ou how the miracles of science... >> this is my selfie, what can you tell me about my future? >> can affect and surprise us. >> don't try this at home. >> "techknow" where technology meets humanity. only on al jazeera america. >> part of al jazeera america's >> special month long evironmental focus fragile planet erica pitzi this is al jazeera america, i'm erica pitzi in new york. here are the top stories - calls to stem a growing humanitarian crisis as air strikes pound the aden. thousands trapped inside yarmouk outside damascus as i.s.i.l. gain grounds. >> we use means at our disposal to bring the perpetrators to justice. kenya's president promises for

those responsible for the kenya university attack hundreds of modern day slaves freed in indonesia. how many americans may have unwittingly helped them profit it our top story tonight - victims of the war in yemen struggling to survive in the midst of gun fire and deadly explosions, the red cross calling it a humanitarian crisis. as they beg for a ceasefire, begging for time to deliver aid to areas cut off by air strikes. a surgical team is ready to move in with medicine. russia is asking for a pause in fighting to allow others to leave. the red cross says time is

running out. >> we have not yet been able to get in the medical supplies for the hospitals and the ministry of health to reach the health clinics, and those that need it. for this on on 4 april, 4-5 minutes in sanaa, we are not able to receive the splice. -- supplies. we have not received anything yet the united nations says more than 500 have been killed over the past two weeks including more than 90 children. 1700 are wounded and tens of thousands displaced because of the war. >> a call for a ceasefire comes after a deadly air strike. bombs fell. a family of nine was killed in

an attack. >> reporter: explosions lit the sky as the audi led coalition resumed on saturday night. targets included a military base and other locations controlled by houthi rebels. >> reporter: we have continued to give logistical assistance in aden and other armed forces loyal to the authorities, we can say a situation is relatively calm. but as fighting continues around the city of aden in the south the numbers of syrian casualties rise. hundreds have been wounded. most unable to leave the country. saudi arabia says it has set up a committee within the ministry of defense for coordination between countries wishing to

send aid or evacuate nationals. they called for a 24 hours truce for that purpose. russia proposed a number of measures in a draft resolution at the security council. first, that russia be given aid and access to reach people in need. they called for pauses in the air strikes to allow countries and international organisations to evacuate. the u.n. security council held meetings on saturday night to discuss the rush yp propose-- russian proposal and another. >> we should not forget the root causes and conditions leading to the situation and humanitarian situation in yemen is due to the failure of implementation of resolution 2201 by the houthis.

>> reporter: as diplomatic efforts increased. there was no lull in the fighting across yemen. on saturday the houthis managed to remain positions they lost early in southern yemen, freeing some 300 inmates from the central prison and loyalists took control of the city center. all signs on the ground that a military solution to the conflict is far from certain. >> the pentagon is reporting an especially heavy day of air strikes against i.s.i.l. the military says coalition forces carried out nine strikes in iraq and six in syria, the attacks targetting i.s.i.l. tactical positions and supplies. despite the increase in striction, i.s.i.l. took control of the yarmouk camp. it has been home to thousands of palestinian refugees since the 1950s. they succumbed to the fighters

because of an unlikely alliance. >> reporter: it's a fight they are losing. a palestinian group has been fighting oil over the last few days in the refugee camp. i.s.i.l. controls most of it. in a twist, there are reports that i.s.i.l. fighter are supported by the al qaeda al nusra front. the two groups do not like each other, but it appears they are working together to take control of yarmouk. >> there was an agreement made under the table between al nusra front and i.s.i.l. many were shocked. al nusra front released a statement claiming they were neutral. in reality, they were not true. they have several checkpoints. i.s.i.l. came through it with no difficulties, and this is the reason i.s.i.l. raided yarmouk and controlled it. everyone is confused how the deal happened. >> reporter: yarmouk has been besieged by government forces for more than two years.

various groups are based here. 18,000 remain out of 160,000. most are fully dependent on aid, conditions are difficult. >> we have said that yarmouk is a place with very very little hope. it's a place of abject desperation. it's a place where humanity is really struggleing to survive and the military mix we see in the camp is creating a vacuum where there's so little hope or dignity. >> many tell you that yarmouk is one of the worst places before i.s.i.l. entered the camp. no aid has gone in since the fighting began. it's a worrying development for the government and people in damascus with i.s.i.l. 10km away. >> al-shabab is now vowing to

wage a long war in kenya, saying it will make cities red with blood. the group claimed responsibility for the attack at the university that killed 150 people. kenyan officials arrested five shabbier reason members in connection with the attack. al-shabab released a statement saying that the kenyan public will pay the price are for the presence of kenyan army in somali. as the country declares three days of mourning. news that a survivor has been found hiding in a closet. catherine soi has more. >> an unbelievable moment. a survivor has been rescued. many describe it as a miracle. she was taken to hospital. two days ago she hid on a wardrobe and covered herself with anything. she heard the gunmen taunting individuals. at one point they came into the

hostile and took two of her friends. she's hope to be alive. >> they were shooting everywhere. i conditioned hiding. if i was hungry i ate body lotion. >> forensic investigators, including u.s. personnel have been at the university. those inside talk of a violent and bloody end to those that died. the government was keen to show journalists and others the remains of four gunmen. the pictures are too gruesome for us to show. >> the gun when decided to display the bodies to move prove that the gunmen had been killed and to try to build public confidence in the police force. >> reporter: police say she have made arrests. >> there's a number of arrests. we have arrested another three, and the total number can reach about five.

we will confirm that when we get more detail. in the operation. it continues to develop. >> there is frustration here. it has been attacked before. there were intelligence reports about an imminent attack on a university in the country. >> all this weapons they are using came from where? it is not in garissa. these people must have several barriers controlled by the police. so they stop the security. >> al-shabab fighters issued a statement warping of more attacks in -- warning of more attacks in kenya. people say they are afraid and don't trust government assurances to keep them safe. >> president obama is urging congress to support the iran nuclear deal. in a weekly address the president took his case to the american people. >> this is a long-term deal with limits on iran's programme for

more than a decade and measures lasting 20 years or more. as a member of the nook leer proliver -- nuclear proliferation treaty. iran will never be allowed to develop a weapon. >> hassan rouhani was scheduled to meet with iran's supreme leader. >> lacy and a director of middle eastern policy with a nonpartisan group, the center for control and nonproliferation. thank you for joining us. presidents dating back to gerald ford tried to curbing deals. how monumental is the deal in its current form? >> this deal in its counter form, and remembering, of course that there are months ahead. the ink is not dry on the deal. we have to go forward and theght

details and final terms, and nothing that the president said is agreed to until all is agreed to. what was announced this week is a big deal. it's a serious deal putting verification and transparency measures on iran such that have not been netted before. this is -- negotiated before. this is something past presidents worked towards, have not been able to achieve, and ultimately, if this comes to fruition is historic. >> we know negotiators on both sides are faced with resistance to the deal. how far do you think some of those hardliners will go. what could derail the deal? >> so already the u.s. congress said they'll expect to vote. senator corker has a bill requiring the congress to vote up or down on a time agreement,

and plans to push forward with that. senator kirk said that he would hold off on additional sanctions. we see that the u.s. congress is in some ways backing off. there are, in some ways pressing forward, and i think we can expect a lot of voices on the hill to be talking about this as soon as they come back after the counter recess. -- current recess. of course in iran the people are excited. they are facing their own issues with hardliners and will have a lot of selling in the months and weeks ahead. >> let's talk about trust. president obama said the world will know if the world cheats. is that true. and what is the reality that the deal processes? >> so one of the important aspects of the deal is verification and transparency. it puts in place measures

allowing the u.s. to certify that iran has not made a move towards a nuclear weapon it's important. they will not remain in place for the next 10-15 years, but indefinitely many of them since iran will be acquired to sign on to parts of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty additional measures to that that will ensure that they are under the inspections for the indefinite future. this is very important. ultimately we hear folks say they don't trust iran that's why you need a deal because the only way to get the inspections is with a deal. >> what happens between now and the end of unito secure a deal before the deadline? >> so negotiators will go back to the technical counterparts. the political counterparts and

drill down into the finer details. some of the details of the deal are complex, very spelt out already under the framework agreement that has been announced. some are vague. there are disagreements and must be worked out. there's a lot of work ahead. it can't be discounted how much has been achieved. the framework agreement goes further. most technical experts or analysts expected it to. they have crossed the major hump her and have to take it to the hin. >> do you thick it could go beyond the deadline. >> it's possible. as they negotiate them we see the negotiations and see the messages. if we bli a house or car, it

stretches. but ultimately the most international negotiatos take 2-3 years, more than that. this will be going into 18 months at the end. ultimately if it takes longer than that i don't think we have to worry too much. as long as it pushes forward. for the first time in more than a year fidel castro appeared in public. the images which cuban media released showed the former president creating a group of venezuelans. he seemed healthy and full of vitality. he left office in 2006 for health reasons and was succeeded by his brother. he last appeared in public in january last year. since then u.s. and cuba agreed to normalize relations. for the first time president obama and fabian castillo will come face to face.

the state department says no meeting is planned, but the two will have an interaction. the president will be at the summit of the americas and panama this coming week. the coaches is a gathering of leaders from north, central and south america. for more on the issues to be raised at the summit and the u.s.'s agenda join us for "the week ahead". up next on al jazeera - fishermen tortured and forced into slavery. some for a decade. a shocking story and a look at a texas execution. cameron todd willing ham was convicted of sentencing a fire that killed his children. now a key witness in the case said is prosecutor told him to lie. he spaction to al jazeera -- spaction to al jazeera. did you speak to willing-ham. you know you are a liar why

should we believe you now? coming up. more on the wit, the prosecutor and the man -- witness, the prosecutor and the man some say was wrongly put to death.

indonesian authorities say they have freed hundreds of fishermen from a remote island after they were tricked into becoming modern day slaves.

keep in mind the majority of seafood americans eat is imported from asia. the fishermen were forced to work for little or no pay to keep upward demands a rescue operation this region has not seen. a convoy of vessels protected by the indonesian navy bringing 300 fishermen to safety. men from myanmar, smuggled from indonesia, forced to work without a salary. many were abused. the company changed their identity by giving them names and documents. indonesian officials are registering them under their real names, and checking their health before handing them over to authorities much the government in thailand denied the allegations.

all the evidence will be studied by our judicial team. the minister put a special team on the case dealing with the legal facts, telling us what criminal acts have been committed. >> the people are a small part of thousands of fishermen stuck in indonesia. >> they are free after a long time. where they wanted to go home desperately. they are safe. they are a few of others who are out there, and no one knows where they are. many are working on the boats. others managed to escape. they survive with the help of communities and remote parts of the country. some for a long time. like this person brought to indonesia 50 years ago. he endured hardship at sea and escaped. he and friends are working as an

illegal logger. >> translation: i don't know if my mother and father are alive. all of us want go home. if this was possible to walk from indonesia to myanmar, if there were mountains, we would have done that. >> reporter: for the first time in 15 years his hope could be reality. he and his friends are not part of the group, they hope by registering their names they'll be able to leave soon. and be able to celebrate a return home like these rescued men. now in the philippines people are bracing for a strong storm. what was once a typhoon is now a tropical storm. kevin corriveau is here with the latest. this is a serious storm, or it was. >> it was a super typhoon, and

was deadly. you can never underestimate a tropical storm. look at the picture. this was super typhoon may sack taken from the international space station, when it was equivalent to a category 5 storm. in micronesia for the island of chuck, we were looking at a deadly system there. you can see what happened over the last 24 hours, the system became disorganised. it is a tropical storm. the problem with this one is it is moving slowly. because it's moving slowly across the region we'll get a lot of rain in a long period of time. that means flooding and flash flooding. it will not be a wind storm or surge type of storm but it will be a flooding storm.

we had a frontal boundary move off in the united states. it was a front responsible for the severe weather. we had freeze warnings and profit adviseies for a lot of states. temperatures for tomorrow will go town to freezing. if you -- we are looking at washington at 67, and atlanta close to 70 degrees. >> i like how you end with the good news. it was a face that scarred a small town of texas 23 years ago. three young girls killed in a house fire their father convicted of murder and executed. the case of willing ham was not

straightforward. new evidence points to him maybe being nbility cameron scott willage ham and three daughters were home napping while their mother was out. then the unimaginable. a fire. we'lling ham escaped alone. the three girls died. >> it's hard to imagine a greater tragedy that could happen. that was the beginning. willing ham, known as a trouble maker in town, and suspected of beating his wife was arrested for the girls' desk. neighbours said he saw him push his car from the flames apparently unconcerned about his daughters inside. the trial was swift. >> the prosecutor said at the trial that there were two pillars of evidence. one was the testimony, one was

the arson investigators who testified it was purply lit. the -- purposely lit fire. >> there was evidence of an accelerate leading from the girls room to the door and a refrigerator blocking the back door. there was a star witness from the gaol where willing ham was held. >> johnny west testified that todd willing-ham confessed to committing the murder. he denied the charms and refused a plea deal taking no time for the jur yoi to find him guilty of capital murder. then something unexpected happened. willing hymn's execution date at the behest of family took a second look at the evidence.

seven seasoned investigators reached the same conclusion. >> the so-called indicators of arson used by the texas state fire marshall and they lived 20 were ipp valid. we -- invalid. we concluded there was no credible evidence that the willing-ham fire was arson. willage ham claimed the -- willing ham claimed the fire was accidental. he barely escaped and had no chance to return to for the children. >> could have been a little kid putting a blanket near a space heater it could have been an electrical malfunction. the wiring was really awful. on the eve of the execution, a report landed on perry's death. he said no. cameron todd willingham was

executed on feb 17 2004. hours after the photo. >> he protested his innocence to the last moment he was alive. >> what about the confession he supposedly gave to the gaol house informant who testified against him in court. >> everyone says i'm a snitch. i didn't snitch on nobody. i lied like john jackson told me to that was johnny webb who says its story about willing-ham' gaol house confession confession. he had more to say. our exclusive interview when we come back. plus - decades, pollution, years of violation, and how the law caught up to a battery recycling plant. stay with us.

purchase

welcome back to al jazeera america here is a look at the top stories. the red cross is calling the war in yemen a humanitarian crisis and are asking for a 24 hour

ceasefire to allow the delivery of life-saving aid to civilians cut off by military air strikes. russia is asking for a pause to allow foreigners time to leave. i.s.i.l. has taken control of the yarmouk refugee camp outside of damascus. the camp is home to thousands of refugees. syrian officials say fighters have joined with al nusra front to take the camp. al-nusra is affiliated with al qaeda in kenya, a young woman has been found hidden in the university hiding in a closet as al-shabab killed 150 of her fellow students. the arrest of five al-shabab members have been announced we have been telling the story of cameron todd willingham a texas father accused of setting a fire that

killed his three tauters -- daughteriers. now jet -- three daughters. now prosecutors say the fire may have been accidental. >> everyone says i'm a snitch. i didn't snitch on anyone i lied. >> reporter: cameron todd willingham was executed in 2004 thanks in part to the testimony of this man, a gaol house informant who told jurors in 1992 that cameron todd willingham confessed to setting a fire that killed his three young daughters. >> i can't imagine what went through his mind when he asked the question will you bury me with my children and they said no. in his mind there was no reason for them not to. >> reporter: no reason because johnny webb says cameron todd willingham was innocent. 22 years after his trial. webb claims there was no confession. had you talked to cameron todd willingham before? did you know who he was?

in 1992 webb had been convicted of aggravated robbery and was housed in the same gaol where cameron todd willingham awaited trial. the lead prosecutor in cameron todd willingham's case was assistant da john jackson, a friend of webb's father. >> he was one of boys they take tare of each other. >> reporter: cameron todd willingham's confession to you, who came up with the story, you or jackson? >> jackson. >> reporter: what did he tell you to sigh? >> he showed me the pictures of babies. he convinced me of his will. it wasn't hatched on the fly. it took days. i went to the office 2-3 times. it was a period of coaching. >> reporter: webb says jackson promised him something in return for his testimony. webb's robbery sentence was reduced. webb took the deal. >> if you are in my position

you are 22 years old, and the da the one that controls your life tells me "look, we'll convict you but we'll come back and pardon you for it but you have to do this", or i'll give you a life sentence what would you do. >> reporter: but you knew you were being asked to lie under oath? >> sure. >> i wasn't being asked i was forced. you do this or you'll get this. >> reporter: did you know what the consequences might result? >> i didn't have any idea. i was young. >> reporter: web alleges jackson told him to hide the deal from the jury. >> reporter: when you were on the stand and jackson asked if you were going to benefit, why did you say no? >> because he told me too. he said now, you can't say nothing about a deal. you have to say no. and i did. i did what they told me to do. >> reporter: and the moment those words left your mouth, did

you feel your concerns at all. >> absolutely. i felt like i lost a piece of myself. >> you lied under oath. you are a liar. why should we believe you are telling the truth now. >> you don't have to believe me believe those words. >> he points to 20 years of letters between himself, jackson and jackson's surrogate. a 1996 letter documents the prosecutor's efforts to lessen web's prison time. >> it says "i have received a letter from johnny which shows he was convicted of robbery. i would appreciate you taking this information into consideration when considering parole elegibility. >> the innocence project representing cameron todd willingham's family said it dug up evidence of a deal between the prosecutor and the informant. a letter bearing what jackson demints is his own -- admits

assist his own writing talks about cooperation, and webb should have a less sentence because that is what jackson wanted it to be. >> webb denied having the incentives. he testified like he testified out the altruism the good possess of his heart. >> reporter: your decision to lie contributed to the xt accusation of a man who may or may not be innocent. how do you live with that? >> for 22 years, you know pretty. it destroyed my life. it's not something easy to live through. >> reporter: meanwhile jackson's life got better. he won election to be a district judge, serving until 2008. the now 64 years old and retired history is catching up. this march the texas bar association aaccused jackson of

ethical breaches in his handling of the cameron todd willingham case, and jackson declined contact. we wanted answers so searched for the man. >> i'm heidi zhou-castro with al jazeera america, is mr jackson in. >> no he's not. >> reporter: he never appeared. in response to the texas bar association complaint he denied the existence of a deal and presents a twist. evidence that brings webb's story into question. on the same day web formally recanted his cameron todd willingham testimony from prison he wrote this letter to john jackson's friend saying "i sincerely hope john nose i have no choice. the arianne brotherhood told me what to write". webb says the prison gang forced him to write a motion to recant. when we asked web about this he

changed his story saying the arianne brotherhood never bothered him in prison. >> the heart of a lot of this is johnny webb's testimony was unreliable and should never have been used in the first place. at this point nobody is relying necessarily on what johnny web has to say. >> do you think he's innocent? >> everything that i looked at and that has come up shows there's no evidence that he committed the crime. >> reporter: that the innocence project argues creates reasonable doubt about the guilt of a man that has already been executed former egyptian president hosni mubarak and his sons have been in court on retrial of corruption trials. they have been accused of using

$18 million for the renovation of their palaces. in november hosni mubarak was acquitted of causing the death of 800 protesters killed during the uprising that forced him from power in 2011. anti-islam rallies were held in australia. a group called restage australia staged protests in dozens of locations across the country. demonstrators and protesters clashed in several cities leading to arrests. andrew thomas reports. >> reporter: they promised peaceful demonstrations. when confronted by people calling them racist violence broke out. police men, women and horses separated those rallies against islam and those condemning them as racial bigots.

>> they have an issue with islam. they don't under them. >> reporter: three months ago martin place in sydney was filled with flowers in memory of those that died in a cafe. on saturday this - that same chair chosen as a site for the anti-islam protest. >> muslims, planning attacks like what happened here in martin place, saying no to islam, no to extremists here. >> 300 million extremist muslims dedicated to the takeover and downfall of western civilization. >> sydney's was mected to be the biggest protest. rain kep the numbers down. >> the weather would have put off many. there's a few hundred here coming together in the rain to

reclaim australia. >> in brisbane flags and rhetoric. there are those working close at hand who wish to destroy all that is australia and freedom. where there were protests counter-demonstrations were almost as large. as is not having a crisis. but assist a sign of fear and growing discontent. >> ebola returned to eastern sierra leone. the officials announced the girs says of the disease. a 9-year-old may have become ineffected. locals and health workers have been dispatched to investigate and hopefully frequent any more cases. in our fragile planet series a recycling plant in california is shutting its doors over

allegations it polluted nearby neighbourhoods with illegal toxins. residents say the plants had been violating hazardous waste laws for years and as rob reynolds reports, they want to know what took regulators so long. >> reporter: for decades the battery recycling planned spewed led and other toxic stances into the air, oil and soil of a low income hispanic neighbourhood. this woman is one of thousands of residents lying downwind of the plan. >> the smell in the air is ugly. the odours are repulsive. they are so ugly. >> the plant, owned by the corporation was cited for serious violations by california's toxic stepses control agency. the agency levied fines only a handful of times, and allowed them to operate for 33 years on

a temporary licence. state lawmakers are considering a top to bottom reform. agency. garcia suffers tremors, and short possess of breath -- shortness of breath. none of her doctors establish a link. i think it's the environment here it's the environment. it can't be anything else. >> earlier this month they struck a deal with federal government prosecutors. the company agreed to shut down the plant. tear down the buildings and take full responsibility for clean-up at the site. the company, which is emerging from bankruptcy is expected to pay about 50 million for the clean-up. company executives will not face charges. activists say that is wrong. >> they deserve to be fully investigated prosecuted and need to do some plich time. >> when some of the collusion

problems were made public the county set up a free blood test. it showed a 16 month old had high levels of lead in her blood. the exposure can cause brain damage and is dangerous for young children. >> the doctor told me it could affect her brain and lead to deafness. she could have problems with her speech. this is troubling. >> reporter: the company would not agree to an interview but issued a statement confirming details of an agreement to close the plant. the toxic substances agency decleaned to answer questions. >> it's expected to take four years or more. clean up the waste and remove the contaminated soil from houses in the area. >> more of our fragile planet

coverage in the next hour. we take a deeper look at the nuclear power plant in florida that could be at rick because of climate change next - congress has low approval ratings, yet many candidates go unopposed. come election time, what one man is doing about it many homeless given a place to live and a chance to get back on their feet.

this month more people are expected to toss their hat in the ring to run for president in 2016. when it comes to running for congress not everyone endures a tough campaign despite a congressional approval rating below 14%, dozens of incumbents ran unopposed. michael shure explains how that inspired a former advisor to british prime minister david cameron to intervene. >> reporter: this is alabama senator jeff sessions. last november in a bid for re-election he received nearly 800,000 votes. his campaign twitter had 12 tweets his campaign facebook four posts, and he had no opponent. amid unprecedented discontent with congress many voters if

they got to the polls didn't have a choice. half of georgia's delegation ran opposed. from massachusetts, it was two-thirds. in all, more than 30 house members ran unopposed. many of those, names like john luize, charlie department and joseph kennedy didn't have a primary opponent. enter crowd pack. >> every voter in every distribute should have a choice on who to vote for. in certain parts of america in november last year you did not. >> reporter: they see the problem as big, yet fixable. we want to give politics back to people. give them a sense of control over the political process that is looking at the moment. >> reporter: to do that they have started an unopposed project. raising money to field candidates in each distribute where there was one name on the

ballot last time. >> the money will be distributed to the opponents, the future opponents of unopposed congress that ran in 2014, so let's make sure it doesn't. >> reporter: crowd pack invites donors to contribute any amount to fill voids. hilton and crowd pack believe the climate of money in politics is not going to change. >> you have to start with the reality that money is important, and political donations is an effective way to make change happen. >> crowd pack is non-part scan but their point is election takes two. >> everyone should have a choice. it's not for us to judge whether a candidate is better or force, or a particular party is better or worse. that's not our role. our role is to help democracy work better. >> can it work or is it a waste of time and money to field an opponent for the sake of

offering a choice. maybe we should ask representative eric cantor - former representative eric cantor there's an estimated 50,000 homeless costly to taxpayers. as rob reynolds shows us there's an apartment building designed to take some of the most vulnerable homeless off the street for good. >> reporter: it's not a mansion, but it's home. >> the bathroom is the biggest thing you miss when you are homeless >> reporter: tj who asked we not use his last name was once one of the many people that lived on the streets or in homeless shelters. >> i lived day by day. i couldn't think of a plan getting better. i was too busy getting sleep, and food for the day.

>> reporter: now he has an apartment in downtown l.a. in the star apartments residents get a space to call their own. there's an on-site clinic for medical problems mental health and addiction. exercise classes, art, and addiction groups. it's permanent housing. >> people that live here are tenants. they pay rent. there's no time limits on how long they can stay here it's up to them. we have built into the structure on site services where they can get medical attention, mental health services case management whatever they need to help them become stabilized. >> it's not cheap, the architect designed building is a $40 million project funded by state money. in the end forked houses was shown -- supported housing was shown to reduce cost of the each

homeless person uses 75 to 100,000 in hospital emergency room stays and other public services. >> when people move into supported housing, the hospitalisation, and emergency room visits go down by 77%, which is huge. the less tangible benefits are just as large. it's hard to put it into words - i feel normal again, i feel human again, i'm capable of living life again. a new chance at life in a place called home. >> next op al jazeera. a group of women fighting to save endangered rhinos in south africa. that is next. stay with us.

in south africa the anti-poaching movement is gaping ground. a special -- gaining ground.

a special team of female only poachers is gaining ground. we have more from kruger national park. >> reporter: they are called the black mambas after africa's fastest and dangerous snake. like the reptile the women are striking fear into the hearts of poachers in one of the world's dangerous mammals. >> there will not be no rhinos any more. >> their role is to sweep for traps and snares and patrol along the border fences. the game park's first sign of detection and defense. >> nothing at the moment. >> this is what the black mum base are trying to protect. there are around 20,000 white rhinos in existence in the rhinos, most of the population is here in south africa.

the game park is privately opened and lies on the western edge of the kruger national park. between 2012 and 2013 is lost 12 rhinos. much of the poaching is done by foreigners. some is carried out by locals. the solution had to come from the community. >> in some places popers are deemed as heroes and the social uplift. process will change it around. le so far, so good poaching has been cut by 75% since the mambas started patrol. >> they they know it's dangerous. they stirred as ambassadors. we don't want it happening, poaching here.

i think it is working. >> before becoming black mambas the ladies have become unemployed. it has given the liddy independents. we are not afraid of them. >> there are plans to recruit 12 women, soon there'll be more to fear and hopefully in time more rhinos roaming the park. >> be careful it has been 1400 years since the lynx roamed the lands, but it could make a comeback. the group is mounting an effort to reintroduce the wild cats. there's hope they'll control rabbits and dear. nef barker has more. >> elusive and solidary. the links talked medieval britain in abundance.

one of the few cases to see them is behind bars. the third largest predator after the brown bear. they feed on rabbits and dear. animals that are overrunning the forest and destroying the ecosystems. we want to see how these animals use the environment and show the economic and biodiversity the animals can bring. we killed every last one. we have a moral obligation to bring them back. >> it's believed the last time the ceechures roamed the woodlands was 600 ad. before modern britain existed. during that time the countries changed immensely with an increase in agriculture and farming. there are concerns that the

restriction of predators could upset the balance. >> this is the forest in norfolk. 190 square kilometres in woodland one of three sites. it borders a big-rearing region. >> the fence line is about 30 september meters off the ground. farmers fear their livestock will be an easy lunch for a hungry wildcat. >> each pig let is worth about 40 points in value to us at four weeks of age. imagine if a lynx were taking one or two in the evening. that's an amount of money we'd lose on an annual basis. the lynx may protect some livestock by controlling fox numbers, let alone deer. like this monk jack imported from china for game hunting and a cause for deforestation.

ecologists promised to compensate a loss of livestock and insist they pose no danger to children or pets. if given the green light as many assism will be released to prowl britain's forests once more. >> i'm erica pitzi in new york. the news continues with thomas drayton. >> hi everyone this is al jazeera america. i'm thomas drayton in new york. we'll get you caught up on the top stories this hour. >> our forefathers bled and died for this nation. we will do everything to defend our way of life. kenya's president promises a tough response against those responsible for the deadly attack. fighting intensified in the port of aden. >> in syria,