>> "techknow" where technology meets humanity. monday, 6:30 eastern only on al jazeera america. >> the main objective is to protect. >> jets pound yemen for a third night. >> empty emerges that germany germanwings pilot who crashed the plane was ill and should not have been at work. nigeria's military claims

victory against boko haram. >> and two astronauts set off for the longest-ever stay on the international space station. >> the saudi-led coalition has bombed yemen for the third successor successive night. they struck the capital of sanaa and the struck the oil-producing region in the south occupied by houthi fighters. >> they were attacked by the coalition. now the area is under the control of the yemeni army. we continue, we will continue to parking lot the target the

movement until we can clear all the area they are controlling now. yemen's ousted president has called for a cease-fire. ali abdullah saleh said he wants to return to u.n.-brokered peace attacks. the united states said it does not want an open-ended war in yemen. here is how they answered our correspondent kimberly halkett when she asked if the u.s. found itself in a difficult position supporting the saudi-led campaign. >> we've seen the military take over in aden, which forced president hady to flee. and in that situation, they

would take military action at president hadi's request. the way we see the situation the houthies have had many opportunities. they signed the peace and partnership agreement along with a security annexed which called for them to leave government institutions and return military equipment, just one example. >> how does the u.s. see itself returning diplomatically if it's currently supporting a campaign to target inside yemen? how does it see that it's

building a receptive situation for it to return? >> well again, i think its similar to the question that was asked earlier. will we want to see a return to the dialogue process the u.n. is in the lead-- >> but these actions currently are counter to that desire. >> i would say that the houthi's auctions which came before the saudi military actions are the reason that we've got this unstable and chaotic situation in yemen. >> does the u.s. understand perhaps maybe some of the reasons that the houthies may feel unreasonable, perhaps the ungoing drone campaign inside yemen. the ongoing shortage of electricity, food, water what does the u.s. say to that? >> again there, has been a gcc and u.s. process to address political issues in yemen. the united states has supported it, the international community has supported it. the u.n. security council has

supported it. the way to address any concerns the houthis may have is through that u.n.-led process. it is that which they have spurned and taken continued military action, which has brought us to this point. >> foreign ministers will travel to switzerland on sunday according to russia after a telephone conversation between u.s. secretary of state john kerry and his russian counter part. british foreign secretary philip hammond said that he's hopeful that world powers can strike the right deal. german prosecutors say they found a doctor's note excuseing a pilot from work on the day that he flew a plane into the mountain. that brings suspicions that he was hiding an illness when he

crashed the plane killing 150. >> a president pays his respects. [ bells ringing. >> as more information emerge about the co-pilot of the crashed plane the head of state joined hundreds of people at this church. the small town is mourning 16 pupils and two teachers killed in the french alps as they return from a school trip to spain. >> i came out of the church amidst people who lost the most precious thing to them. a child a loved one. i said among the crowd and heard the sobbing of people mourning loss, and i wanted to mourn with them. >> in germany many are struggling to understand why the pilot flew the plane into the mountainside on purpose. german media found that he was suffering depression in 2009

for which he pursued treatment. and then they found information that shed new light on his mental state. >> medical documents were confiscated pointing towards existing illness and corresponding treatment by doctors. the fact that sick notes were found for even the day of the crime support the assumption based on preliminary examination that the deceased kept his illness from his employer and professional colleagues. >> at the crash site in southern france they're still going through the debris trying to find human remains. when they do, they'll be taken away for dna analysis, identifying the victims and notifying their relatives will be a slow process. and then there's the question of accountability. >> typically the case if the colleague was signed off sick. then i have to be very clear. someone with a sick note has no

business of being in a cockpit. i can't understand that. >> the families of some of the victims, mostly from germany and spain have left their own tributes at a memorial near the spot where their loved ones died. dominick kane, al jazeera. >> italy's top quarters overturn the conviction of amanda knocks for the murder of british student meredith concerner. her throat was slashed and she had been sexually assaulted. knox was convicted in 2009 acquitted and freed in 2011 and convicted for a second time after the after the acquittal was overturned. now she has showered never to return to italy. ten people have been killed and dozens wounded in somalia after

a gunman frommal shah frommal shah bob. . >> from abuja we have the report. >> reporter: the nigerian military said it has captured the boko haram stronghold of gwoza. we have no way of knowing for sure. in a rare public address nigeria nigeria's spokesperson gave this statement. >> it can't be verified because

huge restrictions have been placed on society human rights organizations and the media. they have been held until further notice. both were embedded with the military until their detention. >> they have been very good in reporting events in the country and, indeed, they have been one of the few and if not only sources of information from the northeast ahead of elections happening, and expect stations that we would be getting reports from the al jazeera journalist who is are based there and who have worked all along embedded with the military and reporting on the military activities in the region we're particularly worried about this ways. >> this is the closest presidential election since the end of military rule in 1999.

the incumbent goodluck jonathan or the main opposition candidate will have to tackle corruption, insecurity unemployment, and major economic challenges brought on by falling global oil prices and there are concerns about violence. >> there will probably be some violence around the country. however, i'm not particularly worried about nationwide violence or anything like that. but as i said before, the fact that there has been a healthy discussion around violence around the past year will turn out to be helpful. >> this highly anticipated vote comes after a six-week delay. the electoral commission has had problems distributing voter cards and they're testing a new identification system that is raising concerns, and it's a huge logistical challenge with 60 million people expected to vote. but they say they're ready. al jazeera abuja nigeria.

>> sierra leone has forced a three-day lockdown to stop the spread of ebola. president has ordered everyone to stay indoors from friday morning to sunday night. dozens of new infections have been reported every week. the ebola outbreak has killed more than 10,000 people in west africa. still ahead on al jazeera. >> i'm jennifer glasse in afghanistan. where avalanches have torn down electricity fourths and afghan engine years are rebuilding them by hand. >> what do you do with a formula one track if you don't have a race? we have reports from south korea.

>> the new al jazeera america primetime. get the real news you've been looking for. at 7:00, a thorough wrapup of the day's events. then at 8:00, john seigenthaler digs deeper into the stories of the day. and at 9:00, get a global perspective on the news. weeknights, on

al jazeera america . >> these are the top stories on al jazeera. the saudi-led coalition has bombed yemen for a third successive night. saudi arabia and it's allies say they're in full control of yemen's air space. at least ten people have been killed and dozens wounded in somalia after gunmen from al-shabab stormed a hotel. bliss say hostages have been held by the attackser. german prosecutors have found doctors notes ex-pewsing a pilot from work on the day that the pilot flew the plane into the

mountain. it is thought that he was hiding illness before the crier that killed 150 people. >> james bays reports from a yemen conflict. >> my enemy's enemy is my friend. it's an ancient proverb but some say it best explains the alliance in the middle east. in yemen an ongoing military operation led by saudi arabia, one of u.s.' closest allies, against the houthies, a group that now controls large parts of the country and has close lengths with iran. yet turn to iraq. and iran and the u.s. find themselves on the same side iranian units are fighting isil

along side iraqi forces while u.s. planes simultaneously bomb isil positions. however, go just across the border in syria and things get even more confusing. iran and the u.s. both oppose aisles here, too. however, the iranians provide direct military assistance to president bashar al-assad while washington remains one of his most ferocious critics. in the swiss lakeside resort of lausanne, u.s. secretary of state john kerry is negotiating directly with iranian foreign minister zarif. after 36 years of mistrust and antagonism these are difficult and protracted negotiations that have been going on for months and months. both sides have made it clear that negotiations are strictly limited to the iran nuclear file. but when you have important people talking and living in the same hotel other issues are

also being discussed on the sidelines. foreign minister zarif went for a walk on the lake front and confirmed to me that yemen has been discussed. >> this is the hawkish issue of the day. >> any deal could have much wider implications. so far the only person to state that publicly is the e.u. >> we might have an unique opportunity to create a framework. >> it will make difficult changes in the framework. what it doesn't do is shape attitudes, behaviors and suspicions particularly in the middle east. both israel and most arab governments are very suspicious

of iran. they are not very keen on this deal. >> the u.s. has longstanding alliances with major nation notice region like egypt saudi arabia and turkey. it may privately hope that a nuclear deal would bring leverage with iran too. but the middle east remains a complex and combustible region where every action has a reaction, and sometimes it's the most unexpected one. james bays, al jazeera, lausanne. >> the united states has welcomed an israeli decision to release palestinian funds. the israeli government froze tax payments owed to the palestinians three months ago amidst protests palestinian's movement towards statehood. >> now avalanches in afghanistan last month wrought down power lines that supply electricity to the capital. it disrupted power for millions

of people in kabul now afghan workers are rebuilding the equipment by hand. jennifer glasse reports. >> 3400 meters high afghan engineers are work to restore power to millions of people. 11million towers along the route bring electricity from uzbekistan to kabul or did until the snow came. >> we're standing right now 10 to 15 meters of snow. so they can't bring in any of our heavy machinery. we can only use basic equipment. >> this tower and two others are completely destroyed. piece by piece workers must carry all 15 tons of the replacement tower through the snow. the avalanche came from three different directions and the force of the snow was so powerful it tore a 15-ton tower off of its cement base and carried it 150 meters down the hill. and working in these conditions means doing almost everything by

hand. for two weeks no power flowed at all. now it carries a third of the normal load. two hydroelectric plants and expensive diesel generators are making up some of the shortfall but these men know the faster they can work the better. >> avalanches high winds and the possibility of rockfalls make this a very dangerous area. it's also very remote, which is why our work is going so slowly. >> if the weather cooperation it cooperates, it will take a month before the towers are at full capacity. jennifer glasse, al jazeera, al jazeera. >> to pakistan where two policemen have been killed after a bombing in karachi. the pakistani taliban have

claimed responsibility for the attack. they say the bomb was attached to a motorbike and exploited as a police drove by, 15 others were injured. they warn that the army won't tolerate instability or threats. >> he was speaking to troops at a military parade on the 07th anniversary of armed forces day. the elections will be the first held by the semi-civilian government that swept to power after a 2010 vote. the >> 17 are being held in what is said to be diplomatic tug-of-war between china and turkey. the family says they're from turkey and want to return there. beijing said that they're from

china's northwest region. we have more from bangkok. >> the fate of 17 muslim uyghurs here in thailand is still in limbo. the thailand civil court found they were in detention. their attorney will appeal. >> this case is definitely tied to politics. these 17 uyghurs are from turkey. they have family members from their hometown. the passport they have is issued by the turkish not from here. >> these 17 uyghurs contend they're from turkey and have been given turkish passports. chinese officials say they're not from turkey, but they're from china and they're not alone. there are 300 uyghurs in detention for illegally entering thailand. for the time being they are all now caught in this diplomatic

tug-of-war. >> now the cost of hosting a formula grand free is enormous. german has lost its grand prix while south korea has also hit a financial wall. following >> the country has committed itself to the 2018 winter olympics. from south korea, rob mcbride reports. >> it is the world class circuit that was supposed to put south korea on the formula one racing map. but after just four grand prixs the racing world has largely forgotten it is here. unable to generate the local support or the revenue needed to keep formula one here, the operators have been looking for other events. still the operators insist that the circuit should not be viewed simply in dollars and cents.

>> a facility like this should not be seen as a social investment. instead of a business that has to earn revenue. the central government has subsidizes various supports, but the motorsports is not yet popular and the government does not feel it is obliged to sponsor us. >> the root of the problem is planning it is located in remote south in a country that has limited interest in motorsports. a lack of foresight seems to be a national failing. >> when it comes to planning, you really have to look at how to make these venues or the surrounding towns as a preferred or favorite destination place as opposed to a single venue. but i'm not sure if it's done a good job of planning that way. >> south korea's third city certainly has enough people, but such was the scale of the 2014 asian games it hosted last

september. it is still tackling the problem of finding new uses for the facilities. and it is deeply in debt. they have high hopes even it's main stadium will find a new use, but admits it could take years and it knows the whole country is watching as south korea prepares for its next sporting feat. construction is well advanced in for the 2018 olympics. so is the debate and cost and use of the use of the site. but at least that debate is happening now instead after the event. >> the biggest lesson from those past events is an opportunity for everybody to get involved in the planning stage and at least the dialogue has begun. >> the operators say the olympics like formula one will encourage the growth of interest to fill these facilities. a strategy of if you build it they will come. but experience has shown they

might be a long time in coming. rob mcbride al jazeera, south korea. >> now american astronaut and two russian cosmonauts have taken off for a record-setting space mission. to of the men will spend a year in orbit the longest ever of continuous space voyage. that space mission will help scientists find out how the human body reacts to the harsh environment of space. canadian chris hatfield spent six months on iss and explains what it was like. >> the space station is an incredible human outpost right on the edge of our capability. it's vast. it's really strange to launch into the darkness, fly through space for a while and suddenly to have a little star get bigger and bigger and sort of grow into

this huge human structure orbiting the world. it's like a gift to be weightless. it's magic all of a sudden. you can take this wrist watch of mine, which when i first got to orbit, i noticed that it was floating and flying almost like i had a living snake wrapped around my wrist. and i would keep my watch strap loose all of my life because it reminds me of the magic of being weightless. you don't need anything to hold you up. being a year weightlessness is different than how the body has evolved. here i'm fighting gravity. but in weightlessness everything floats and you don't even have to hold your head up. we fight it by exercising two hours a day on the space station. resistive exercise, and exercise on a bicycle. when you get back to earth your body will recover quickly. it will take a few weeks to get back to normal.

a few months until you're able to run properly, and a matter of a few years to grow your skeleton back. it's through exploration that we understand the world and ourselves. and space exploration is no different. it is fundamental to human nation. it is how we get to know where we are. how it is all inter dependent and how we get to know ourselves as a species at all. >> italian police have confiscated a $16 million picasso painting from a pensioner. he said it was given to him over 30 years ago. the painting was painted during the artist's cubaist area and was thought to be lost. in a separate case the police seized a roman sculpture worth around $8 million that they suspect was to be smuggled to switzerland. and they will recognize pizza makers by nominating their pizza for protection invented 300

years ago. the raised crust topped with with green bay sill, white mozzarella and red tomatoes, a culinary reputation after italian flag. just a reminder you can keep up-to-date with all the news at our website on www.aljazeera.com. >> we're driving to a crime scene in a suburb outside of columbia, south carolina... we've come because more women are killed by men here than any other state in the country... around 10:30 in the morning, a