reporter: they wore hats with the colours of the yemeni flag and chanted the disapproval of the houthis. by the day's end several were dead and dozens injured. since the houthis arrival last weekend, people made it clear they are not welcome. the street may be losing to heavily armed houthis. the government of the province resigned much his reason - forces loyal to the houthis refused to obey his orders. houthis have been in control since september. president abd-rabbu mansour hadi was forced to flee to the port city of aden. the houthis are continuing their advance beyond the capital and getting closer to the president. they say they are not after the leader, but are fighting

religious armed groups. >> in the province tribal leaders tell al jazeera they are managing to keep the houthis out. >> the tribes are peaceful. we will never leave the province, even if they kill us more. >> leaders say the houthis offered to net. with no success, the battles continue in the mountains. >> we are defending our land our country. >> the houthis are saying the same thing. the warring sides are slated to go to qatar in a few weeks for talks. with fast-moving events in yemen, the situation could deteriorate more before then hundred of people turned out in yemen for the funeral of a prominent journalist. he was shot and killed in yemen by gunmen last week a supporter

of the rebels. followers waved banners, describing him as a martyr of free speech. many blaming the u.s. and israel even though yemen's al qaeda wing claimed responsibility. >> boko haram strikes again. >> the group attacks a village that it lost control of last week kidnapping hundreds of people. >> few women are running in nigeria's elections this weekend. we find out why.

there are reports of another mass kidnapping of young women and claim of boko haram. residents in damasac say more than 400 were abducted and 50 others killed. if confirmed it would be a setback for nigeria, and coalition troops from niger and chad, which freed several towns from the group. in april of last year boko haram abducted nearly 300 schoolgirls. the violence comes as nigeria

prepares for a national election on saturday. the federal police chief bracing for travel. no cars will be allowed on the roads for the nine hours that polling stations are open. only emergency vehicles can travel to limit the possibility of attacks. yesterday the high court banned the military with the forward that soldiers would intimidate people. >> nigeria's political landscape is dominated by men, there are few candidates in this election. we have this explanation why. >> maureen, who runs a restaurant in abuja is voting in the presidential and parliamentary elections. women make up under 50% of registered voters. few candidates will be on the ballot papers. there's under 1,000 seats up for grabs. only a couple of hundred women are running. only a handful on the tickets of

two political parties likely to win most seats. >> they are men. they'll never give you a chance to come out, to take the rightful point. they'll never agree any woman to come in front of them. >> despite this she plans to vote for as many female candidates as she can. >> it takes a lot to run for office. many voters think a woman's place is in the home and there's the threat of violence. these are the main factors stopping women from participating in politics. one woman is running for president out of 14 candidates. on sunday this woman took part in a televised debate with president jonathan goodluck. despite low numbers of women running, she is confident things can improve. >> women, themselves are proving that they are capable in other spheres of life. we have seen nigerian women rise

to the c.e.o.s of companies. several minister. why should they be kept out of politics. >> the election umpire thinks stringent measures might have to be put in place to increase the number of candidates. >> some need intervention by constitutional amendments in some other countries. it may be after election we'll review. >> reporter: critics saying making it the law for women to run may not necessarily produce the best candidates. >> the nigerian government managed to distribute voting cards to 82% of voters. the government faced concerns that many affected by the boko haram violence would not be able to take part in the election. a million people are believed to be displaced in nigeria, the

election a tight race between the president and former military ruler. today the united nations is trying to raise awareness about a deadly disease in. it is world tuberculosis day. the world health organization says tb kills many. many victims are in india. more than 300,000 die from tuberculosis each year. the indian government doesn't spend enough on programs to fight the disease. >> living in the shadow of the volcano. life for chileans that can here. a mountain rumbleing outside the wind. >> and a deadly mudslide in peru's capital. details next on al jazeera america

live pictures from singapore as the island nation mourns its former prime minister lee kuan yew's coffin which you see there, moved from the president's official residence and the prime minister's working

office to singapore's parliament house where it has arrived. it's wednesday morning in singapore. lee's body will lie in state in canada. the government declared seven days national mourning. >> earlier, lee's son visited a memorial dedicated to his father. at one point he net down and left a message, just as thousands have done. the elderly passed away on monday. he was 91. >> we look at how news organizations are acting to various events. first, a concern over russia - a threat beyond words. the world will be safer without aggressive russian nationalism which has grown stronger the canadian "star" - stephen harper's war against

expediency. canadians support a limited role. getting more involved could mean uncomfortable alliances with bashar al-assad, iran's kurdish militia and nationalists. canadians doubt it will make them safer conciliatory offer - the jordan "times" rites of a peace offering and positive response. it would be one less conflict in the region and serve as a template to end other conflicts a mud slide in central peru left seven dead. neighbourhoods have been damaged, leaving hundreds homeless. it will take days to clear the met. we have more from lima. >> reporter: the powerful mud slide destroyed nearly everything in its path. tonnes of mud and rocks that slipped through the eastern town in peru left dozens of homes and

vehicles buried under the rubble. to save their lives, people fled and climbed in trucks. the water levels from the river rose endangering three towns in the area. >> translation: we were dying. everything was breaking and burying us. officials say seven died, among them children. more than 20 have been taken to hospital. rescue teams opening refuges for 250 families. powerlines are town. authorities helped victims with tents, water, food. the mudslide blocking the main supply load coming from the amazon. authorities say that it will take between five to six days to clean up the road. forecasters for the countries say both that mudslides are common, and the counter weather conditions will continue unstable until now.

the torrential rains will be a danger to those affected authorities in southern chile raised threat levels to orange because of increased activity at the volcano viarica, erupting for the first time in 40 years forcing the evacuation of thousands. smoke and ash leaked steadily. local officials cancelled school in the area. >> tomorrow night the company amanda knox case goes before the high stakes appeal on her murder conviction that could threaten her freedom. >> that's it for this edition of "al jazeera america"s international hour. i'm stephanie sy. >> and i'm antonio mora. thanks for watching. "america tonight" is up next. i'm see you again in an hour.

on "america tonight" - ♪ heading down the highway ♪ kate pearson exploded on to the music scene with the b-52s. now, after 39 years and the bs kate is going solo also tonight... >> the f35 is the most expensive weapons programme in american history. so far the