tell us what you think at aljazeera.com/americatonight. talk to us on facebook and come back. >> the civilian casualties in the air strikes in yemen. saudi arabia says the fight against the houthis will continue. hello, i'll darren jordan, you are watching al jazeera live. ahead - in memory of those that died in the kenya university attack, a vigil for 150 students killed by al-shabab. >> a u.s. police officer is charged with murder, after the fatal shooting of a black man. it's lights weight slim and charge a mobile phone in seconds.

meet the power source hailed as the battery of the future. psh psh welcome to the programme. the u.s. says it's speeding up weapons supplies for the saudi led coalition, fighting houthi led rebels. the u.s. is warning of a catastrophic crisis in aden and want a truce for aid and medical teams. hashem ahelbarra has more. >> saudi-led air strikes in yemen claim casualties among civilians. some are treated in hospitals in sanaa. united nations expressed concerns over the rising toll in civilians since the start of the campaign two weeks ago. international aid agencies say they are unable to reach many. people affected by the fighting. this person lives in an area

that has been hit. her son was injured in an attack, targetting a gas tanker. >> translation: if the children were in the position of my child what would the response be. look how awful the situation is, where the children are burnt and we are homeless from the houses. may god punish those. >> saudi army officers deny accusations they target civilians, and blame the houthis for moving their weapons to civilian areas. the coalition called on army officers loyal to the houthis and former president ali abdullah saleh to deffect. >> we are targetting the houthis and the soldier loyal to ali abdullah saleh and wherever they go. our message to the military commander, you have to join and abandon the rebels. >> these are ammunition depots,

and the houthi positions at the moment they were hit by war planes, in a show of support for the saudis, the u.s. says it's speeding up weapons supplies to the coalition. on the diplomatic front, china and russia are working on a new resolution. the move is aimed at stopping violence and resuming political talks among yemen's rival factions. china is deeply worried by the recent developments of the situation in yemen. we call on all parties to quickly implement a ceasefire and avoid casualties, china hopes that all relevant sides can implement security council resolutions and g.c.c. proposals, and call on them to resolve the crisis through dialogue to quickly restore stability and legal order.

on the ground the fighting continues. forces say they are driving houthis from areas in adjen and others. the saudi arabia-led coalition says the attacks will continue until the houthis pull out from the cities they control, and president abd-rabbu mansour hadi is reinstated. the international committee of the red cross hopes to deliver 48 tonnes of aid. 8 shipments have been held up by the fighting over the past week and negotiations with the saudi-led coalition. >> the humanitarian conditions are bad. besides the air strikes, there are wars and battles that are ongoing in some areas, particularly in aden. the hospitals are suffering a lot. they are unable to care for the wounding, and there are bodies on the streets, which the families are unable to pick up and bury.

we know that yemen imports 90% of food, with the closing of all routes, some areas of suffering a shortage of food and water. >> the saudi ambassador to the u.n. says saudi arabia has been doing everything it can to help people affected by the fighting. >> most of the casualties that we know of are happening in civilian areas bit the houthis and allies. the infrastructure is weak, following the years of destruction. and as far as we are concerned we are doing everything possible to make sure that medical supplies are delivered in time and in the right places. we have been supportive and cooperative of requests for evacuation. saudi arabia and the coalition

forces establish the cell for humanitarian assistance. there was a supply of medicine and food products that have been airlifted. we have a situation in which the houthi militias conduct the activities in heavily populated areas throught yemebn. . >> a villagel has been held in nairobi after the killing of 147 after the al-shabab gunmen stormed a kenyan campus. mohammed adow reports from the kenyan capital. >> reporter: a sombre mood engulfed freedom park. hundreds of grieving kenyans holing candles turned up for a vigil to remember the victims of the attack at garissa college by al-shabab gunmen. police during the final hours of a period declared a shrine

by uhuru kenyatta. candles and a shrine was set up. photographs of victims displayed. the assault on the university was the deadliest in kenya by al-shabab. >> every attack in kenya was given numbers, you never know who they were, someone's brother, sister, aunty, uncle - and we want to humanize the numbers. some of the those in the attack paid their respects. a first year student killed by gunmen, hiding in a closet for eight hours. >> i feel like crying. i feel like why, what did they do wrong. what did they do good that i'm here. >> she was so overcome by grief. the vigil comes after a huge campaign on social media, particularly on twitter, with the hope that 147 is not just a

number, but where kenyans told the stories of the victims of the garissa massacre. they are calling for action against security. >> ahead of the vigil, hundreds shouting slogns and waving placards. they denounced the attacks, and asked kenyans to unite against a common enemy. it transcended ethnic and religious divides. they hope the calls will be heeded. a white police officer in the u.s. state of south carolina has been charged with murder obvious the fatal shooting of a black man. a video surfaced showing the policeman shooting 50-year-old walter scott.

it showed a scuffle between the police officer began to run away. the fbi and u.s. justice department is launching an investigation into the case. >> we have 343 police officers in our department. >> this is a bad decision by one of those 343. i think the lesson we take out of this, and hopefully the general public takes out of this is that when an incident occurs, give us the appropriate time to investigate, find out exactly what happened and we will act accordingly scott's family says it's relieved that a video surfaced and justice will be served. >> we can't get my brother back and my family is in mourning for that. plus, through the process of justice has been served. and i don't - i don't think that all police officers are bad cops.

but there are some bad ones out there. and i don't want to see anyone get shot the way my brother was shot gunmen in mexico attacked a police convoy killing 15 police officers and wounding five more. john holman has more from mexican city. the attack took place in the highway. gunmen were waiting for a convoy of state police to pass through. when they did, they opened fire, and killed 15 officers, injuring five more, the biggest killing of police officers in a single incident since the start of the drug war nearly nine years ago. according to the analysts and experts that we talked to. they left behind charred cars on the road in the western state. authorities believe that this attack was in retaliation for

the police killing of a local leader of a cartel called the new generation. it has not had problem killing police, and killed five more in march. it comes at a point where president pena nieto head a strategy of arresting big cartel figures, this might be a sign that the approach may not be working in improving the security and lowering the violence in the country, incidents like this continue to happen. time for a short break. when we come back a turn around for the russian currency. and... >> china's economic mood music enters a minor key. i'm harry fawcett reporting from the biggest piano factory where they say there's plenty of room for growth on a major scale.

welcome back. a reminder of the top stories, the u.s. is speeding up weapons supplies to the saudi led coalition. which is fighting hauteies in yemen. the red cross is warning of a catastrophic human tare crisis and wants a truce for aid to be brought in a villagel has been held for the university students killed in an attack in garissa. al-shabab stormed the university and killed 149. five men have appeared in court. a white police officer in the u.s. state of south carolina has been charged with murder over the shooting death of a black man. a video surfaced showing the policeman shooting 50-year-old

walter scott in north charleston. returning to the top story, kamal hyder joins us from identify. why would pakistan want to get involved in a saudi arabia led coalition. >> well there is support for the saudi position as far as the majority is concerned. there's serious concerns about the conflict in yemen. the opposition is saying that the fires ranging in yemen could engulf other states leading to a bigger sectarian wore. the prime minister told parliament to take its time. the iranian foreign minister is due to arriving in afghanistan, and they said iran should evaluate to see whether its policy is correct or not.

iranians arriving in islamabad, and the turkish have been travelling to and fro from ankara to saudi arabia and a fellow and parliament likely to continue for a day or two. the iranian foreign minister arrives there soon. what do you expect to come out of that trip. how significant is his trip to pakistan? >> well for the first time since the conflict began, there's a ray of hope that a diplomatic solution some sort of negotiations may be a good thing to do because it will bring the warring factions to agree to a ceasefire. so the fresh push of course is for turkey pakistan to play its role, and to try to convince tehran that it should back away from confrontation in yemen, and at the same time get the saudis to sit at the negotiating table.

fresh moves offer a ray of home. -- ray of hope much however it will be a difficult proposition given the situation on the ground in yemen. >> thank you there's a push to create a humanitarian corridor. the camp is on the outskirts of damascus yarmouk, and has been under siege from i.s.i.l. there's no food water and electricity, some escaped, but aid agencies say 16,000 remain, most palestinian refugees. iraqi security forces in tikrit say it's safe for people to return to their homes. the city was recaptured 10 months after it fell. the iraqi army may be in control in tikrit by the fighting has been intense.

the islamic state of iraq and levant overran saddam hussein's town in june. security forces are trying to reassure people that it's safe to return. >> reporter: we are in control of security. we control all the government buildings, and have secured the residential areas. >> reporter: the iraqi military victory was helped by u.s.-led air strikes. evidence of atrocities committed by i.s.i.l. was discovered in the mass grave last week believed to contain the bodies of soldiers. >> translation: i came to this place to look for my nephew i was told he was killed and buried here. >> iraq's prime minister has been visiting the kurdish north and repeated the promise that the iraqi army would work with kurdish forces to take back control of the province. >> we are here to cooperate and coordinate on a joint plan to

liberate the people. we'll work with all sides, including the religious sect to liberate the area for the benefit of its people. >> reporter: the streets of tikrit may be quiet, but i.s.i.l. controls huge areas, most of anbar, and various areas north of the capital, baghdad in athens four have been arrest following clashes wean police and demonstrators. protesters demanded the closure of a maximum security prison where many convicted anarchists are held. protests have been stepped up since greece's government was elected greece put a price tag on damages by germany during the nazi occupation of the country, saying it owes greece $302 billion.

the german minister called it dumb saying it settled its reparations to grease in a post war agreement the greek prime minister arrives in moscow in moscow. there's thought that vladimir putin may make an offer of help. [ bell tolls ] orthodoxy has bonded greeks and russians for 1,000 years. the russian church in athens is a reminder that it was greek missionaries in the past. this holy week a different mission was bound for moscow. greece needs money and friend to face a hostile creditor. face a hostile creditor. russia want to prevent e.u. sanctions, sanctions that prompted it to ban european products. >> russia will try to tempt greece through various deals and

a unilateral suspension of the counter-sanctions. that's on greig agricultural products. but whether they can make a very tempting offer of let's say offering $30, 40 billion, which is the amount greece will neat in the future, it is unlikely. >> a direct russian loan to greece is not the only option. russia could lift the import ban for a billion dollars of greek products. because greece spends 10 times that amount russia could lower the price and bid for infrastructure, such as port authorities and hellenic rail. >> these are part of the bilateral relationship. there's an overarching priority.

greece want to remind the eu of strategic values, and demand it has friends. is this enough to break ranks. >> before he became foreign minister, emphasise suggested that greece could win a debt deal in exchange for something the creditors could want. >> if i was a negotiator for the greek debt, the first thing i would do is a package negotiation. i would put other issues that are important to my partners in exchange for the issue of the debt. you can't negotiate solely on the issue where you are weakest. you have to use a weakness where you have a relative strength. both were out of favour, it could put them close tor a deal. a hair cut on bank deposits in cyprus 2 years ago hurt russian depositors. the question is whether a veto could be bought in june, and break the european front a russian nuclear submarine caught fire in a shipyard.

the fire began during welding work and was put out. there were no weapons on board and the nuclear reactor was shut down. there was no threat of radioactive contamination. the russian ruble hit a high against the u.s. dollar. it's a remarkable turn around for a currency that lost 20" of its value in 2014. >> a plunging ruble late 2014. this season, the first quarter of 2015, the ruble is the best performing currency in the world. >> indeed, rouble has been up about 20% from its lowest point in the end of january. the scenario that everyone forecasted at the end of last year is not realising ekaterina puts it down to a rally in the price of oil and a ukranian ceasefire that though repeatedly violated seems to

have calmed. when it comes to why the rouble is strengthening analysts are not in agreement. oil is a factor, said this analyst, but something else is having a bigger influence. >> russian population sell more currency than buy. >> reporter: it's normal people off-loading dollars. >> yes, yes. they are looking at the savings. it's less. >> it's not much of a surprise that there's disagreement. few saw this coming. for those people - and there are plenty of them, who predicted the rouble's precipitous slide or bet against it, this is all a bit perplexing. time for a scratch of the head, and time to nurse a few financial losses. there won't be too much sympathy for currency traders who made the wrong don't.

the ruble may have clawed back value, but it's well below where it was this time last year. more to the point russia is mired in double digit inflation and the beginnings of a recession. is conservative u.s. senator rand paul entered the race to become the 20th republican nominee. the 52-year-old made his announcement in a rally in kentucky. and follows texas senator ted cruz who launched his candidacy. paul wants to reduce the role of the government and is opposed to military campaigns abroad researchers at stanford university built is mobile phone battery that can be recharged. it uses aluminium to substitute

the lithium market has been on the battery for years. but they have shortcomings they can catch fire and recharging them can take ours. researchers at stamford say prototype batteries can be recharged in less than a minute. it uses aluminum and graphite and the thin battery is flexible enough to be folded. another advance - it lasts many times longer than lithium versions. >> it has a reasonable capacity and a long cycle life. it has no decay over hundreds or thousands of cycles. >> it can only carry half the voltage of other batteries, don't expect it on the market. an israeli company says its phone value will be available. it can power a mobile phone from

0 to full capacity in 30 seconds. it follows inventors whose painstaking work produced the electric light bulk filament. >> battery makers are trying the same thing. what is the material what is the anode, what is the cathode. what is the electro light, the juice in the middle giving the best and safest performance. >> their success could speed a breakthrough in creation of a revolutionary device. a quick-charging car battery piano playing in china is growing, with 14 million estimated to learn the incident. as the industry shrinks, china is booming. fabien cousteau reports. -- harry fawcett reports.

>> reporter: another day at the keyboard. skill and enthusiasm for this 8-year-old shines through. >> 40 million are learning the piano, a graze in part to the lang-lang effect. >> i've been to one of his concerts. when i was young mum said "lang-lang is so good, plays so wall", and she said it over and over. >> reporter: one of the greatest stars, lang-lang arrived on the scene as the middle class-one-child families looked at ways to invest in those children's futures. the result where competition for places means children need to have private lessons just to get in. >> reporter: a few families get together and socialise. many have pianos, if you place,

play parents think look, great. i have a kid who is well behaved, doesn't run around. >> reporter: on the island where the school is located, it has a long influence of european. piano ownership is predicted to grow by a third in 2020. >> reporter: all that demand requires supply. it is the biggest market and manufacturer thanks to operations like this one. a mixture of machines and 2,000 sure-fingered staff produce 140,000 pianos every year, a figure doubling in 2006. in an economy whose growth is slowing, here they believe the piano business is a safe effect. more and more are wealthy. it's a concern about the children's education, and the culture in the family. >> china, which has three pianos has a long way to go through european levels of 20-30.

with tens of millions devoting themselves to musicianship. it is closing. a reminder, you can keep up to date with the news on the website. there it is on the screen, the address aljazeera.com. america's global war on terror. >> the strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us while supporting partners on the front lines is one that we have successfully pursued in yemen and somali for years. today yemen is torn by civil war, and al-shabab has extended