[ sirens ] footage emerges of the aftermath of saudi-led air strikes targetting houthi positions in yemen working out of the headquarters in doha i'm jane dutton. news about what may have happened aboard a germanwings plane before it crashed. >> nigerians vote in elections soon. how has the fall in oil prices affected ordinary people. we'll tell you what they say.

we begin with a developing story out of yemen where saudi arabia-led coalition launched air strikes targetting houthi rebels that took power in february. it's backed by 10 countries, five gulf mon abbingies - including egypt, pakistan jordan morocco. it is to support president abd-rabbu mansour hadi. the u.s. said it's coordinating with saudi arabia providing intelligence and logistical support. saudi arabia says it's destroyed houthi air defenses and a control base in sanaa, and hit targets in the city of aden in yemen's south. caroline malone has the latest on the ground in yemen. >> reporter: a residential

district was targeted by air strikes according to the houthi rebels. the tv said this is what is left of part of this distribute in sanaa. the houthi controlled channel says there has been civilian casualties, and showed scenes from the local hospital. >> translation: one of my children was killed another went out crying to the nab ours, but didn't come back. the rest of us are injured, and as you can see, in hospital. may god take revenge on them. we are muslim like them. why can't they leave us yemenis to sort out our own problems. 100 planes were led in a military action. they have only targeted houthi militias, the houthis called for people to join protests against the military action. >> hakim al-masmari is the

editor-in-chief of the "yemen post," and joins us from sanaa. a frightening couple of hours. >> very worrying. the death toll is clear. the houthis announce that 19 were killed, mostly civilian including a family of five, more than 35 injured, and many others under the rubble. unknown if they are dead or alive. the air strike targeted one air base the air runways that the houthis would use to launch air strikes against saudi arabia. the air force here has been destroyed, and the targets were military aircraft. in deals with military power, the houthis would be targeted by saudi arabia.

but according to the officials these targets were not well designed and many of them missed the targets. >> i'll leave it there. the sound quality is not great. thank you for the update from sanaa a columnist for the saudi gazette joins us from jeddah welcome to al jazeera. 2k3w50d good to have you on the programme. what's the result when the country woke up to find the country is at war with yemen. >> it was a relief. we felt the danger coming towards us almost every day. now that our government and the other governments joined the coalition, it gives us the hope that this danger will disappear soon. remember the houthis were having

manoeuvres on the border and they have history with us and they attacked us before. it was a source of trouble. and we are glad and happy that we are finally dealing with this danger. aren't you worried about the knock on effect. we know that an iranian mp said that this will lead to an escalation in the region the houthis said that if there was an attack on them. they will retaliate, and retaliate far. i know you have issues within your own country. well i am sure they will try, but they have noticed now saudi arabia is not going to play the nice guy forever. now it's time to show who saudi arabia and what saudi arabia is. >> okay and what is saudi arabia as far as this war is concerned. how far are they going to go.

what's the end game here? >> the end game is to obey security council resolution to obey the arab leagues resolutions, to return back to the negotiating table, to get out of sanaa, and to get back what they stole from the legitimate process. >> are the houthis to be involved in the process, the houthis in the past said offers to host talks in your country were insincere. >> well they would take themselves out of the equation, and if they do that they insist on being part of the problem, not the solution and only have themselves to blame in the case and iran of course. >> thank you very much for talking to us. thank you. u.s. secretary of state john

kerry is in the city of luzan to meet with his iranian counter part. they tried to reach a deal on how to limit the programme by the march 31st deadline. the framework is laid out to reduce the nuclear capability in return for easing sanctions. our diplomatic editor james bays is live from the city. let's talk about the talks. where are we what are we expecting this time? >> well i said this before but i think from everyone we are speaking to these could be the series of negotiations ahead of this framework document because the date for that to be signed is the end of the month. it seems likely that this will be the last round. they were there, here in fact until the end of last week negotiating and decided in the end to take a break.

relatively positive noises we are hearing in the last few hours and minutes, i spoke to iran's nuclear energy chief, and he was on a morning walk beside the lake. i asked what he thought heading into the negotiations and he said "i am always confident." a u.s. administration official said the talks last week achieved more than any other series round of talks have at any point and they see a path that can take them forward. they know what that could look like. so positive spin coming from both sides. remember a number of things iran is negotiating here not just with the u.s. but the international community, the p5+1. one of those countries, france particularly hawkish. the key sign this we are getting close to a deal is when john kerry is joined along with the

iranian foreign minister and the other foreign ministers of p5+1. as ever highly likely that it will go up to the deadline. >> and james, considering iran's relationship with the houthis in yemen, and the fact that saudi arabia has conducted air strikes over yemen, what has been said about that there, and will this have any impact on the talks? >> well nothing is said at all at this stage. when i spoke to mr salahi i asked him a question and he said it's a question for foreign minister zarif, not whether it will impact the talks. when they sit down to talk about the nuclear programme, you will have around the table the rain iranians who have in the past been supporters of the houthis, and the u.s. who is a close ally sitting around the table talking about the nuclear

programme. both sides said we are only talking about the nuclear programme. not discussing other issues like the war in syria, for example. i suspect during the talks, there'll be no discussion about the situation in yemen, but given the number of iranian officials here and the u.s. officials on the sidelines when they are staying in the statement hotel, i suspect they'll be talking about it and expect that secretary kerry, and foreign minister zarif will in their private time away from negotiations spend a bit of time on the phone with the escalating situation in yemen. >> there were talks that one of the pilots of the crashed germanwings jet was locked out of the cockpit before the plane went down. 153 people died when the airbus crashed on tuesday. francis hollande met the rescue

workers and police at the crisis center in seyne-les-alpes. >> reporter: brought together by tragedy, leaders of france germany and spain arrived at this small town in the alps they came to pay respects and to get the latest on the investigation. it undermines the natural dimension of the disaster. >> translation: we need to understand what happened. we must do so we owe this to the families of victims and the countries involved in the drama. >> all day long helicopters have been ferrying search teams to and from the mountain side it's a massive task involving hundreds of police and rescue workers. the wreckage is over a huge

area. it's unclear what caused flight 9525 to plunge from the sky but this shattered box may hold clues, it's the voice recorder from the plane's cockpit. >> translation: there has been difficulty reading the data. we have been able to extract information from it, but it was a little early to say what happened. 150 people were on board the aircraft at the time of the crash. no one fived. retrieving and identifying the bodies - it's a pain staking task. >> reporter: the identification of the victim is essential. we have to start with that we owe that to the families of the victims, it won't be done in minutes, it will take weeks. everyone is aware it will take some time. >> darkness is descended on case

two. during which the casing was found. we are no closer to answering that question why a well-maintained plane, flying in good weather crashed into the mountains, killing all on board more to come on the programme. it is one of the oil-rich regions in nigeria, but it is one of the poorest. we tell you why communities in the niger delta are struggling to get back. >> i'm in kuala lumpur. meet the women breaking stereotypes and succeeding in a macho sport.

>> al jazeera america international news. shining a light on the untold stories. >> believe in yourself and you'll get there. >> making the connections to the bigger picture. >> shouldn't you have been tougher? >> get the international news you need to know. al jazeera america.

hello again, you are watching al jazeera. a reminder of the top stories. a saudi arabia-led force launched air strikes against houthi rebels. houthi sources say 17 have been killed. the action is to support the government of the president led by abd-rabbu mansour hadi u.s. secretary of state john kerry is in the swiss city of lucien to meet with his iranian counterpart, trying to reach a deal on how to deliver iran's nuclear program by march 31st deadline. a report that one of the pilots of the crashed germanwings jet was locked out of the cockpit when it went down. 153 died when the airbus crashed in the french alps on sues

the top story - the saudi ambassador to the u.s. chose to make the announcement saying his country launched action reluctantly. >> the military launched operations in yemen. the objective is to defend the legitimate government of abd-rabbu mansour hadi from the takeover attempts by the houthi militias in yemen. the use of force is the last resort and it's with great reluctance that we took the step along with our partners in the g.c.c. countries and outside of the g.c.c. countries. we have 10 countries participating in the operations to prevent yemen falling at the hands of the houthis. we have tried to mediate the situation in yemen. we have put forward the g.c.c.

initiative. and worked on establishing the national dialogue in yemen in order to have a peaceful transition to a new yemen let's get the view from iran. a professor of political science at tehran university joins us via skype from the iranian capital. good to have you on the show. in the last 15 minutes or so we have a response from the iranian foreign minister saying he condemns the attacks. why is it taking so long for the attacks. what is iran contemplateing here. ? >> iran is trying its best to prevent the situation which is already dangerous in yemen from being more complicated, and in getting more dangerous. it is unfortunate what the saudis have done because they

escalate the conflict the thought that iran and saudi arabia as well as united states and security council must try to do their best to prevent the conflict from escalation. >> saudi arabia thought that they had no choice that they have done this reluctantly. >> obviously you would expect them to - to say so but everyone would - everywhere can understand that they are six bombing one group would lead into further escalation. of the situation. >> and how would this lead to further escalation do you think iran will get involved. i know an iranian mp was quoted as saying there will be a price for this action. >> obviously iran would help not militarily houthis, because they

are an ally of iran. - -... >> oh sorry for that. i was keen to get his response there now, the conflict in yemen will be high on the agenda for foreign ministers meeting this weekend from the arab league countries, gathering at the shamal shake resort. of the. >> the arab league was organised to safeguard independence and hep with cooperation. this was the summit in kuwait a meeting characterised by division, and in the context of multiple conflict across the middle east. the 2011 yingluck shinawatra --

arab spring protests set deep wrists. a split appeared to those like tunisia, and saudi arabia who viewed the uprisings as a throat to stability. it's been a violent year in iraq as the army supported by the u.s.-led coalition battles the islamic state of iraq and levant. and i.s.i.l. has a strong presence in syria. and opposition forces continue their battle to remove bashar al-assad from power. analysts say the conflicts cause a split in the arab league between member states and iraq and syria, both of which will maintain the strong ties with iran. a dispute between saudi arabia and kaar over the muslim brotherhood appears to have resolved. last year the leaders between bahrain and united arab emirates

refused to attend. there were objections to syria's opposition, the seat at the meeting left vacant. the last 12 months set new challenges for the organization. fighting spread across yeg since last september when shia houthis seized control. the president called for support from golf arab states and the conflict of is concern. the situation has deteriorated in lib na. to rival factions competing for power, four years after muammar gaddafi was removed from power. member states promised to work decisively to put an end to division, and that unity will be on the agenda again if meaningful resolutions were to be found to the old and knew

conflicts across the middle east final preparations are under way in nigeria for the general election on saturday. ballot papers and result sheets have been sent under police guard to abuja. electoral officials checked the papers before sending them. it's expected to be a close race between jonathan goodluck and a former general. the niger delta is where almost all of nigeria's oil comes from providing three-quarters of government revenue, as reported. the niger delta region is one of the country's poorest. >> they know what they are doing is illegal, but they don't care. young, unemployment men steel crude oil from pipe lines and refine it in the creek of niger

delta. they say the resource belongs to the community, not the nigerian government or oil company. >> where you have something, somebody has eent it you'll be pleased with it. we look at how to get part of it. >> the men claimed to produce around 60,000 litres a day from the improvised refineries. >> look at what the business is doing to the environment. this place used to be lush and green. there are more than 200 refineries in the area. they need the money to look after their families. >> falling oil prices mean less currency is learnt. for poor nigerians, the problems pile up. prices are rising. >> there's no money. why you go to the market to buy them. the way it was. >> a well-armed joint task force

made up of forces from all security sectors patrol the creek. oil accounts for 15%. it makes up 75 to 80% of government revenues. government finances have been hammered by the slide in world oil prices. >> it's been tough. 40% of revenues. that we get is wiped off. with the amount of work from the administration, it has gone into had to look at cost cutting strategies to help us continue to keep afloat. for those struggling to get by the cheep low-quality fuel is affordable. one use is piling up generates. despite being a large producer of oil, nigeria is battling to meet its energy needs

the u.s.'s warning of possible attacks in uganda. the u.s. embassy says there are threats to an area of kampala when westerners are known to stay. they cancelled all nonessential events in the area. >> in libya, fighters loyal to the islamic state of iraq and levant have taken on rival government forces in two major cities. in sirte, five people were killed when a suicide bomb detonated near a power station. fighters loyal to the tripoli based government set up checkpoints in the area and further east in benghazi i.s.i.l. carried out a suicide attack on an army post. sri lanka's president is on his first official visit to china since taking office in january. the city center is trying to renegotiate more than 5 billion

worth of deals. his predecessor signed with china. the president wants to strengthen relations and coin a beneficial relationship. cage fighting is controversial known for violence. it's banned if some countries, attracting millions of fans including a growing number of women. >> is mixed martial arts too violent for women. >> don't argue about it. she is smashing stereotypes as a first professional cage fighter. >> people say just another female fight. they are i candy for the show. that hurts. >> the 28-year-old earnt her

their share of critics. a country known for religious conservatism. i may not we the perfect muslim but i would share my best and sometimes to me what i do is just a job. success is inspiring other women to take up the sport. >> strong brave. in the malaysian state. women are breaking boundaries as well. like the training partner. a lot of people would say being a fighter does not go with being a mother. >> it's not true. >> i think i'm a good example for that. i'm a mum. i'm a wife and i'm a fighter. >> have you seen mum fight? >> yes, on youtube. not in real life.

>> what do you thing when you see her. >> crazy. >> yes mum. self-defence is one of the main reasons women take up mixed martial arts. ann started after being followed home in her car. she's an unwitting role model for women across asia mixed martial arts was hardly known three years ago. 35% of fans were women, and more women are signing up to get in the cage. >> there's a lot more male fighters around the world. i think they are in their early stages. fighters are good inspiration for other female fighters. >> once you are in the cage it reveals your true self. are you a fight or flight person. for me i'm a fighter. >> and a winning one at that.

if you want more you can watch the full report malaysia's woman warrior, which will appear on 101 east on thursday, at 22:30 g.m.t. you can keep up to date with the news by logging on to the website. let's check out our team of hardcore nerds. march he's a davison specializes in ecology and evolution. tonight t a box down on the farm. the technology is here. are bots taking over? care a santiago a maria is a science journal wifts a background in neuro biology. tonight, cara meets her avatar as we learn about the movie magic that could bring seymour