>> medical aid land in yemeni capital since airstrikes land 16 days ago. [music] >> hello you're watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up. anger in india as a suspected mastermind of the mumbai attack is freed on bail by pakistan. the cuban and u.s. president in panama. they're expected to meet for the first time since relations thawed. >> i'm andrew simmons in what

could be the lesscy of the world legacy since chernobyl. open heart surgery on babies. >> we begin with the latest developments in the war oh, yes in yemen. there was a set back of efforts to broaden the coalition. pakistan's parliament has decided not to join the saudis, voting to stay neutral in the conflict. but there was some relief for the people of sanaa when planes carrying medical aid were able to land since the airstrikes began 16 days ago. there have been a call for a pause in daily fighting to allow the aid in. >> reporter: this is much much-needed medical aid. one of two planes that landed in

the yemeni capital on friday carrying enough surgical equipment to treat up to a thousand people. >> the first plane we wanted to arrive in sanaa finally arrived after ten days. it is now full of 16 tons of medical assistance, which is very needed now in yemen. we expect a plane tomorrow. >> a medical team and supplies also arrived into the southern port city of aden by boat. the problem of distributing the eight could be difficult. the u.n. said roads where being cut off and boats are prevented from leaving many ports. >> i would like to share with you again that the u.n. situation in yemen is worse by the hour. conflict is now affecting 15 out of the 22 governments in the country. the situation in aden is extreme

extremely pre-occupying if not catastrophic. >> many have been killed during this war. and there are concerns about the long-lasting humanitarian toll on the pop glazing we expect in the coming weeks to be an upsurge in malnutrition across the country being there is a conflict or not because it was a country where many live under the poverty line, and that's not getting better. cost of live something going up, and government services are weakened, if not falling apart. >> and this is three could be a worsening of nutrition. forces loyal to the houthi rebels and the former president ali abdullah saleh blame the

saudi coalition for the death toll. but regardless who is to blame yemen of the most impoverished countries. >> pakistan will remain neutral despite saudi arabia asking for war ships and troops to support its coalition. >> pakistan has said all along that it would take parliament in confidence and that the people's representatives will then decide whether the houthi saudi request for help and how to respond to that. they'll come to a conclusion while there was no compromise in the defense and security of saudi arabia in the pakistan

would go to any level. however, pakistan was against any military intervention and yemen saying this was a tribal war, not a sectarian war and what was needed was proactive measures to bring everybody to a settlement and arrange for a cease-fire. the pakistani saying that they would stand shoulder to shoulder with the houthi if they were threatened. however, pakistan would remain neutral as part of the conflict inside yemen. >> a pakistani court has freed on bail the man aused of plotting the 2008 attacks on india's international capital mumbai. he is one of seven men facing trial over the attacks that killed 166 people. bail was granted in december but now he's allowed to leave police custody. a decision that has infuriated india. >> he is a hated man in india

but when he shows up for court in pakistan his supporters follow. india believes that he planned the mumbai siege. his trial has dragged on for years. infuriating india. >> we are very disappointed by what pakistan has done. india is its own neighbor. >> six years on from the siege it continues to haunt mumbai. the group of men arrive in the city by boat. over the course of 60 hours they attack luxury hotels, a jewish center and a railway station. they kill doddss of people. nine of the ten attackers was subsequently killed. india believes it was his armed group that orchestrated and trained the gunmen.

but according to his lawyer there is not enough evidence, which is why he's now on bail. much of the case is based on the confession of the one attack who are survived. india executed him two years ago. the attack is a sensitive issue between the neighbors who historically have had a difficult situation, a land shake between the two prime ministers last year whose thought to be a defying positive moment. but the decision to release him on bail could prove to be a set back. al jazeera. >> successful have broken out between cubans both for and against the current government. at aid line events in the summit taking place in panama. the cuban president raul castro

is set to share the same stage with president barack obama as the countries put behind them 50 years of distrust. white house officials also say that the pair may have a discussion on saturday. a bomber has signaled he could remove cuba from the terrorist list. >> let's go to james bays. they will meet at some point. >> absolutely. they have met once before at nelson mandela's memorial service, but we think this will be more substantial and this comes after the historic historic move last year. this could be an important milestone particularly if it is expected. there is also the lifting of

that designation you mentioned being in place for 33 years. cuba one of four countries that the u.s. believes is a state-sponsor of terrorism. talk more than talk, i think, a lot of speculation but it's highly likely that designation will be lifted in the coming hours. that's one of the major blockages to trying to restore proper relations between these two countries that have had 50 years of mistrust and trying to get embassies opened in each of those capitals. >> it is fair to say what happens in the relationship between cuba and u.s. effects not just those two countries but the wideer region as well. >> well, it's already effecting the wider region it is the first time that the summit of the america's has all the countries representative. cuba is here now. i have to say that the narrative from the white house is are going to be that this is very

activityic historic and shows the u.s. having a much more improved relationship in the whole of the region. i can tell you though, there are quite a few side events taking place and there is still that left-wing tradition in latin america alive and kicking. i was at a number of side events in the last couple of hours. i was at the event of the libyan president who was critical of policy and an event where nicolás maduro, the president of venezuela, that's the banner that they're carrying and that could possibly be dampening the spirits here at the historic moment. many believe it was a clumsy move but somewhat overshadowing what might be an historic

summit. >> live in panama city for us, thanks james. let's take to you iraq where police say 11 people have been killed in two bombings in and around the capital of baghdad. the bomb went off in the city and then another attack north of the city. 43 members of iraq's security forces have been killed in fighting with the islamic state in iraq and the levant in anbar province. a new offensive is possible launched against the group in the area. we have reports now ony those who fled the fighting there are too scared to return. >> iraqi army targets isil positions were they're struggling to defend the area by a push by isil into the neighborhood close by. the fighting comes just days after the military supported by thousands of shia militia took control of the city of tikrit.

despite the army saying that he is safe to return, he says he's too afraid to go home. i can't go back because of what we saw. the destruction done in tikrit. they burned them and pretended isil did it. >> it did it with the help of around 20,000 thee gentleman militia fighters. it is this group that some sunni residents accuse burning homes ransacking buildings. many fled with their families to erbil in the northern kurdish region of iraq. >> we're far from the actual scene. we don't know what is happening

there. we hesitateing to back. >> iraq's president haider al-abadi has ordered the arrest of anyone breaking the law in areas now under government control the military said it will continue working with the shia militia. it wants to push into other isil-controlled areas of anbar province. but as the fighting intensifies winning the trust of people will be difficult. charles stratford al jazeera. >> still to come on the program a multi billion dollars deal between france and india. why is paris disappointed with the judgment come? and making a splash. find out how tourists in thailand are bringing in the new year.

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>> you pick the hot topics and express your thoughts. "the stream", it's your chance to join the conversation. today, 3:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> welcome back. planes carrying medical aid has landed in yemen for the first time since audi led airstrikes began 16 days ago. coalition is have planes land in sanaa. president obama and raul castro is expected to meet at the summit in panama.

one of seven suspects connected to india attacks. daughters of talks between syria's government and some opposition figures in moscow have ended with no sign of a breakthrough to end syria's four-year conflict. the fighting there has now killed more than 200,000 people. from the russian capital rory challands reports. >> how many press conferences does it take to announce very little has been agreed with the russia hosted syrian talks the answer is three. one from the opposition. one from the mediator, and one from the representative sent by damascus. it was syria's top diplomat who put the best spin on things. >> i can say our assessment of what happened during the second meeting is positive. we managed to find a common

denominator and secure our common approach to a number of key issues. >> but the opposition troubled by its own internal disagreements was damning. >> talking about terrorism and what you can do with terrorism etc. >> the possibility of more negotiations either in moscow or geneva switzerland was left hanging in the air. even before these talks started hopes of a significant break through was slim. it was the same going in the first round in the end of january. but the middle east is currently going through turbulent changes changes that could have an affect on the balance of power in the syrian conflict. the worries of saudi arabia and israel, but suits tehran's ally syria just fine.

the rise of the islamic state in iraq means it is no longer regional public enemy number one. things are playing very well for bashar al-assad and badly for syria's opposition. >> iran could help syrian forces who are loyal to the bashar al-assad government to fight off the islamic militants. one thing is for sure bashar al-assad is quite stable, and he is the president who can--who is ready to deal with opposition. >> the man who immediate nateer four days of talks here thinks it's positivel delegates did not get in a a fist fight. but in syria the very real fighting drags on while all around governments are reevaluating who they consider their friends and who they consider their enemies. rory

challands al jazeera. >> pair race has struck a deal for fighter let's go narendra modi is more than just a special guest here. he is a man france wants no, needs, in fact to keep on side. india is one of the world's fastest growing economies. it is a friend to france. good friend, well, it has just agreed to buy 36 fighter planes. but a disappointment for as much at a considering france wanted them to take 120. but they will talk more. >> keeping in mind the critical operational necessity for fighter jets in india i spoke to the president about buying as soon as possible after appropriate negotiations between the two governments 36 jets in a ready-to-fly condition. >> there are allies in

everything from climate change to nuclear energy to space exploration. but there are some things that they struggle to agree on, case in point money. how much does a fighter jet really cost, or a bunker. them even between friends. france won the contract up to $23 billion to supply 1267 combat jets to the indian air force in 2012. but the deal hit a snag when neither side could agree on pricing. there has been a resurgence of the purchase of the jets in recent years after a number of failed bids. egypt ordered 24 aircraft in a $5.5 billion arms deal back in february. it was a major boost for the program, which it failed to secure a single overseas buyer since it went into surface in 2011. france has already shown the world what these jets can do. most recently using them to

fight isil. it needs these deals to keep competition at bay. >> we have a strong competitor in the west. and those competitors and then the french space industry could the development of weapons in. >> france did not go in with much of the rest of europe with its fighter jet pilot it chose to go it alone to compete with neighbors, with its old friends. now it's new friends that will help it succeed in the long term. >> it is almost 30 years since the world's worst nuclear accident happened in chernobyl

and it's effects are still being felt hundreds of kilometers away in ukraine. babies may die. >> in is a school in one of the many years evacuate. there were 50,000 people living in this town. now there is no one. it was left as it was. now dilapidated with an eerie feel to this town. the "world health organization" believes 4,000 people have had premature deaths because of the disaster. there are some people who believe that that figure could be much higher, and there is a new warning from doctors looking after babies with con congenital heart disease. we went to find out more. [ monitor being ] >> only three and a half months old is clinging on to life.

his heart has been stopped, a machine takes over. >> this doctor leads what has become known as the chernobyl heart team. he said most if not all of his cases were link to the 1986 nuclear accident. >> these babies have strange defect not usual and high probability could be linked to chernobyl. >> the tiny heartbeat is beating again and there is a chance that baby will survive. >> a half hour later the mood is positive. >> normal heart rate. >> within an hour the surgeon

who conducted the surgery leaves the baby in nurse care. she makes less than a taxi driver. touch him. he'll feel you. >> a very big sense for those in the operation. they have golden hands. >> they may have golden hands but most of the funding for training and equipment has come from overseas. a charity in ireland has been at the forefront of the effort, foreign surgeons are flown in for more complex operations. but the doctor says that help may not be enough now. ukraine's government is making more budget cuts. >> we may start to lose kids simply we'll not be able to provide surgeries.

life-saving surgeries. >> the life saving work here will be reduced or might even come to an end without funding. >> a disturbing end to the aftermath of chernobyl and there are concerns of safety on the site itself. dotting the skyline is an arch-like structure built over the whole sarcophagus around reactor number four. this structure is essential to stop further radiation and try to remove all the nuclear waste at some stage in the future. there is a crisis over the funding to the tune of around three-quarters of a billion dollars. no one knows where that money will come from, but it has to be found to guarantee no further nuclear accidents in chernobyl.

>> the biggest gun lobby in the u.s. is gather forgive its annual meeting in the state of tennessee. more than 70,000 people including some republican presidential hopefuls are expected to attend. tom ackerman reports. >> as america becomes more and more urban the share of households that owns guns has steadily declines. but the shear number of guns in private hands keeps growing so does the power of the national rifle ocean, which claims a membership of more than 3 million. >> to save our great american freedom we will stand and fight fight. >> when a young gunman murdered 20 kyle children and six adults in connecticut two years ago many hoped for tightening regulation. but the nra used its political muscle. despite pledges to act it's been more than a year since barack obama has initiated any begun

control measures. >> but i will tell you that try to get some through congress has proven to be really difficult and it's heartbreaking. >> the nra says that obama's secret agenda is to disarm the american public. >> they have an initiative that would make it illegal for individuals all over the world to own you firearms. that's what they're passing. that's what this administration supports. >> candidates favoring tighter background checks and new limits on high power rifles ammunition sales. >> my daughter was murdered with a gun by a man with a criminal record. he bought the gun without a background check no questions asked. >> i'm a proud lifetime member of the nra. >> and since pro gun rights republicans have taken control of both houses of congress, the nra's influence has become

stronger. now the organization is shifting its attention to battles of the state and local level where gun control proponents are trying to get public opinion on their side. but this month kansas became the fifth state to allow anyone with no criminal record to openly carry a gun without a permit or training. the nra argues that legitimate gun owners should not have to sacrifice their constitutional rights because of criminals. >> we take more guns off the streets than any police department in the country. and nobody goes to jail for possession of those guns. >> the appeal of more gun control may be fading further. a survey said that having a gun makes it a safer place. tom ackerman. al jazeera. >> tourists in thailand have been treated to a water fight leading up to the new year celebrations.

painted elephants head the festival. themuch more on these stories on the website. the address is www.aljazeera.com. www.aljazeera.com. m. hi, i am lisa fletcher and you are in the stream. some say it is a violation of their constitutional rights. we will check out the online movement. >> correct me if i'm wrong did i stumble into mexico, or is this still the united states. >> plus, futurist predict that by 2020, we'll have our own digital twin. who may make our daily lives even easier, performing tasks and even consoling our loved ones after we are gone.