earlier this year, it issued this note, reasserting its argument. meanwhile, britain says that while the islanders want to remain under their authority there is nothing to discuss. the long standoff continues. al jazeera, buenos aires. >> you can keep up to date with all the news on our website aljazeera.com is the address. >> breaking news from kenya, al shabab gunmen are holding hundreds of hostages after attacking a college. backtracking on religious freedom laws, leaders in indiana cave to public pressure and roll out choice. >> new jersey senator heads to court to face charges of corruption.

>> this is his live from new york city, i'm stephanie sy. we are following breaking news. hundreds of students are held hostage at a university in kenya. the somali group al shabab entered college grounds overnight killing 15 and injuring dozens. many of the dead are believed to be christians. al shabab said it released the muslims after separating them from those christians. kenyan police are now offering a reward for the man they believe masterminded the attack. malcolm webb is in garissa where it is taking place. >> the university is a few hundred meters down this road. we were actually a lot closer until a short while ago and soldiers moved all by standers and journalists further away, concerned for people's safety and trying to get a complete lockdown on the situation here. in the last half hour, we've seen two buses coming from the university going towards the holding area.

the bus us were student hostages rescued dozens them. we'd spoken to a hostage on his mobile phone earlier. he's since been rescued. we spoke to him while was inside. he said there were 200 300, may be more students in the accommodation building held hostage by the attackers. a kenyan army tank moved towards the university compound. if they do have to use a tank, i imagine that would be a last resort for them. of course, with hostages still in those buildings if they fire on those with a tank, it's going to be a very tricky situation indeed. >> president obama had just announced this week he would visit kenya in july. there is a travel warning in place since last year. there is no word from the administration whether this attack will impact the penalty's trip. our sister network, al jazeera

english tweeted this out: >> the red cross has added additional hot lines to help people locate their loved ones. many have also been sharing this image. it is a copy of an internal memo warning about an attack at a university in nairobi. the memo is dated last week with the title terror threat alert. it warns that al shabab in planning an attack and urges students and staff to be vigilant. again, this attack didn't occur in nairobi it occurred in garissa. we want to go to nairobi now where robin is, the chief africa correspondent for enca, the african television broadcaster thank you for your time. what is your and your colleague's latest reporting on what's going on in garissa? >> well, i believe that the fact that it happened not in nairobi as you say in fact in garissa

is an interesting question. everyone was expecting that if it was to be another spectacular attack similar to the ones we've seen such as the west gate attack or perhaps the attacks which occurred close to the kenyan coastline near the luxury resort that it would would be in one of those places where tourists go that would make maximum headlines. where it occurred, northeastern kenya, very heavily muslim population a lot of somali kenyans living and working there, that surprised us that such a brutal attack would have taken place. the question i guess why that university? why not another university, why this particular soft target. some analysts have said some kind of diversion or perhaps it was a disrupted attack and supposed to be happening in nairobi and they were forced to because certain embassies or

certain institution have upped security quite considerably in the last month given the chances we believe what's going on in the moment wasn't supposed to happen in one of these larger cities instead happened in garissa. >> is there a sense robin in kenya that al shabab is more bold recently in its attacks? >> definitely. they are incredible lip brazen. you saw i'm sure your viewers so you the shocking video during the west gate siege of gunmen walking up to the middle of shopping malls in broad daylight with weapons and opening fire. the massacre which occurred at the end of last year, they act like a very small elite paramilitary crossing the border with ease, a very porous border between somalia and kenya and gang down almost an entire

village, taking the time and having the time to separate muslims from christians, executing the muslims in at least one case, beheading someone. having very heavy weaponry, includings sort of machine guns and at least 1r.p.g. in one case. the group that can give this level of downage the normal police wouldn't stand a chance against. you really need an effective military to fight this kind of military. unfortunately, most of the military that should be or that is -- that would be able to respond to this kind of attack is fighting al shabab across the border in somalia. >> is there a sense among the people that the government is doing enough to prevent these attacks? after all there reportedly had been some intel that al shabab might target universities. >> the 23 of march the message went up at nairobi university,

and we had heard that other public places where especially westerners gather that at least the australian embassy british embassy, the u.s. embassy warned not to congregate at those public places. there had been something out there that people were worried about. is the government doing enough? it's difficult to point fingers because this is such a small group with such a clear mandate that it would be difficult for police to follow every single lead. there are cases we're told that have been reported before where someone is willing to die for their cause and these are people in the sort of asymmetrical attack. >> not to mention these are really soft targets shopping malls, university. robin with the african

broadcaster enca, thank you so much. >> developing news out of yemen this morning. officials say al-qaeda fighters today attacked a prison in the south freeing nearly 200 prisoners. it happened in the coastal city east of aden. the attackers took control of government buildings the central bank and a radio station. many of the freed prisoners were al-qaeda fighters. >> moments ago in france, german prosecutors said crews recovered the second black box from the germanwings crash site. investigators had been searching for it since the plane crashed nine days ago. the first black box was recovered last week. it held voice information that led investigators to believe the co pilot brought down the plane. german prosecutors today say lubitz searched cockpit door

security. >> no business in indiana can refuse service to anyone at any time in an amendment to the original law which critics said could allow discrimination. >> what was intended as a message of inclusion of all religious beliefs was interpreted as a message of exclusion, especially for the lgbt community. nothing could have been truer -- further from the truth but it was clear the perception had to be addressed. hoosier hospitality had to be restored. the inclusion the welcoming attitude of every hoosier had to be buttressed. >> a statehouse committee will now review the changes before lawmakers vote on it, and send it to governor mike pence. earlier, i spoke with tim shuts saying a growing number of states are finding it hard to balance religious and gay rights. >> i think it's a sign that we

have become a more people rides country. there have been, there is certainly a rise in secularism in the united states, all the statics bear that out. with that, we've seen model challenges to religious freedom that didn't exist 10-15 years ago. i think as those challenges rise people look to something that's been proven to strike a pretty good balance between religious freedom and other values and that's why they are inclining toward these laws. >> new jersey senator due in court, robert menendez charged with bribery an corruption, exchanging influence for gifts. he vows to fight and calls it a political witch hunt. menendez says he's innocent but temporarily stepped down from a key post- >> he is relinquishing his seattle as key democratic on the foreign releases committee. he is not giving up his

senatorship. >> walking into a room full of supporters to a roar of cheers, new jersey senator called out federal prosecutors sounding like he says gearing up for the fight of his political life. >> i'm angry and ready to fight because today contradicts my public service career and my entire life. >> menendez faces a long list of charges including conspiracy, violating a travel act bribery fraud, and making false statements all stemming from his relationship with his friend dr. solomon mengin. >> they have chosen to twist my duties as a senator and my friendship into something improper. >> the justice democratic alleges mengin showered menendez with trips including trips to the dominican republic aboard a

private jet and $1 million in campaign contributions. the indictment says menendez used the power of his office to benefit mengin's financial interests. according to the f.b.i., menendez used his influence to change medicare reimbursal policy. in 2012, mengin received more medicaid reimbursements than any doctor in the country. he helped to fix visa problems so mengin's girlfriends could come to the u.s. menendez said he paid back the cost of the fights and vows not to step down from the senate. >> i am proud of that i have accomplished and i am not going anywhere. >> each count of bribery could come with 15 years in prison and there are eight counts of that. this is a very serious case. >> how unusual are these charges for a sitting send tear? >> very unusual. the last time a senator was charged with bribery is 1980.

you have to prove that the senator accepted gifts and did favors in exchange. the last time a senator was charged, it was ted stevens of alaska seven years ago. that case blew up, though, because prosecutors were accused of misconduct. he lost his reelection bid. prosecutors had a black eye. people are watching this case very closely. >> thank you. >> iran says a nuclear agreement is close at hand, but getting all the at that sides to approve it may take time. >> a federal judge facing pressure over allegations of domestic abuse. will he lose his job? that story after the break.

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total news experience anytime, anywhere. more on every screen. digital, mobile, social. visit aljazeera.com. follow @ajam on twitter. and like aljazeera america on facebook for more stories, more access, more conversations. so you don't just stay on top of the news, go deeper and get more perspectives on every issue. al jazeera america. >> welcome to al jazeera america. it is 10:45 eastern. taking a look at the latest headlines. duke university is investigating a news found on campus, found on wednesday hanging from a tree

outside a popular campus spot. people protested the act at a rally. >> mcdonald's is raising pay for 90,000 workers to $1 above the federal minimum wage, but the increase only applies to mcdonald's restaurants that mcdonald's operates, not franchises which make up 90% of locks. >> 54 sailors died and 15 missing after a russian trawler sunk. it went down in the freezing waters in russia's far east. the boat sank within 15 minutes of water flooding the engine compartment. 63 have been rescued. many suffer from hypothermia. >> iran's foreign minister says we could see an official statement today from the nuclear talks in switzerland. diplomatics are at the table again two days after the self impedes deadline for a framework deal. james bays is at the talks in lausanne. >> they really are marathon talks when you think about the

fact you had the u.s. secretary of state and iranian foreign minister overnight in meetings lasting eight and a half hours and breaking just before 6:00 a.m. the iranian side saying they're hopeful they could fly back to tehran later on this evening after they have had an agreement. i have to say some of the western delegations and other delegations don't seem quite as confident about that. the big question, though, even if they get a deal out of this, what sort of deal will it be? that was a point i put to iran's foreign minister. >> the agreement is supposed to come on june 30 if we are all working well, and very lucky so what we expect today is a statement, and the fact that we

have all reached common understanding on how to resolve the issues, but the agreement a written agreement is something that needs to be drafted by all participants and agreed upon in a multi-lateral process and that would take hopefully three months to finalize and hopefully less. >> the big question here is what they come up with at the end of this, is it actually going to be that framework agreement or is it going to be, you heard the words there a jointly statement on common understanding of principles. why is this deadline that is actually passed now the end of march important? it was a self imposed deadline by that the obama administration because they wanted to show congress that they had something concrete, they had some achievements from this pros to try and persuade congress when it comes back from recent on the

14th of april not to introduce new sanctions. >> james bays in lausanne, switzerland. >> new questions today about a federal judge in atlanta accused of domestic violence. charges against mark fuller are expected to be dismissed once he completes a counseling program. but as john siegenthaler reports, that may not be the end of his troubles. >> what's going on? >> excuse me? >> a domestic dispute. >> this is the 911 call. >> i'm calling. i need help. >> that put federal judge mark fuller in an atlanta jail. >> do you need an ambulance? >> yes please. >> he was arguing with his wife while they stayed at a luxury hotel last august. >> kelly? kelly! ok. she needs an ambulance. i'm sending a police. they're in a domestic fight now at the ritz-carlton. >> according to the police report officers said when they

arrived, kelly fuller acknowledged the door in tears and there were visible lacerations to her mouth and forehead. when police asked judge fuller how she was injured he told police she attacked him and he was defending himself because his wife became violent after confronting him for being unfaithful. judge fuller was charged with misdemeanor battery spent a night in jail and later agreed to enter a court program that includes counseling. fuller appointed by george w bush in 2002 has been credit sides before for his behavior. he had an affair with his courtroom assistant which led to a messy public divorce and presided over federal cases while his aviation firm does millions of dollars of business with the justice democratic. now a special five-judge committee is looking into conduct with his wife and could recommend that congress impeach him. john siegenthaler, al jazeera.

>> al jazeera spoke to u.w. lemon, a former federal judge who worked with mark fuller in alabama. we asked what he thought the judgment should be. >> the standard of conduct for federal judges is set fort in the constitution. it was or particular congratulated by our founding fathers. federal judicial appointments are not lifetime appointments, rather they are under article three section one of the constitution appointments during good behavior, that phrase, during good behavior. if a federal judge's behavior fallles short of the good standard then that federal judge, in my judgment, should be impeached and convicted and

removed from office. >> the panel is expected to release its finding sometime this month. >> this video went viral! >> this isn't important enough to me, you're not important enough. >> nypd commissioner tells aljazeera america the detective caught berating the uber driver has been reassigned. the officer's rant didn't that result in violence or charges filed, but he said he was appalled. >> the organs, disrespect, discourtesy, the abuse of language threats made, there was nothing in that video that i saw that i liked. >> you can watch the full interview with new york city police commissioner bill brandon on talk to al jazeera on sunday, april 12. >> california takes extreme measures to combat the worst

drought in a thousand years. the unprecedented crackdown on water in the golden state.

>> for the first time, california now has mandatory water restrictions in place. officials say the four year drought has reached near crisis pro pores after a winter of record-low snowfalls. to give you a sense of the devastation, look at these pictures. this is lake orville in 2011, full lake, ample vegetation. this is now. water levels have plunged by 68%. here's another look at the same lake. this is before and this is after. jennifer london now on why the state is taking desperate measures. >> desperate times calling for desperate measures in the golden state. standing on the slopes of a bone dry ski area, california governor brown announced new mandatory wore restrictions. >> we're in a historic drought and that demands unprecedented action. >> the state was already reeling from away epic drought.

now after record low snowfall this winter, officials are running out of options. >> i asked this gentleman, have you ever stood on this meadow on this day that there wasn't snow. he said no. >> cutting water use by 25% golf courses colleges, cemeteries and other facilities with large landscapes will take the biggest hits. the governor's action creates a temporary statewide consumer rebate program giving consumers an insensitive to replace old appliances with newer water initial models. the state is going to replace 50 million square feet of municipal lawns with drought tolerant landscaping water of grass on public medians is banned. >> we're standing on dry grass and we should be standing in five feet of snow. >> ski resorts already know the

severity of the crisis after one of the most dismal seasons in their history. the rest of the state that release on that snow pack from the summer could be in for a hard reality. >> we're in a new era. the idea of your nice little green grass getting lots of water every day that's going to be a thing of the past. >> jennifer london, al jazeera. >> >> this month on aljazeera america, we're focusing on environmental threats. "inside story"'s ray suarez spoke to bash from the environmental protection democratic in florida. he said he was suspended for opposing the key stone pipeline because of climate change. >> that disturbed the mad rater of the call, who asked whether that was a personal opinion or was i representing that position as part of my job duties in the

division of state lands. i made clear that it was just my personal opinion but that it wassings extremely important to whether we were or were not going to address climate change. >> would you say that it's known by people who work for the state of florida at your level or in other capacities, at state universities in science-related fields that it's discouraged to talk about global climate change. >> from the reports that we've seen from reporters a number of people have been discouraged and in fact reprimanded maybe even pushed out so unfortunately, i was not aware of a ban against talking about climate change, so i sort of walked into the spider's web. >> have you been able to make amends and get back to work? do they want you to say something that you just don't want to say? >> i've been first put on reprimand and directed to take two days off using my annual

leave and towards the end of that day was given a letter saying i'm on compulsory disability leave indefinitely until i get a doctor that will sign a form saying i'm if it to come back to work. >> florida's department of environmental protection declined our invitation to come on aljazeera america but said that bibler was reprimand for poor performance and conduct unbecoming a public employee, adding that the department of environmental protection has no policy banning the use of climate change. in fact, the department constantly monitors changes we identify in florida's eco systems. >> coming up tonight on "inside story," a look at the role of american pharmacists in the death penalty debate tonight at 11:30 p.m. eastern 8:30 pacific. >> thanks for watching. i'm steph stay in new york. the news continues next, live from doha.

welcome to the news hour. our top stories, heavy fighting in yemen's southern city of yemen as houthi fighters try to take control of it. >> plus. >> this is a moment for everyone throughout the country to be vigilant as we confront our enemies. >> kenya's president