we know they are close, and they are watching us and we are watching them. >> saudi forces turn their rise on the border as air strikes expand in yemen. ♪ >> you are watching al jazeera, live from our headquarters in doha. also coming up . . . in kenya, students calling for increased security at universities in the wake of the massacre last week. turkey's president visits iran after a meeting with a top

saudi official. plus. i'm andrew simmons reporting from donetsk in eastern ukraine, and i'll explain why families are still living in these conditions underground, even though there's a ceasefire. ♪ hello, the fight for control of yemen continues between forces loyal to the government supported by a saudi-lead coalition, and shia houthi rebels. it's a been nearly two weeks since the air campaign began. let's take a look at some of the latest targets to be hit. saudi war planes bombed an air place controlled by houthi fighters near the city of ibb. in an area in the southern port city of aden many civilian homes were destroyed. and yemeni government forces are said to recaptured the air base

from houthi fighters north of aden. our correspondent has more. >> reporter: a civilian in the center of aden is shot by a houthi sniper as he films the streets below, an example of how dangerous the streets of yemen have become. this is the kind of violence any saudi-lead coalition says they are targeting with their air strikes. they accuse them of cracking down on anyone who opposed them. >> translator: the houthis target buildings and people. they have managed to move to certain areas to take cover. we are working with tribesmen and popular committees. >> reporter: there are forces loyal to the president who are battling houthis and their allies in the army parts of which remain aligned with the former president. the humanitarian situation is

worsening. aid agencies have found it impossible to reach those most in need. but saudi arabia says it is doing its best. >> translator: we coordinated the arrival of a passenger plane to sana'a. it landed and left safely. we are now coordinating a second flight. russia says it is working through the united nations to get all sides to agree to a ceasefire. china has always called for a political solution. hinting, though that it supports president hadi. >> translator: we call on all relative parties to quickly implement a ceasefire. china also hopes that all relevant sites can implement u.n. security council resolutions. we all thes call on them to resolve the crisis to quickly

restore yemen's stability and legal order. >> reporter: but the international community faces a difficult challenge. saudi arabia and their partners say they will not stopped the attacks. a spokesman from unicef says the children of yemen are particularly vulnerable in this conflict. >> 74 children are known to have been killed and 44 maimed so far since the fighting began on 26 march. but we are aware that these are conservative figures, and we believe the total number of children killed is much higher. >> a spokeswoman for the international red cross in yemen spokes to us by phone from sana'a. >> the situation is extremely complicated and gets more complicated by the day, we have

the medical supplies that are still not there. in many parts of the country the population is still suffering from a lack of fuel and water shortages. food supplies are getting low, and we have dozens being killed and wounded every day. just to give you a snapshot the streets in aden are filled with dead bodies in some areas, and people are afraid to leave their homes. the call we have for the humanitarian support still stands and the fighting is still continuing. and now [ inaudible ] hope to the hostilities so the humanitarian workers can reach the people and help. we are [ inaudible ] the plane that is up loading now in aman 16 -- a little bit more than 16 tons of medical supplies. we hope it will arrive safely

tomorrow. [ inaudible ] fixed the water system it is up loading today and tomorrow in geneva and should arrive to sana'a on thursday. we however, still do not have the clearance for the very-much needed [ inaudible ] on board a surgical team and doctor's without borders surgical team. the pakistan prime minister is calling on iran to get involved on a debate on security in yemen. our correspondent is in islamabad with the latest. >> reporter: pakistan's parliament has continued its debate on the heightening tensions and crisis in yemen. most of the opposition leaders

warn the government that sending ground troops into yemen could prove to be a quagmire. the country was already in a state of war with the pakistani taliban. there was a vociferous debate in parliament. the defense minister and the prime minister have already consulted with the military chief, they have drafted the resolution, and said that the saudis want ground support, as well as air support. but the mood coming out of islamabad suggests there is now a fresh impetus as far as the diplomatic moves are turned. the iranian foreign minister is due in islamabad, and what is happening is that pakistan is hoping to see if iran can prevail on the houthi rebels

and if they can convince the houthis to find a diplomatic solution. they were also warning the yemeni conflict could plunge the whole region into chaos. the politicians warning that this region would not afford a sectarian war. iran's news agency is reporting gunmen have killed eight border guards in the southeast. it took place near the border with pakistan. it was the second reported incident in the area on monday. revolutionary guard units broke up a group linked to a foreign intelligence agency and killed through of its members. turkey's president is in iran for high-level meetings. he has already met with his iranian counterpart, and will meet the supreme leader later. officials have signed eight

agreements and a memorandum of understanding in various areas including economic and cultural areas. bernard smith has more from istanbul. >> reporter: this was the first visit by a turkish president to iran in four years, and publicly he chose to focus on trade. turkey buys almost all of its gas from iran 95% of it, and the turkish president was complaining that they pay too much. he made no reference to the crisis in yemen, though. it was left to his iranian counterpart to do that. >> translator: both parties are of the same view that this conflict could come to an end in this region. both of us think we should as soon as possible come to end this conflict in yemen and there should be a ceasefire. following the ceasefire, we

should have the situation where we can provide humanitarian support. with the assistance of both countries we can put our efforts together to have peace, stability, security and a comprehensive government between yemen and involved parties. >> reporter: before he arrived in tehran he had a meeting with the saudi interior minister. turkey has suggested it might offer logistical support to the saudis in its campaign against the houthis in yemen, but publicly in speaking to the press in tehran he made no reference to the meeting. [ inaudible ] governments say they are going to work together. the prime minister and the kurdish president made that announcement in a joint news conference on monday. both governments claim the oil-rich province as their own

territory. in kenya, students have rallied in the streets of nairobi. they are demanding better security at universities in the wake of the brutal attack last thursday. 148 people were killed by al-shabab gunmen after they stormed the university campus. police have presented five suspects arrested in connection with that attack. malcolm webb has more from nairobi. >> reporter: they want more security across the country. there had been warnings about the vulnerability at universities. they said a particular university was vulnerable because it was in an unstable part of kenya where al-shabab has launched several attacks in the last year or so and because

there were a diversity of students they saw it as a vulnerable target and wanted more security there, soldiers or armed police. they made that request to the government but security never came and when the university was attacked it did prove very vulnerable indeed. now students have taken to the streets to demand this extra security. they have now -- we have just found out they have moved into the university -- into nairobi university where they will conduct a vigil to the students who were killed last week. the u.n. demands access to a region of syria. plus seeking new friends, why the greek prime minister is traveling to moscow. ♪

♪ the top stories on alyaz, the international committee of the red cross has been able to land a plane in sana'a. but another plane carrying medical supplies are still being held back. fighting continues across the country. in kenya, students are holding a protest in the capitol of nairobi, calling for better security in universities in the wake of the attack last week where 148 people were killed. turkish president is in iran for high-level meetings.

officials from both sides have signed eight agreements and a memorandum of understanding in various areas, including economic and cultural areas. the u.n. security council has called for humanitarian access to the palestinian refugee camp in syria. the camp has been mostly overrun by isil. it has been home to about 18,000 mostly palestinian refugees in the recent past. on monday a u.n. official described the situation there as beyond inhumane. >> the members condemn in the strongest terms the grave crimes committed by daesh and al-nusra against 18,000 civilians in the camp and emphasize that such crimes don't go unpunished. we insist that they allow

humanitarian access into the camp and ensure safe passage and evacuation of the civilians. >> stephanie decker has more. >> reporter: a diplomatic push sundayway to try to open a corridor for the civilians trapped inside the camp to get out. the u.n. security council was addressed on monday calling for more international political pressure. isil controls around 60% of the camp at the moment fighting palestinian groups. there have been reinforcements to the groups to fight isil but at the moment the situation remains very fluid. from the people we have been talking too inside the camp will tell you isil has snipers making it very difficult to enter the camp. they have no medical supplies that are making their way into

the camp. the syria government has also been using barrel bombs and shelling the camp since the fighting began. people are now trapped between the siege meaning they are dependent on medical aid, and the bombing from the air. an incredibly difficult situation. the major, around 16,000 remain trapped. >> sporadic fighting continues in eastern ukraine despite a ceasefire agreement between government forces and pro-russian separatists. people have been hiding in underground shelters for months. and that includes children living with foster parents who can't afford to clothe and feed them. andrew simmons reports. >> reporter: children shouldn't have to live like this. an existence on the ground with little food. it's always the poor who suffer most at times of conflict and there's no exception in the self

declared republican of donetsk. places like this answer the question is there any confidence in the southeast fire? families living underground in musty, damp conditions and here there are 28 children trying to get by. many families refuse to give up their space here because they are convinced the fighting will resume. some of the children have foster parents who can't afford to clothe and feed them. this person used to get a $100 a month allowance for fostering this child. but now there is nothing. she was advised by a welfare worker to put him into an orphanage. >> translator: how could they say this? he is mine. he is mine. i won't give him away. never. never.

do you love your mom? >> reporter: at the nearest orphanage rebranded with a flag of the pro-russian self declared republic. >> ukraine should supply these families with support, along with everything else needed to care for these children. >> reporter: but ukrainian welfare payments aren't being sent here. it hasn't paid staff salaries since december. ♪ >> reporter: institutions like these are a throw-back to the soviet era, when parents couldn't cope children were often placed under the care of the state. they would sometime developmental health issues and go into adulthood without being given the chance of

independence. the self declared republic couldn't tell us when it will start making foster payments. the fear is if things get worse, more children will have to go into state care. andrew simmons, al jazeera, donetsk, eastern ukraine. greece's prime minister heads to moscow on wednesday. in january his new government voted against further sanctions against russia and now the kremlin says it will consider an anticipated greek request for a loan. john psaropoulos reports. >> reporter: orthodoxy has bonded greeks and russians for a thousand years. the russian church is a reminder that it is greek missionaries who converted the slavs. greece needs money and friends

to face increasingly hostile creditors in europe while russia wants to prevent e.u. sanction from being renewed in june. >> russia will try to tempt greece in various ways by offering various deals in the sector and perhaps a unilateral suspension of the counter embargo or counter sanctions on greek agricultural products but whether they can make a very tempting offer of let's say offering 30 or 40 billion euros to greece i think this is very likely. >> reporter: a direct russian loan to greece isn't the only option. russia could lift its import ban for more than a billion dollars worth of greek products. and because greece spends ten times that amount buying russian gas, it could lower the price. these are all parts of the

bilateral relationship but there is an overarching priority. greece wants to remind europe of its strategic value. but is it enough to break ranking with europe. just before he came the foreign minister this man suggested that greece could win a debt deal in exchange for something its european creditors want. >> translator: if i was an a anying -- negotiator i would put out the issues important to my partners on the table in exchange for the issue of the debt. you can't negotiate solely on the issue where you are weakest. you have to use the issue where you have a relative strength. both greece and russia are out of favor in europe and that could push them to a deal.

the question is whether the russians could buy a greek veto in yooun -- june and break the united front. people in the u.s. city of ferguson have voted to choose three new members in their city council. a u.s. justice department report found evidence of systemic racial bias against african americans. the council in a city that has become a symbol of u.s. racial tension. malaysia's lower house has passed a controversial anti-terrorism law, which the government says is necessary to tackle security threats. the bill reintroducing indefinite detention, something the prime minister invoked three years ago. our correspondent has the latest

from kuala lumpur. >> reporter: there was overwhelm overwhelming support for the passing of the prevention of terrorism act 2015 in the malaysian lower house in the early hours of tuesday morning. 79 votes for, 60 against. it reinstigates a law that allows detention of an individual with no access to a lawyer or a parent in court, or even any idea of the duration of the detention, that will be up to the authorities to decide. so we're now hearing civil society groups complaining about what they are describing as draconian law being implemented. there has been a call by some to join the conflict in the middle east and support groups like

al-qaeda and isil so the malaysian government feels that have to stomp on this recruitment campaign. these 17 individuals that were arrested on sunday age between 14 and 49, they were supposed to allegedly target locations in the capitol and the federal state where the main seat of government, the highest court in the land and the prime minister's office is about 30 kilometers away. four years ago, a world first framework agreement on human trafficking was signed in the asia pacific, and it set common guidelines to help the region tackle the problem. the u.n. estimates the illegal trade affect as many as 2.4 million people worldwide at any one time. a majority of the victims are in the asia pacific region where there are around 3.5 million

vulnerable refugees and those affected can find themselves forced into slavery or the sex trade. and if of those trafficked are in fact children. in southern thailand people have taken matters into their own hands. they are armed and they say they are determined to stop their communities from deteriorating into lawlessness. deep in the jungles, these men patrol one of asia's busiest smuggling routes. they are all volunteers who have answered their government's call for civilians to do what they can to stop human traffickers from using thailand as a transit point. thousands of refugees come through here ever year in search of better lives. and these men hope taking matter into their own hands will help

stop the rising of violence. >> translator: the government officials are involved with the human traffickers. this is our biggest challenge. many of the local villages are also involved. though i don't think they benefit as much as the officials. >> reporter: not far from the jungle refugees try to enjoy a semblance of freedom. this woman paid traffickers to help her and her daughters. they spent a month on a boat and then were to be smuggled through thailand across to malaysia. the militia rescued her. >> translator: the guards are very violent. they are also beating us. they even beat us with the guns they carried. sometimes they used a rope too. two men were shot dead and one was beaten to death. when i saw it i just wanted to die.

the suffering was very bad. >> reporter: to prevent further suffering the volunteers set up check points and act as the local police. not everyone believes this is a good thing. the leaders of the minority muslim groups here are concerned the presence of armed civilian rescuers is just going to complicate matters further. >> translator: if the muslims are carrying weapons they still know they will get treated fairly, but if the buddhist have weapons, some will intimidate and treat them very hard. >> reporter: but that was not the case for this woman and her daughters. they say they are just glad to be alive. she still aims to get to her husband in malaysia. with no one stopping them the men in the jungle say they will continue their work armed and determined to step in and fill

the gaps their government has been unable to. well you can read much more about that story as well as the day's other top stories by going to our website at aljazeera.com. there it is on your screen. aljazeera.com. ♪ ferguson residents head to the polls today in hopes of changes the balance of power. rand paul makes it official. he announces he is running for president, but does he have the support of the republican base? and no way out, thousands of refugees trapped in a camp in syria, while isil and the government battle. ♪