she became legendary. >> the finer the store the bigger the challenge. >> al jazeera america presents: "the life and crimes of doris payne". tomorrow, 10:00 eastern. >> saudi arabia says the first phase of its strikes against yemen's houthis destroyed the rebel's air power hello, you're watching al jazeera. i'm jane dutton live from our headquarters in doha. also coming up in the next 30 minutes - fitting farewell to singapore's founding leader. foreign dignitaries and thousands of mourners pay respects to lee kuan yew. another day of voting. nigeria's elections extended due

to technical problems. plus... >> i'm daniel schweimler where the indigenous voice is louder than it has been for 500 years, in la paz. we begin with the saudi arabia led military intervention in yemen. they say the first phase has been successful with all the houthis airplanes and communication centers destroyed. in signs that the conflict that there could be wider ram iffic acheses, the houthis arrive in mocca. they have been hitting targets in sadr. sanaa and abbas. i'm joined now in the studio. a lot happening on the ground.

interesting to hear the former leader's son went to saudi arabia to talk to them there. tell us what happened. >> he has been groomed for many years to succeed his father. the latest report from saudi arabia media is a day before the saudi led air strikes, he went to saudi arabia met with the defense minister at the riyadh airport and told the saudis that he has an offer. he is ready to turn against the houthis if international sanctions against him are lived and that he will become the president in the future. an offer that was dismissed by the saudi's who told him to return to yemen, warning him that if fighters loyal to salah and the houthis cross into aden

they'd interfere. this happened hours layered. abd-rabbu mansour hadi sacked salah, who was yemen's ambassador to the united arab emirates. a decision he wouldn't have fan without consulting -- taken without consulting with the saudis. this to me is saudis abandoned salah, their ally in yemen for more 23457b years. you wonder how the houthis will react to the news. he's fought several battles against them. he's been allied with them. >> i asked a senior houthi and he said we know he's willing to use us for political aspirations and when the moment ashes we'll see how we deal or tackle his case. the houthis have definitely been seen as manipulating salah.

the man that controls the most organised unit is salah, not the houthis. the houthis have sympathy and support of thousands in the country, but the man with the loyalty of the military station is salah. if the saudis continue air strikes against salah and the houthis, we may see development in the coming day. sunnis take advantage of houthis and consolidate the grip in those areas. arab league leaders meeting in egypt expressed solidarity and support for the air strikes. yemen's president said the assault will not stop until the houthis surrender. >> reporter: president abd-rabbu mansour hadi gets the political backing he gets. a rare moment of agreement

amongst leaders curbing the rise of the shia houthi fighters. abd-rabbu mansour hadi is now talking tough. >> translation: i call on the operation to continue until the gang surrenders withdraw from occupied lands, leave military bases and lays down arms and returns weapons seized. >> reporter: leading the war against the houthis is saudi arabia. the country was forced to take action to protect yemen. they met with dialogue. we wish we didn't have to take the decision. we stress that the door is opened for all parties, those that want to maintain security and stability, to meet under the umbrella of the gc c. rejecting the coup against it and stop threats against regional countries. >> reporter: the saudis and gulf and arab states are nervous about the rise of iran.

they fear iran's influence is creeping closer. close by way of iraq in the north, and houthis in the south. air strikes are now hitting engines on the other side of that border. joined by artillery from the saudi side. fighter jets on saturday struck the targets, command and control centers. the coalition says strikes were precise. the houthis say the air raid killed dozens, including children over the last four days. abd-rabbu mansour hadi left at the start of the campaign urging leaders to stop the fights. >> military strikes are not the way. i hope arab leaders do not back a losing course.

i call you to sake dialogue and elections and have mercy on the people of yemen from the strikes. >> reporter: that call call on deaf ears. saleh is accused of striking an alliance with the houthis. the the outcome could change yemen's political landscape and tip the balance of powers. al qaeda-linked fighters in syria captured the northern city of idlib in a blow to government forces. the strategic transport hub is the second provincial center to fall to rebels since the war began. stefanie dekker reports. >> reporter: the syrian army is gone and opposition fighters are in control. after days of fighting rebels are in charge.

the fight was undertaken by a newly formed coalition led by al nusra front and al qaeda affiliate and includes other groups. al jazeera spoke to a fighter in the city. >> translation: it is the reason for the advance. we got rid of the groups. they are all fighting under the one name. >> reporter: celebrating in front of the governor's building. this one shows fighters returning home reunited with families after what they say is years on the battlefield. close to a million lived in idlib, including many forced to leave their homes. we are told thousands fled during the offensive. air strikes have been carried out in the last four days unprecedented because it had been in government hands.

it was seen as a safe haven throughout the war. >> syrian television aired this footage. and said the group is fighting terrorists and regrouping. there doesn't appear to be a lot of concern, fighters revelling in the takeover in the city. idlib is the second government to fall. the fight for idlib took four days, and that's a huge blow to moral of the syrian army tunisian forces kill nine fighters in a raid. a security officer was injured in fighting in the south. the interior ministry said the fighters were from a tunisian group it accuses of being behind an attack on a museum. thousands are expected to attend

a solidarity march for the victims. >> voting in nigeria's presidential election has been extended for a second day after some doctors closed early. we have this report from abuja. >> raphael casts his vote at the national assembly provincial office polling station. he is one of 60 million taking part in this exercise. things went smoothly of the the process is happening in 120,000 locations across the country. >> i believe that you can get close to the level that we want this country to go. initially for unemployment. and health care and security. and education.

as expected there was violence in the north. several were killed when boko haram fighters attacked voters going to polling stations. thousands of security agents were deployed to protect voters. where there has been election-related violence voter registration was delayed by hours. hundreds died in fighting in 2011. voters were undeterred. >> i shouldn't be afraid. my hands is behind the creator. there's nothing that i should fear for, because choosing my leader is in my hands. if i do it and even though somebody that is angry with what i did, well it doesn't have anything to do with my life. that is it. thousands of foreign election observers monitored the vote.

permanent voters cards, pvcs were used for the first time. >> they are taking the pvc, making sure it's aligned with the card reader. it's taking a bit of time. sometimes they try one, two, three, four lines until they are asked to identify the right person. >> the incumbent president jonathan voted. and the main opposition president did two. it's expected to be a tight race between the two men. voting has been extended into sunday in places where there was technical problems or election materials arrive late. that's according to the electoral commission. it could mean the final results are delayed for several days. and the nigerian military detained two al jazeera journalists deployed to cover the application.

akmed idris and another journalist were held on deuce. both were embedded in the north-east. al jazeera is demanding their release. still ahead - the arab league summit continues in egypt. yemen tops the agenda it's crunch time as a deadline looms for a deal on iran's nuclear programme. our deadtore -- diplomatic editor has the latest. deaf

hello again. the top stories on al jazeera.

saudi arabia says it has destroyed all the houthis air planes and communication centers as the war in yemen enters its fourth day al qaeda-linked fighters capture the syrian city in what is seen as a blow to forces. the transport hub in the north is only the second provincial center to fall since the war began. technical glitch stops voting in 300 polling stations in nigeria. some polling centers on saturday had to close early because of attacks on voters. at least 14 have been killed. arab leaders are expected to announce whether they'll form a unified military force. they are meeting for a second day. they are meeting at a summit in sharm el-sheikh. we are joined live from london. i want to talk about ali

abdullah saleh's son going to saudarabia offering a deal that was rejected. how do you think this is viewed at theb league. do they sniff a chink that could be exploited now. >> well ali abdullah saleh has been a man for all seasons. that's how he survived for many years at the top of yemeni state. he had absolutely no scruples about dealing with whatever at any time. so he found that it was one of his, you know escape routes, if you will from the current crisis back into the top of the echelon. and through the yemunited arab emirates. soon after the pressure started, they said something about we need to go back to the dialogue in the united arab emirates.

why, because they have been trying to connect, if you will with the saudis on the one hand with the emirates in order to try to find a role for himself. i think his bluff was called. no one takes him seriously. >> he's a thre and i want to talk about the milary power on the gund i yemen. even thoughhe arab ue leaders support president abrabbu mansr hadi the force, the soldiers support ali abdullah saleh or the houthis or the tribal leaders. that will be a problem, won't it? >> yes, of course. the military or the security map of yemen is really quite complicated. salah - you know - has a so-called republican guards the very forces that he

groomed and made when he was president, and he himself, was a soldier once upon a time. so he did use those in order to work with the houthis to take control of the country. but there is also more to the situation in yemen than the special forces and the houthis. there's al qaeda, there is the yemen armed tribes. those that know yemen know that there was some 20 million pieces of arm there. then there are the other military units and other separatists in the south who now worked with president abd-rabbu mansour hadi. the situation is really complex and chaotic. and it's hard to see how things will end up. certainly, ali abdullah saleh and the houthis remain the more organised forces within the country. >> we are waiting on the arab league to give us the decision a little later.

we'll go live to that. thank you for now in a third day of negotiations nuclear talks with iran hit a snag. u.s. secretary of state john kerry met his iranian counterpart zarif on sunday. they won't budge, including on nuclear research. all parties are trying to reach a deal. aside from the sticking point a deal has never been closer. >> we can find solutions good for all. guaranteeing that iran has no nuclear weapons, cannot develop weapons, but can develop a serial programme. i think that if this is the common ground uniting us all not only tonight and tomorrow but in the last month. we can have a good deal. a deal that is solid, robust

but a good deal for everywhere. having a good deal is obviously important for us. >> let's bring in diplomatic editor james bays joining us and i believe joining you is the british, the chinese and the russians. what does that suggest about the status of the negotiations? >> well we have most of the delegations here seven delegations in total. the u.s. and iran have been here for some days and were here last week as well. they have been joined by the germans and the french and the chinese foreign minister has arrived in the last couple of hours. he surprised the reporters after getting off the plane, coming out here and went for a jog along the lake front, surprised the swiss police. he joins a series of meetings that have been taking place, all times, day or night. they missed an hour of possible

negotiation time because it was a reversion from daylight savings, everyone lost an hour's sleep as frantic negotiations continue as we get closer to the deadline, which is supposed to be on tuesday, the end of the month. are we closer to a deal. i can tell you the meetings appear to be getting shorter. we have a second meeting with secretary kerry, and the foreign minister. the first meeting is short. what that tells me and i admit it is speculation, that rather than talk about the issues they are focussing on the specific problem areas, coming back each time with other permutations of a solution to the problem and taking it away to speak to others. the iranians to others and delegations. the u.s. to the other international parties that are here. >> a possible problem, james, if - when a deal is sign is the

response of those you are not supporting this. israel for example, are they worried by the response? >> well i think they are worried about what will happen. the u.s. is worried what will happen on capitol hill and what congress will say. they know there'll be criticism from israel. they have fresh criticism suggesting that the israelis think the deal will be signed. p.m. binyamin netanyahu speaking in the last few minutes says he's worried about the upcoming agreement with iran doesn't seem to be doubt in his mind that it will be signed. he said it's a dangerous deal reaffirming concerns. speaking at a cabinet meeting in jerusalem, and refers to the axis of iran losan and yemen, saying it is dangerous to all humanity and must be stopped. >> interesting access. thank you. >> tens of thousands in singapore paying final respects

to the country's founding prime minister lee kuan yew. >> forward. march. >> solemn military honours preceded a 15km procession. we are joined from singapore. what has been happening through the day? >> in the last few minutes the funeral service has ended and the coffin has been taken to the crematorium for a private cremation. vip guests included bill clinton and william hague, a former foreign secretary from the u.k. and the regional leaders from asia pacific here at the cultural center of the university, and are leaving along with the specially invited. over 2,000 were here for the

funeral service. it has to be said that the day started off wet. tens of thousands lining the streets of singapore, in the poring rain waiting to get a glimpse of the coffin, a peace of history as a lady told me. we had to be here to see the founding father. that was the consensus of the people we spoke to in singapore. >> so much admiration from many. >> yes, it wasn't just the public at large. i mean the former prime minister founded this nation - one might describe it as a colonial backwater after it was thrown out. since then he has built it up along with his cabinet ministers and officials into singapore, thriving economic center for port activity refined oil

products, and electronic goods. and it is stable, which is very important. it wasn't a dictatorship as some believe other countries are, or have been in the past which is indonesia or the philippines, and he managed to gain a great deal of international support, recognition and respect. that's why the vip list suches a bill clinton and william hague, and the group from a.s.e.a.n. nations send a prime minister or were the. prime ministers of cambodia myanmar and vietnam. malaysia and other partners - tony abbott from australia, the australian prime minister. and china's vice president. a who's who was here. it's time now to reflect for the people of singapore as to the

direction future politicians take them victims of flooding in chile's northern desert region began digging out her home and business. two days leaving 10 dead, 90 missing. the worse hit around the capital santiago mayors and parliamentarians are being selected. it's believed that the president will face defeat daniel schweimler in la paz tells us why. >> reporter: this is election campaigning - at least for some of bolivia indigenous community, making up half of the population. this man is standing as governor for la paz. trying to wrest control from the opposition and quotes a

struggle against the administration. >> they made us live in two bolivias, one was abandoned and the other had all the privileges. now we have to integrate. this is bolivia's first indigenous president. in office in 2006. many credit him for creating space and instilling confidence in more indigenous and other candidates to engage in elections. >> i believe future historians will see the period as one of consolidation, of change. that sees bolivian society not just in the bolivian communities but a can woman. >> while the participation grows, so too, does the divisions. this man is standing against the president. he's a minister in president

morales's government, but did not like the direction in which it was headed. >> translation: the team of the indigenous struggle has been subsumed which weakened the indigenous movement. >> the bolivian group, according to the international misunderstandry fund is growing by 5% do you to gas exports. >> the challenge fating the government is to ensure the wealth is spread among a population marked by inequalities. >> the fight for the communities to emerge is long and hard. symbols of colonialism is strong. the voice is loud and diverse, and getting stronger. that indigenous community speaks more than 30 languages and practices many customs. it's been united in its suffering. as it emerges, so too, conflicting demands

pope francis has begun easter celebrations by giving a mass to mark palm sunday. every year thousands gather in st peter's square to celebrate the holy day. we are looking at the live pictures from vatican city. for christians palm sunday commemorates jesus christ's entry into jerusalem a week before his death and resurrection. this week on "talk to al jazeera" u.n.i.c.e.f. executive director anthony lake. >> you see children everywhere who have not given up hope. if they haven't given up hope, what possible excuse can we have for giving up hope? as the syrian war enters its fifth year he says critical efforts are needed to stop millions of children becoming a