ever. one week since nepal was devastated by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. the cost. nepal's information minister told al jazeera that foreign aid has been slow to arrive. >> until now the $4 million, we have not received any payment beyond that. we are hoping that we will be

able to realize 1.8 billion. >> emergency workers haven't been able to reach many villages. people there are losing hope. they have lost their homes, their livelihoods, their family members: we went to a village in central nepal. >> through the him lay as on an old trade route to the chinese border natural beauty is scarred by what nature, itself inflicted on this country. the ruined buildings, a way of life has been extinguished. without their homes, without their farm buildings, how withcan people plan ahead. without loved ones how can they cope? >> a question going through the mind of the girl wearing the pink coat. her mother and her baby brother are both buried in this rubble.

she is 11-year-olds stand with her grandparents wishing her mother and brother could still be alive. for three days they have watched from the pavement. a chinese search and rescue team has now taken over the operation. but with such an odor in the air, they are not expecting to find anyone alive. her grandmother feels that all hope is lost. >> my daughter-in-law and grandson were so beautiful. this tragedy is unbearable. i am not sure what will happen now, how well manage. we lost everything. my son has reacted really badly. he doesn't have work and now i feel i have lost him. >> it becomes too much for reshma. her father is in shock and has taken to drink. he hasn't been seen for hours. the searching goes on into the night. the darkness fades out. the chinese search team plan how to tackle the next day.

reshma's grandfather wants to hear some news. the oval development is the songs of nepal. slurring his words because of the alcohol, but clearly in his thoughts. >> it's a dire situation. my wife and baby son are buried here many people are buried elsewhere. but what is the government doing? we have nothing. please tell the government we hardly have anything to eat. not far away the flames of protest. people demanding food and shelter. reshma is spending another night under plastic sheeting for her shelter surrounded by relatives. her grandmother is unwell. what goes through the mind of an 11-year-old in this situation? her cousins try to lighten the mood.

but daylight brings reality. it's a start of yet another day. the chinese search and rescue team are back on the ground. it now appears they may have found a body. mother and baby son are found huddled together. it was never going to be a rescue. reshma's family moved down the road away from the crowds trying to seek some privacy for their grief. but this earthquake doesn't even allow dignity with the lives it takes. mother and baby don't get it. their bodies pass a family that can't absorb what the shaking earth took from their lives, a father who can't face up to what's happened and a girl who faces an uncertain future. >> andrew simmons is in kathmandu. he joins us live now. andrew the situation seems hopeless for so many people but

let's hope that's not the case. the aid that they need just to get from day to day is it starting to arrive? >> yeah. well it has been arriving but not in the scale that's required. it's been slow to arrive. there has been a defendant bottleneck at the airport, but according to all of the major officials now its speeding up. the crisis now is getting out there to those regions effectaffected the most and, and they are inaccessible, so many of them. there aren't enough helicopters and that is the biggest, one of the biggest problems in terms of getting the relief for those areas. it's remarkable really when you consider that one week after an earthquake these areas we visited haven't received aid. and still, there are some getting through but by no means enough. we are talking now about a death rate that is going up every single day. we are expecting it to be well

beyond the 7,000 mark over the coming days. no one knows where that number will end, what the total will be, and there is a crying need for more action. >> all right. you say that some of it is starting to get through, but it's a bit of a bottleneck. but it seems that there isn't even enough regardless of whether it gets to the people or not. the needs are still not being met. the aid is not coming in enough. >> well that is what the government is saying. the information minister is spelling it out quite clearly. for example, they are saying that there is a need for 400,000 tents, but only 29,000 are being distributed. without any doubt, there is a colossal need there. in terms of helicopters, what can they do? this is one of the poorest nations on earth. they have very good helicopter pie pilot pilots. i have flown with them. but they can't -- they can't

meet the demand. lots of aid agencies here but they are coming up against landslides in remote areas in the west and the east and not able to go any further. they have waited around with one team of rescuers who have waited for a long time for a helicopter to land to take them there. it wasn't available. they are doing the best thing. it would seem with very little. and then there is -- there are issues of incompetence in some areas not just bad communications. they are apparently being dealt with. there is an admission by the information minister to al jazeera that they did not really get into a fullly effective state early on. it would appear that the major contingency plan for an earthquake -- because this is no surprise there would be an earthquake -- didn't meet the vast nature of the effects. they never expected anything as big as this. >> people still waiting for help. andrew simmons live for us in

kathmandu. syrian activists say government warplanes have dropped barely bombs containing color yoon gas in idlib prove incident. 50 cases of suffocation were reported. the town of sarki was the second chemical. it is banned internationally. the outside government has widely been accused of carrying out several chemical attacks. it's an allie russia maintains is insufficient evidence. rebels say their next big move would be capturing latakia after a sister ease of military gains. they say they are determined to break the stalemate. a report: >> reporter: this is a military parade on the outskirts of the capital damascus. the biggest show of force by syrian rebels only weeks after they care toured the city of

idlib. the army of islam is tasked with securing the capitol once the regime of assad is topelled. the commanders tell fighters that defeating a regime backed by iran won't be easy. >> today, we stand united against the iranians. they want to spread their influence here they want to have a persian state established here i assure you that we will fight them and defeat them. across the country, rebels are shifting tactics. armed faxes merge under the army to capture idlib. now, hair eyes are set on latakia. strong assad's stronghold. the u.s. has in the past restrained from arming syrian opposition fighters. it was concerned about its weapons landing in the hands of groups like the nursa front, an

al-qaeda affiliate but nusra is now joining moderate groups in their fight to repel isil from syria. saudi arabia qatar and turkey provide significant assistance for syria rebels. >> in yemen, the sawedees have discovered they really have power. the united states is following them in yemen, killing shiites. they can turn this toward syria. the united states is not going to stop them from arming these islamists. >> assad fighters hold ground in major cities. more rebel groups are now considering joining forces to defeat assad. al jazeera. >> at least 52 people have been killed over the last two days in u.s.-led coalition airstrikes in syria. the syrian observatory for human rights said the target was the isil village near the town of sarran. it is close to aleppo where the

government and rebel groups have been in fierce battles. iran says it won't let regional powers jeopardize its security interests. the deputy foreign minister said that others will not be allowed to put our shared security at risk with military adventures. >> that's a quote. it's the strongest remark so far from tehran about the conflict in yemen. iran denies accusations of aiding the houthis who took over the capitol last sunday. the saudi-led coalition has carried out since march. >> aid is water supplies are on the verge of coming to a complete standstill if supplies are not allowed in. over 1200 people have been killed since the fighting there began. the nigerian military has released pictures showing the rescue of more than 230 women

and children held captive by boko haram fighters. they were freed as part of an operation carried out to clear fighters from the northeastern forest. it is not clear if any of the rescued girls are from the group of students kidnapped in chibuk last year. more from abujah. >> we have made repeated requests to the military for further information about the identities of the hundreds of people who have been rescued from boko haram and the circumstances in which they have been freed. the military are saying on the 234 people just freed, that the circumstances were the same circumstances in which others were freed earlier this week that there were assaults on boko haram camps in which they were freed, that there were the attendant casualties of fighters but no detail on how many fighters may have been killed and that the operation isgoing. now, what we can conclude from this statement from the military is that those who are rescued are currently undergoing a

screening of profiling process to ascertain who they are, how they came to be in the hands of boko haram and where they come from. now, the organizers behind campaign to find the 219 chibok school girls who were kidnapped last year and who remain captive are demanding that the military and the government release more information about the identityies of these people. they have given them an ultimatum that by this weekend, nigerians must know who are being freed are. but so far, that demand has not been heeded. >> still ahead on al jazeera: the mediterraneanian island an eu member who's tough stance on immigration has kept refugees away. ahead of the big fight, in las vegas, well be in manny pack pachiao's hometown to see how a champion is made.

welcome back. the top stories now on al jazeera. it has been one week since a mag nude 7.8 earthquake hit nepal and the death toll continues to rise. more than 6800 people are confirmed dead and more than 14,000 others injured. syrian activists say government warplanes dropped barely bombs on a town in idlib prove incident. it is the second attack on the town in the past three days. the nigerian military has released pictures of the 230 women and children rescue did from boko haram fighters on thursday. almost 700 have been freed just this week.

the army operation to clear fighters from the forest hideouts. more now on the earthquake in nepal. the diapora is trying to help family and friends back home. >> we spoke with family and friends to see how they are coping. >> reporter: most nepalese work days a week. this is their chance to get together with their friends and talk about what is happening with the earthquake and how people are affected back in nepal. some people have been visiting the banks close by to try to send money home to nepal as well. many people here have had their homes damaged or destroyed. their faermz are living in tents back in nepal. they are deeply concerned about what's happening. they say that as much as they would love to go home and help now, they know the best thing they can do is could not working in qatar earning money they can sends home to their families. >> i built my house by taking a

loan from the bank. my family was not in the house when it happened. now, they are living in a tent. i send them $400 today. i can't go home because i have to stay here and work to repay the loan on my house, which was destroyed. >> we meet kumar who has been working in qatar two and a half months. six days ago he found out his two-year-old daughter died in the earthquake. he is now waiting for his company to fly him back to nepal. >> two hours after the earthquake struck i found out my daughter died when my house collapsed. i haven't been able to protect my sister in kathmandu. i don't know what happened to her. i have asked my company to let me return to nepal. several of my friends have left already. >> it's a very difficult time for the nepalese community across the gulf. here in qatar, some of the men have been donating money to their friends so that they can get enough together to buy a

flight so that they can travel back to nepal. they have done that in the worst cases where men have lost some of the immediate members of their family. >> the italian coast guard rescued 220 migrants packed into two rubber dinghys, the men from africa were saved off of the coast of libya. hundreds of migrants die every year trying to cross the mediterranean to reach europe. more than 1,750 people have died already this year. romanian prime minister has told al jazeera europe should be doing more to solve the ongoing migrant crisis. >> i think all of the european countries can afford to take migrants because migrants within the european union and outside, they are bringing added value to the society. they are working hard. they are reacting fast. this is my opinion. this is the romanian experience.

of course, extremist politicians use the migrants in the political fight but i think this is against the european values and whoever comes and leave and respect the european values, it's not europe. >> thousands of migrants make the per lus journey across the mediterranean but cyprus is not a favored destination. it's tough stanchion on immigration means asigh lance seekers face years if detention centers without any guarantee they will ever be granted refugee status. they say they haven't been alive since arriving in cyprus. they are on a hunger strike after months of protests outside the interior ministry failed to pressure the authorities to grant them asylum. they are syrian kurds who came to cryypress 10 years ago. only now have then begiven so-called subsidiary protection but for them toss not enough.

>> what can i do with subsidiary protection. i don't have passport. i am in prison. we live in inexecute. >> subsidiary protection means they now have legal documents and can work but they are still stateless and can be deported at any time. they tell us their biggest mistake was to apply for asylum in cypress. >> many of those who do apply and are unable to survive on their own end up in detention centers like this one, some 170 people have been here for months waiting for their applications to be studied. >> we are not allowed to film inside where some 50 syrian palestinians who were among the more than 300 refugees rescued off of the coast of cyprus now live. they are all scared to show their identity. they are all worried about their future. >> it's important for me to get a sigh lum or else i won't be able to bring my family. it will be a disaster. >> other passengers men, women, and children who refuse to apply

for asylum were given shelter in a church. it has been seven months since they were rescued while on their way to italy. >> i didn't apply for asylum because i know i won't get it. i don't want subsidiary protection because i won't be able to travel. >> the cypriot government has a tough stanchion on immigration. this is why some say there hasn't been a defendant wave of illegal immigration in recent years. >> one reason is the very restrictive refugee policy followed by the cyprio government. also, if you get residence, protection in cypress, you cannot move freely with these resident permit. in other european countries. >> cypress is not a destination of choice for refugees. these people can't return to syria and they say their palestinian travel documents can't get them far.

>> what they are having for me and high friends. >> since arriving they tried numerous times but failed to be smuggled off of cypress they say they have reached a dead-end. cypress. >> sri lanka has rolled out the red carpet. john kerry is the first u.s. secretary of state to visit in a decade. he praised the new government's efforts towards democratic reform. he said critical allegations of war crimes during the previous government's final offensive against the tamil tigers are investigated with the help of international agencies. severe weather remains. five vehicles were killed when vehicles were washed away in a flood. a 6-year-old died after being swept away by heavy seas off of the coast of k4r50e6 land. brisbane was drenched at least seven people have been killed in a western mexican state after

the launch of a military operation targeting a drug cartel. more from the capital, mexico city. >> friday saw a dramastic after thedramatic day of clashes where a military helicopter was shot down by gunmen. at least three soldiers were killed as that helicopter had too make an emergency landing. at least a dozen other execute forces injured in that attack around the state of halispo, there were road blocks set up around the main city as well as in other districts in that state. more than 2 dozen such road blocks many with burning vehicles buses and trucks. the governor of the state did not mention the cartel by name but there seems to be clashes between authorities and the halisco new generation cartel a cartel that in recent months has gained much much strength in the state of halisco. it runs smuggling routes of heroin and methamphetamine into the u.s. and it has grown in strength and power as in the neighboring state, the knights item particular cartel seems to

have been disbanded by government operations there. in december, the president of mexico said that the state has become a major battleground and the government tries to take down these criminal organizations but if anything these attacks show a new generation of cartels has become a major player and there is no sign of violence going down in that state. meanwhile, other clashes were noticed in friday in neighboring states of kalima and also in the state of guanowata showing these slashes aren't just taking place in halisco but spilling out into neighboring areas. >> floyd mayweather and manny pachiao a preparing. the 12,000 fans packed in the mgn grand just to see the fighters take the scales. pachiao has won eight dicht

world titles and mayweather has gone through his career unbeaten this will be the american's 48th fight. the fight is said to generate around $400 million to sponsorships, ticket sales, pay-per-view sales and the two fighters are among the heightest paid supportsmen notice world. : it is a huge con straft to the circumstances that pacquiao grew up in, in the philippines. >> reporter: this is where he learned how to box at the age of 12. back then the young man was selling bread for $2 u.s. dollars a day to help his family in the southern city. >> i saw him different. he trained hard. it didn't matter. the boy was determined. >> his rise from humble beginnings is mirrored by his

climb through different weight divisions. he started fighting for a prize much 1 usd here eventually he joined fights abroad and made hundreds of millions more. in this stit there are signs of the boxer's success everywhere. he has become a legends in a town where the majority of the people live below the poverty line. everybody here wants to be like manny. >> this city has produced many of the philippines' top boxers throughout history. 14 of them went on to become international champions but not all of them were success stories. >> the world boxing council ranks it as the 9th best featherweight champion in history. in the '80s, the fighter pund mendenhall on the world boxing half and was making hundreds of thousands of u.s. dollars in earnings but he lost everything to alcohol and drug abuse. >> i look back and regret

everything. i wish i could go back. i miss the glory days. it is all gone now. >> manny is one of the world's richest sports stars. he has made his mark in business politics and even acting in the philippines. his fight against floyd mayweather has been described as the fight of the century. it is expected to bring in hundreds of millions of u.s. dollar earnings. for the people here, though it does not matter what the outcome of the fight will be. manny is a symbol of hope a living proof that even in this poverty stricken country, dreams still do come true. in al jazeera, in the southern philippines. >> prolific british crime writer ruth rendell has died at the age of 85. best known for chief inspect soar we canford novels. she died on saturday according to her publisher.

she suffered a serious stroke in january. again, 85 years old. >> a reminder that the stories that you have seen today, we continue to update throughout the day. so take a peek at our website, aljazeera.com. again, that's aljazeera.com. keep it here. thanks for your time. >> hi. i am lisa fletcher. you are in thestream. dozens of checkpoints are popping up across the country, some as far as 100 miles from the actual border. some say it's a violation of their constitutional rights. we will check out the online movement that they started. >> correct me if i am wrong. did i stumble into mexico or still in the united states? >> plus futurists predict that by 2020, we will have our own digital twin. performing rudismary tasks and con consoleing our loved ones after we are gone. later, a look back at the