only on al jazeera america er. >> yemenis also ahead in the program. turkey's president makes a visit to iran following a meeting with the top saudi official. new malaysian law human rights groups say it's a big set back. and in kenya one man's wait for word of a student who is

unaccounted for. >> the humanitarian situation continues to get worse. houthi rebels are holding out against the saudi-led bombing campaign. the international committee of the red cross has been able to land a plane with its staff in the capital of sanaa. another plane full of medical supplies is still held back. and pakistan's parliament is debating whether or not to offer military support to the saudi-led coalition. they're expected to announce the decision at the end of the debate. now forces loyal to president abd rabbuh mansur hadi have

recaptured territory from the houthi rebels. the government forces are said to have captureed the air base, which is north of the potter city of aden. but hadi loyalists have been corner in the district which is home to the presidential palace and government offices. >> warplanes the aim according to officers s to prevent houthi fighters from sending reinforcement. radar systems and check points have also been hit. >> the houthis target houthis and people while working in the coordination of tribesmen and popular committees.

>> but violence in aden shows no signs of slowing. after days of heavy fighting and running battles many parts of the city have been destroyed. homes, shops and vehicles lie in ruins. civilians killed. houthi rebels along with fight fighters loyal to ali an doing la saleh the former president. these are fighters oil loyal to abd rabbuh mansur hadi. they have put up a peace fight. they have set up air drops around the houthi coalition but they're outgunned and outnumbered by their rifles. aid someone a battleground and locals are caught in the middle. president hadi, who fled to saudi arabia could be trying to

restructure his military. he sacked the army chief of staff, deputy chief of staff and the commander of the special forces. they are accused of treason, but his decision may have little impact. that's because the military is largely loyal to saleh the deposed president. >> al jazeera correspondent joins me now to talk more about this. we talk about the humanitarian situation first. as we were saying the aid agencies trying to get planes there, and that is proving to be a huge challenge because of the security situation there. but it is a desperate situation interest for the civilians on the ground. >> indeed, it is important to know that yemen has been a humanitarian crisis for many years, not just because of this war. in fact, you're talking about a million children malnutrition,

and there was a huge crisis they have not recovered. it has been suffering from several humanitarian crisis. the war has confounded it because it has made it a logistical operation. there has been the presence of al-qaeda and severely undeveloped roads and networks. now aid agencies say they're trying to get in but bombing campaigns come found the continuing desperation. >> we talk about the fighting in and around the southern port city of aden. how strategic is that significant is that strategically. >> the water ways, which are some of the most important water

ways in the region, and also because it being south and abd rabbuh mansur hadi declared it the temporary capital. his forces lost sanaa. that's very significant. the fighting was concentrateed concentrateed where. >> how important is it for the saudis to get pakistan on board in this coalition a non-gulf country. >> that would be a huge boost. first the diversity would give them the coalition but also because pakistan is a superpower.

nuclear power that has many more ground troops than the gulf has on. it would give more balance of power if you look at the houthis in iran and having someone on pakistan would be a huge boost for this coalition indeed. >> thanks very much. now turkey's president erdogan has arrived in iran for high level meetings said to hold talks with his president rouhani . his visit comes despite tensions of the saudi-led operations in yemen. bernard smith is live for news istanbul. why has this taken on such significance now? >> it has been a long-time visit scheduled before yemen and has

taken on extra significance because of what president erdogan said of iran and accused iran of trying to dominate the region because of its apparent perceived support in yemen but also because of it's continued support for bashar al-assad, the regime in syria. he wants to see him gone and suspicious of the fight in northern iraq. it sees that as iran's attempt to increase its influence there. so turkey is suspicious of iran's motives in the region. iran, of course, has bridled 65 iranian mps signed a motion yesterday calling for erdogan fought to be welcome in iran. interestingly last night erdogan received the interior minister. now these two countries have been at odds over the coup that

in egypt. we don't know what they talked about, but it might have offered logistical support in yemen. >> is this likely to train relations further between the two countries? >> well, they do both economically need each other frankly. turkey needs iranian gas and iran needs turkey's foreign exchange both countries hopeing to increase bilateral trade by 30 background this year. whatever their political differences might be, economically these two countries do need each other's support. >> bernard smith live for us in istanbul. thank you. now as we mentioned the pakistani parliament debating for a second day. ally saudi arabia has asked islamabad for help including

aircraft and soldiers. nicole johnston reports. >> for over a week the government has stuck to the line that any threat to saudi arabia saudi arabia's territorial integrity would invoke a harsh response from pakistan. now will it send soldiers to saudi arabia or yemen? >> by contributing aircraft naval vessels and ground troops. >> divided over what to do in yemen. the opposition is against getting involved. >> we're one of the biggest islamic countries and we are a nuclear state. our leadership has always tried to be neutral and we should act as a mediator between saudi and

yemen. the levelthere has not been a decision of the level of pakistan's involvement should be. as much say that they should act as a mediateor to calm the area of yemen. >> here they're carrying out a joint military exercise. pakistan's army is already stretched. is fighting against the pakistani taliban and other groups on the afghan border. as for saudi arabia there are around 800 soldiers from pakistan already there. as well as military advisers. much saudi has sad by pakistan when thames were tough.

>> so it's a tame of the need. >> there is plenty of diplomatic monday nurturing going on, and so far no clear sign of what pakistan will do. nicole johnston, al jazeera. >> an attack happened in near the border with pakistan the second reported incident in the area on monday. iran's official eye are. excavateing 12 mass gravesites thought to contain up to 1700 soldiers.

>> and before iraqi army pushed to retake the city of mosul from isil new video has been released of u.s. and spanish forces training for battle warfare. a saudi policeman was shot dead and three others injured in a raid of the mainly shia city videos emerged on social media of what appears to be the operation. saudi media say that police retrieved weapons and communication equipment. four people were arrested. still to come on the program the thais who have taken matters in their own hands to prevent human trafficking. after street protest

african-americans in the u.s. city of ferguson want to make their presence felt in the city council elections. >> that open your world. >> it could be very dangerous. >> i hear gunshots. >> a bullet came right there through the window. >> it absolutely is a crisis. >> real reporting. >> this is what we do. >> america tonight. tuesday through friday. 10:00 eastern. only on al jaz [office phone chatter] [frogs croaking] you know what, let me call you back. what are you doing?! [scream] [frogs croaking] [yelling and screaming] it's back! xfinity watchathon week. the biggest week in television history. it's your all-access binge-watching pass

to tv's hottest shows, free with xfinity on demand. xfinity watchathon week. now through april 12th. perfect for people who really love tv.

>> al jazeera america brings you a first hand look at the environmental issues, and new understanding of our changing world. >> it's the very beginning >> this was a storm of the decade >>...hurricane... >> we can save species... >> our special month long focus, fragile planet >> reminder of the stop stories on al jazeera. fighting rages across yemen for control of the country. this is the aftermath of shelling in the area in aden. houthi rebels were targeted, but many civilians lost their homes there. the u.n. estimate more than 100,000 people have been displaced. turkey's president erdogan has

arrived in iran for high-level meetings. he's about to hold talks with iran's president hasan rouhani. you are do wan's visit comes despite recent tension of the saudi-led coalition in yemen. kenyan military jets have attacked al-shabab bases in somalia after last week's university massacre in which 148 people were killed. the air force is said to have destroyed to camps close to the kenyan border. the group has warned of more attacks unless kenya remove troops from somalia. gaining access to the compound where most of the victims were murdered on thursday. catherine soi reports from inside the garissa university college. >> this is where the killings took place. signs of a fierce battle between security forces and the attackers.

three soldiers were killed here. and behind this door around 100 people mostly students, were shot dead in the quarter court yard. this is where it all happened. there is a strong smell of blood. it's difficult to imagine how horrified those who died here were. bloodstains are everywhere. those who planned and carried out the attack are he had said to be kenyans with al-shabab. we spoke with rebecca a few days ago. during the attack she hid in one of the cubicles. >> those men were asking students, do you agree with the government? will you tell the president to withdraw his troops from somalia? the students answer what had they thought the attackers wanted to hear. some were killed any way. >> thehe waits outside of the university gate waiting for any

word about a student a member of his church. >> they can't find him. they can't find him in the survivors. >> this is the new count commission center charge of security. last year he had to dole with a series of attacks that has killed close to 100 people in the area along the kenyan coast. >> i'm very confident. >> the only university in northeastern kenya has now been closed indefinitely. many of the students we talked to said that they never want to come back. catherine soi al jazeera, garissa. >> people in the u.s. city of ferguson elect three new city council members. they hope to get more african-americans on the council in a city that's become a symbol of racial tension. kristen saloomey met some of the

glandes the church may have been small. >> an informed voter can make a difference. >> but the field of is it city council candidates u particularly black ones, has never been so large. four african-americans are run forgive three open seats in the election. >> we have an opportunity to effectuate sustainable real change right here in ferguson. >> change is what many residents have been demanding ever since an white police officer shot mike brown an unarmed black team. the officer was found clear of wrongdoing. but in the report investigation they found a pattern of discrimination by the city and it's courts. adrian hawk incidence is a federal worker and and a mother of two. >> when i saw the candidates i thought somebody has to run.

somebody has to come and somebody has to help us. i decided to be the change that i wanted to see. >> about two-thirds of ferguson residents are black but the vast majority of city council are might. >> overwhelmingly the leadership in those communities has not kept pace with the sweeping changes in demographics. >> city council is a part-time job that pays $250 a month. >> it's about participation. and unfortunately african-american dos not participate at a level that caucasian dos in our community. >> 6% of eligible black voters turned out in the municipal elections. whites at 17% was not much better. patricia is working to change that. >> people are getting the

message if they want change they have to get involved, and they he have to take the reins and lead it. >> it will take more than new candidates and residents will have to make their voices heard in the voting boths as well as on the streets. kristen saloomey, al jazeera. >> malaysia's lower house has past a controversial answered terrorism bill which the government says is necessary to tackle security threats. it introduces indefinitely detention without trial. something that the prime minister had revoked three years ago. we're live now from kuala lumpur. how does this law differ from legislation that is already in place? >> well, the law the new bill that has been passed is a terrorism acts of 2015 and it's really a reform or perhaps a new version of something that malaysians had experienced back in 2012. in 2012 the bill was called the internal security act and there

individuals could be arrested for any duration of time, have no recourse or access to lawyers or even a court appearance. that was repealed by the then prime minister and warmly welcomed by the international community. but the world has changed since then. small as it may be from asia pacific by individuals who support what's going on in the middle east throughout al-qaeda or isil, and authorities here as well as in neighboring countries in the region want to try to stamp this out and top people from joining the fight there. it is no coincidence that we're now seeing or hearing about 17 arrests made on sunday of individuals who are allegedly isil supporters and were planning attacks here in malaysia. so the law certainly want to hinder those attacks and hinder individuals from going abroad. >> and the arrest of 17 people

on sunday what more do we know about them? >> allegedly they were planning attacks number kuala lumpur and the federal state. and those arrested are said to be a teacher and armed forces amongst that group of 17. very little is known as well as to how the operation was actually executed, and very few pictures of those who have been arrested have been publicized. the authorities are keeping it

close to their chest and not commenting on those arrests at the moment. >> so reporting to us live from kuala lumpur. now in southern thailand locals have taken matters in their own hands to stop human trafficking. they are determined to stop their communities from der torating into lawlessness. >> deep in the jungles of southern thailand these men control one of asia's busyiest smuggling routes. they are all volunteers answering their government's call to help stop stop smugglers from using thailand. these men hope by taking matters in their own hands will against

gangs who smuggle through. >> the government officials are involved with the human traffickers. this is our biggest challenge. many of the local villagers are also involved. i don't think they benefits as much as the officials. >> not far from the jungle refugees try to enjoy a system plans of freedom. they spent a month on a boat and then were to be smuggled from thailand to malaysia. they were rescued as traffickers tried to lead the group through the jungle. >> the guards were very violent. they were always beating rohingya.

the suffering was very bad. >> the volunteers set up check points and pretty much act as the local police. they have the support of the community, who have give them food petrol and money for their needs. but not everyone believes this is a good thing. many are concerned that the presence of armed rescuers are just going to complicate matters further. >> if the muslims are carrying weapons, the rohingya know that they'll be treated fairly. but if the buddhists have weapons, i won't say all of them but they will be treated very harsh. >> but that was not the case for fatima and her daughters. they were brought to a shelter and say they're glad to be alive. fatima say she just wants to get to her husband in malaysia. the volunteers step in and fill

a gap that the their government has asked them to. >> shop keep necessary the afghan capital have closed their doors to pro test a five-fold tax increase. from kabul jennifer glasse has more. >> shops are closed across the capital. kabul's central market is almost like a ghost town. the reason why is clear. the shoulddown means that central kabul looks like this when it usually looks like this. shop keepers say they had no choice when their tax bills arrived. >> last year we paid $300 per shop. this year the government wants more than $2,000. store owners say they can't afford that and took their complaint to the streets. finances ministry said its just following the law and trying to create a tax culture.

>> we want to pay the same tax that we paid last year. we can't pay more. even last year it was hard to pay our taxes. since the beginning of the year business has been very bad. >> store owners say they plan to stay close until the demand for lower tax is met. some shop keepers have opened any way. they say they can't afford to lose the economy especially in an economy where they are struggling to make a profit. the shutdown is a new challenge for the government of ashraf ghani, who has promised to reduce the amount of international aid that afghanistan has relied on for 14 years. to do that it he needs to build a tax base, but it will not be easy. >> greenpeace activists have set up camp on a shale oil rig in the middle of the pacific ocean. the group of six has vowed to stay there to protest the

company's plans to drill above the arctic circle. we have much more on our website wherever you are 1-855-730-9674. get the latest on all the stories we're covering. al jazeerawww.aljazeera.com. [ ♪ music ♪ ] this is "techknow". a show about innovations that can change lives. we're going to explore the humanity and we are doing it in a unique way. this is a show about science by scientists. tonight tech your vets climate change. -- investigates climate change. it's science versus politician.ow what this is? it's a snowbal