and all of our guests until next time waj and i will see you online. ♪ >> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ welcome to the news hour, i'm in doha coming up, in the next 60 minutes, syrian government war planes accused of dropping barrel bombs with chlorine gas on civilian targets overnight. rebuilding from the rubble a report from nepal where a week on from the deadly earthquake 1 1/2 million people in desperate need of food plus. >> i'm in turkey and just over there a greek island we will

show you why this has become such a popular destination for migrants trying to make it to europe. and in sport the fight they thought would never happen is now just hours away pacquiao and mayweather waited for the boxing's ever richest contest. ♪ syrian activists say government war planes dropped barrel bombs with chlorine gas in idlib and 50 cases of suffocation reported with children among the injuries and the town was the target the second allegation of a chemical attack on that town this week. the use of chlorine and weapons it is banned internationally. the outside government has widely been accused of carrying out several chemical attacks during the conflict the ally russia maintains there is insufficient evidence. and syrian opposition activists have been reporting attacks by government forces with chlorine

gas for over a year now. last september a factfinding mission from the global chemical watchdog opcw had a degree of confidence that chlorine gas used in attacks in three villages in 2014 but did not assign blame for the attacks. the u.s. and other western powers blame the government saying no other party has the helicopters to deliver the toxic chemicals. syrian rebels say their next big move is capturing the strategic city by a string of gains and mergers and determined to break the stalemate and we report. >> reporter: this is a military parade on the outskirts of the capitol damascus. the biggest show force by syrian rebels only weeks after they captured the city of idlib. the army of islam is tasked with securing the capitol once the

regime of bashar al-assad is toppled and tells fighters defeating a regime backed by iran will not be easy. >> translator: today we stand united against irans and want to spread influence and have a persian state established here i assure you we will fight them and defeat them. >> reporter: across the country rebels are shifting tactics. in the north armed factions merged under the army of conquest to capture idlib. now, their eyes are set on latakia and assad's stronghold. the u.s. has in the past refrained from arming syrian opposition fighters. they were concerned about the weapons landing in the hands of groups like al-nusra front and al-qaeda affiliate. but nusra is now joining

moderate groups in their fight to repel i.s.i.l. from syria. saudi arabia qatar and turkey provide significant assistance for syrian rebels. >> in yemen saudis discovered they really have power and united states is following them in yemen in killing shiites and turning to syria and the united states is not stopping them from arming the islam people. >> reporter: fighters still hold ground in major cities. more rebel groups are now considering joining forces to defeat assad, i'm with al jazeera. and we have a retired general from the jordan army and joins us live in the studio and we appreciate it and the tactic that the assad regime is accused of using chemical weapons on civilians in retaliation for the gains that the opposition is making, if these allegations are true how does that impact this ongoing war?

>>, in fact, before i answer that your question i have some points from the 18th of march 2011 when the revolution started the syria regime started to deal with it and in definite ways. first of all he used the police force then he used what we call the national guard later on. the syrian army involvement and he started with weapons and heavy weapons and scud missile and after that he started to use helicopters and the fighting aircraft then he used the chemical weapons in 21 of june july 2013. >> so do you reject the notion from russia that there is not sufficient evidence the regime is responsible for the chemicals? >> this is what the foreign minister of russia said but

what the nation report said they killed 1479 people more majority of them are from ladies and children. and unfortunately i did two chemical courses one in jordan and one in united states and i don't say chemical but i know a lot about and i know a lot about how it is and according to that occasion i said two hours later i was on al jazeera arabic and said the only power who can deliver the chemical agent in this way is the assad army only he has become an assad army. so when we are talking about a lead state or regime we have to expect they will use any way

possible for them to protect themselves and to keep themselves going on. >> having said that, two attacks in the past week just on this town sara-kiv and seem to be describing how would you characterize, let me put that back the tactics and strategies of the assad regime now would you use the word desperate? do you anticipate there will be more chemical attacks? >> ma'am, after he used the main using of chemical agents 2013 and when he delivered the chemical agents i said never, ever deliver everything he has. even in that timeframe never considered these is from the poison chemical like this it is something used in even in the houses but they don't concentrate on how the military

guys can use this okay? so he used it many, many times. there is a lot of reports in the united nations and a lot of evidence from inside and outside he used it last night. so and i expect and i said when the -- when the combat with al-nusra and other tribes come over i said he will use chemical agent. when they come over just assure i said he will use chemical agent. he will use it tomorrow after tomorrow until he will collapse. >> all right, general, retired general with the jordan army thank you for your thoughts. >> thank you very much. it has been one week since nepal devastate by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake while international help is slowly coming in search crews are still looking for survivors and

bodies. the cost of the damage is expected to be more than $10 billion. remote towns and villages yet to be reached to assess the devastation there. more than 6800 people have been killed, at least 14,000 others have been injured. tens of thousands are believed to have lost their homes and the u.n. has nearly 1 1/2 million people are in urgent need of food aid and with an interview they said foreign aid has been slow to arrive. >> until now in terms of this there are $4 million, we have not received any penny beyond that but we are hoping that we be able to mobilize as large as $1.8 billion u.s. dollars. u.n. chief told al jazeera aid is beginning to get through. >> we have made some progress. i was very concerned at the

beginning because of those chaotic scenes that we were seeing and it's always like that at the beginning of a major crisis like this. of course our hearts go out to all of those people who have lost loved ones. it's a terrible tragedy. coordination is a major challenge. getting the supplies in and getting them out. we have one international airport with one runway. so how we organize ourselves and how all of the different teams that have come in are best able to make maximum use of their skill and expertise is the thing that we have been working on. just in the time i've been here i've seen some improvement and our challenge now is to get it even better. >> andrew simmons is in kathmandu and joins us live from there now. andrew how would you characterize the feeling where you are? >> well it's extraordinary really the whole week has passed because there is still such a

massive need as you outlined there and everywhere you look there is a crying out demand for help not so much in the capitol but in the outlying regions and areas that are so remote that can't be access by road because of so many landslides and not only is there this massive need for aid there is a real fear not so much again in the capitol now but certainly in the regions because we continually we are having aftershocks and landslides and there is unseasonal weather, the rain keeps beating down in so many areas causing the landslides and we now have news from the information ministry that an aftershock on here to today and certainly in the western area they are saying an aftershock of 5.1 magnitude in an area called laprak in the same district

gorka as the original epicenter of if 7.8 quake exactly a week ago. so everyone is still very insecure. i traveled to one area in the east sindu a large region which has been neglected throughout this crisis. through the himalaya through the trade here beauty is scarred by what nature inflicted on the country one week ago. with all the ruined buildings for now a way of life has been extinguished. without their homes, without their farm buildings, how can people plan ahead? and without loved ones how can they go? that is a question going through the mind with the girl wearing the pink coat. her mother and her baby brother are both buried in this rubble. she is 11 years old standing

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. the grandmother feels all hope is lost. >> translator: my daughter in law and grandson were so beautiful, this tragedy is unbearable. i'm not sure what will happen now, how we will manage. we lost everything. my son has reacted really badly. he doesn't have work and now i feel i've lost him. >> reporter: it becomes too much for her, her father is in shock and has taken to drink. he has not been seen for hours. the searching goes on into the night. and the darkness can't fade out any of the pain. the chinese search team plan

attack on the next day. the grandfather wants to hear some news but the only development is his son certainly appearing appearing. >> translator: and slurring his words because of the alcohol but clear in his thoughts. >> translator: it's a dire situation. my wife and baby son are buried her, many people are buried elsewhere but what is the government doing? we have nothing. please tell the government we hardly have anything to eat. >> reporter: not far away the flames of protest. people demanding food and shelter. she is spending another night under plastic sheeting for her shelter surrounded by relatives. grandmother is unwell. what goes through the mind of a 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 and 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. the family moved down the road away from the crowds trying to seek privacy for their grief. but this earthquake doesn't allow dignity with the lives it takes. mother and baby don't get an hearse or even a car and the bodies pass a family that cannot absorb what the shaking earth took from their lives and a father who cannot face to what happened and a girl who faces an uncertain future. and there are so many more families across the stricken country facing similar challenges and just a tragic

situations more so in many cases and you heard the father of that dead woman and baby say that he had very little to eat and that is no exaggeration and aid still has not reached that area only a limited amount. there is a desperate crying need. the world food program is calling for helicopters, lots more helicopters to be engaged in the operation of trying to get supplies out and aid workers out to these remote areas. it is a position that the government here is crying out for more and renewing its appeals for extra aid as once also more tense, there is a big problem here. the government says that only 29,000 tents have been put out across the country when the real need is for 400,000. so no one knows how long this is going to go on and before we see

some sense of normality returning to this country and of course the figure of dead rises everyday the fear is it's going to go well beyond 7,000 and no one is sure when the counting will stop. >> interesting for us in kathmandu and andrew thank you very much. iran won't let powers jeopardize security interest and deputy minister said this is a quote others will not be allowed to put our shared security at risk with military adventures. these are the strongest rashes so far from tehran about the conflict in yemen. iran denies accusations of aiding houthis who took over the capitol sanaa last september. the saudi-led coalition has been carrying out air strikes against the houthis since march. the u.n. has called for humanitarian pause in yemen to allow aid in. it says water supplies and health services are on the verge

of breaking down due to a major fuel shortage. more than 1200 people have been killed since fighting began there. at least 52 people have been killed over the past to days in u.s. led coalition air strikes in syria, they said the target was the i.s.i.l. held village in the northeast by the town of serran and close to aleppo where the government and various rebel groups have been fighting pitched battles. still to come on al jazeera, facing the incredible loss of nepal's historical monument and how will the economy be effected? plus a head of the u.s. secretary state visit to horn of africa and look at security issues facing that troubled region. >> don't tell me to shut up. >> reporter: it's not just in the boxing ring where they go toe to toe, andy has news of a golfing stare down.

>> go over there. ♪ nigerian military released pictures shows the rescue of 230 women and children held captive by boko haram fighters. it was part of an operation to clear fighters from the northeast forest and it's not clear if the rescued girls are from the group of students kidnapped last year. and we have more from abuja. >> we made repeated request for military for information about the identities of the hundreds of people rescued from boko haram and circumstances which they have been freed. military say 234 people just freed that the circumstances were the same circumstances in which others were freed earlier this week but there were assaults on boko haram camps in the forest in which they were freed but there were casualties of boko haram fighters but no

detail on how many fighters may have been killed and that the operation is ongoing. now what we can conclude from this statement from the military is that those who are rescued are currently undergoing a screening and profiling process to say who they are, how they came to be in the hands of boko haram and where they had come from. now, the organizers behind the campaign to find the 219 school girls who were kidnapped last year and who remain captive are demanding that the military and the government release more information about the identities of these people given them an altimatum by the weekend they know who the freed are but so far that demand has not been heeded. last month rights group amnesty international says 2000 women and girls have been kidnapped by boko haram since 2014 and many forced into sexual slavery or combat and earlier we spoke with daniel a nigeria

researcher with amnesty researcher in london and says the exact identity of the women may remain unknown for weeks to come. >> for a long time boko haram has been able to move freely in northeast nigeria and has raided towns and villages in the northeast. we documented since the beginning of 2014 there were more than 300 such attacks by boko haram on towns and villages in the northeast where boko haram fighters would typically turn up as shoots of men of fighting age and loot supplies they required and burn houses and government buildings to the ground. and during these attacks they would often round up and take with them young girls and women and take them back to areas under their control. so this has been a consistent part of the conflict now for more than a year and that is why we are able to say that more than 2000 women and girls have been abducted by the group. since they were recovered these

women and girls have remained in the custody of the nigerian military and this matches the experiences of other people we have spoken to that were under the custody of boko haram. in one case women and girls spend more than two weeks this the custody of the government undergoing this screening and profiling process. and so until that is concluded we may not know the full details of exactly what has happened how they were recovered and where they came from. >> reporter: secretary of state john kerry's upcoming visit to kenya and jaboody talks about security and what to do about the group al-shabab and we report. >> reporter: in somali or others they know the threat that is al-shabab. >> the big security threat in

somalia and increasingly seeing over the last three years or so ever since kenya invaded somalia in 2011 it is a much greater threat to kenya as well. >> reporter: al-shabab and the u.s. calls it a foreign terrorist organization is not as strong as it used to be. it has been forced out of noing mogadishu and targeted by u.s. drone strikes but it's still lethal. in uganda in 2010 al-shabab set off bombs at two screenings of the world cup more than 70 people were killed. in kenya al-shabab attacks civilians several times. in september 2013 62 people were killed when the group stormed nairobi's west gate mall. at the beginning of april al-shabab members fired on students at a university college.

147 people were murdered. so when u.s. secretary of state john kerry visits nairobi in early may analysts say he will bring a message of economic political and moral support but won't be on offer promises of increased military involvement. washington is extremely reluctant to do so since the blackhawk problem of 91 and observers say such an offer would not be popular anyway. >> u.s. did not colonize any parts of africa but still you know they are leaders on the continent and talk about the neo impeerlism of the united states and gets resonance and have to be careful with boots on the ground. >> reporter: john kerry's visit will show moral support and the fight against al-shabab rather than the u.s. doing the fighting for them. roslyn with al jazeera the state department. the government says the

ebola outbreak in neighboring countries tarnished it as a safe holiday destinations and last year 400,000 people visited the country and that is low number for a relation that relyies on tourism and we report. >> reporter: ♪ they do this for every newly arrived visitor to the royal club hotel. most are french and for many it's their first time in africa. they ignore the government travel warnings and book their holiday on line to enjoy the sunshine, the food and music and good company. >> looking for weather in a safe destination and a six hours flight from paris and sinagal fit the bill. >> reporter: it has been tarnished and 10,000 people died from the virus in neighboring countries and there are cases here but fear of ebola is

traveling faster than the virus itself badly effecting tourism. >> translator: many hotels had to close. we were already badly hit by the global economic crisis with ebola we faced booking cancellations and some resorts just went bankrupt. >> reporter: next door an abandon resort, a casualty of the ebola crisis several tour operators pulled out altogether and because of ebola they could lose 1% of gdp warns the world bank and the government is putting in place drastic measures and cutting behalf airport taxes and scrapping visa fees altogether. all of this is to make this a more attractive destination and cheaper for tourists. flying here is expensive and they want to attract low cost carriers making it more affordable destination and reassure passengers they recently closed the border with

effected countries and continue to screen visitors and checking temperature and any symptoms of the virus. >> translator: we are taking all the necessary safety and medical precautions so those who choose to come here feel safe and comfortable and hope it will encourage more people to visit our country. >> reporter: but he and his friends don't want more tourists, it's the extra attention they get here that makes this destination so special. nicholas hawk al jazeera, sinagal. still ahead on al jazeera, does scotland hold the key to the election and is it connecting the past with the present? and in sport find out if the atlanta hawks could close out their playoff series against brooklyn. ♪

>> every day is another chance to be strong. >> i can't get bent down because my family's lookin' at me. >> to rise, to fight and to not give up. >> you're gonna go to school so you don't have to go war. >> hard earned pride. hard earned respect. hard earned future. >> we can not afford for one of us to lose a job. we're just a family that's trying to make it. >> a real look at the american dream. "hard earned". premiers tomorrow, 10:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> part of our month long look at working in america. "hard earned". ♪ welcome back, you are watching al jazeera our top stories

right now syrian activists say government war planes dropped barrel bombs containing chlorine gas and the second alleged attack on the town this week. it has been one week since a magnitude 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. the nigerian military released pictures of the 230 women and children rescued from boko haram fighters on thursday. almost 700 have been freed just this week. and during an army operation to clear fighters from the forest hide outs and our top story and nepal devastating earthquake and many are wondering where iconic structures vanished from the map forever and we report from kathmandu. >> reporter: they have been standing in nepal's capitol for hundreds of years and bold and

palaces and monuments and places of worship and calling to figures of 3.5 million annually and earning millions of tourist dollars and now they lie in ruins and the nation can only wonder what will become of them. tom bell lived with his family a number of years and is an expert on the various structures. >> well i mean this is really a building, built by the king who created modern nepal as kind of a monument to victory after he conquered kathmandu in 68 so it's really a part of history. >> reporter: so too are the many statutes and carveings that adorn the buildings and those that are rescued are carefully lifted to safety and stored for safekeeping. how long do you think something like that will take to repair? >> who knows, that really depends how this is conducted, how well the whole thing is

handled. >> reporter: you may not be able to give figures but in terms of nepal has the money to do this. >> well i very much doubt it will come out for the money to do this. nepal receive as lot of foreign aid and i can imagine the foreign aid may be spent after humanitarian things have been attended to. >> reporter: it's a position even the authorities that look after the tourism industry has accepted and it will take time to restore the structures and rebuild tourists' confidence that nepal is a safe place to visit. >> we are welcoming all our guests and to the extent controversial the buildings and are very important, our history now, we have lost. so that we have to build. it will take time. but an integral part we have to remain. >> reporter: for getting the pain for many is not easy and

yet many continue to see the destruction as a new tourist attraction nature tore down many of the i conic buildings, structures they are proud of structures that are dear to a nation. >> translator: this is a very special place for us and it's like the eiffel tower of paris and we lost one in an earthquake in 1934 and it means a lot to us. >> reporter: as many walk past the ruins of their past just as many wonder how quickly can the past be rebuilt. i'm with al jazeera, kathmandu. the ate italian cost guard rescued migrants from africa were saved on the coast of libya and war-torn countries in africa and middle east die going across the mediterranean and not the only route they are choosing on the way to europe and we report from turkey. >> reporter: from the remote

turkey to the coastline the distance between despair and hope for a new life in europe via a greek island can be just 25 kilometers. [shouting] over crowded boats, coast guard patrols and ruthless smugglers make for a periless crossing. and he is a smuggler and he is about to take a boat full of migrants to the greek island of lesbos and this time if he makes it he will blend in with the passengers and claim asylum himself himself. >> translator: i've never sailed a diesel engine boat before but i sail tomorrow and never been out this deep and the sea is scary and i will be scared as 30-40 people's live also be my responsibility and a smuggler, is i send you to sea and you will make it or you won't and either way i make money. >> reporter: 29 passengers made it and sent us these pictures

after a couple of days at the migrant reception center they will be free to go to athens and beyond. migrants will pay 900-$2000 to be squeezed on a small boat to sail to grease the island just over there. now, if they get intercepted by the turkish coast guard on the way they will be brought back here and turkey stopped 15,000 migrants last year and most of them will just try again. there is no shortage of potential passengers. in the western turkish city at a known migrant pick up area people wait with bags packed. many will be from syria but there are also iraqis afghans and people from africa. mohamed from syria is scared of the journey he will have to make. >> translator: the u.n. and international community have not

offered an alternative way to get to europe and forced to take this road to death. >> reporter: the turkish government says migrants taking to the sea because of land borders with greece and bulgaria and you can't throw barb wire across the sea and will get popular in the summer turkey coast. romaine prime minister said they should do more for the migrant crisis. >> all 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 adapting very fast. this is my opinion and this is the romaine experience and of course politicians use the migrants' theme in the political fight but i think this is against the european values and

whoever comes and leaves and respect the european values it's a good citizen of europe. >> reporter: last weekend of campaigning in the uk before the general election on thursday. scotland is predicted to hold the key to the outcome with the scottish national party, let's get more from lawrence lee who is live from the town of paisley in scotland and thursday is almost here lawrence. >> reporter: yes, absolutely and the english elaborate certainly with endless photo calls of middle age rich politicians wearing high visibility jackets on building sites to build a brick wall for economic growth and in england there has been a huge amount of cynicism about the election and heckled in television debates by the audiences who basically accuse of lying and contrast with the atmosphere in scotland with the scottish national party that lost the referendum last

year is absolutely surged ahead of all other parties under the new leader and if the polls are correct which they appear to be they could win almost every single seat in the whole of scotland and that absolutely transforms the political outlook here across the country and they will be the third largest party and s and m have basically positioned themselves left of labor and offering alternative of using the country's money on socially just projects instead of things for example, like nuclear weapons. 6:30 in the morning and people are trying to get themselves on the news. off the buses linking arms refusing to move. the blockade is outside the home of the uk fleet of nuclear submarines and protesters' aim is to make a case for a nuclear free scotland a national issue. >> we need to find human means. we have been campaigning now for

a couple of years. we started off a couple years ago with the idea that scotland can lead the way to a nuclear free world. >> reporter: those who thought the s&p was dead after it lost the referendum are proved wrong. the new leader led the party to a huge surge in support with the antinuclear campaign at his heart. it has potential to cause spectacular upsets and in this constituency a 20-year-old university student is leading the poll, if she wins for the s&p she would beat the man for government would be the foreign secretary and he is for trident and she most certainly isn't. >> how can you possibly advocate cutting healthcare and cutting education and all the while paying money for weapons. it seems to me that the establishment has their priorities wrong. >> reporter: labor candidates in place like glascow the biggest city and voted for

independence last year find the westminster seats at risk and veteran mp denies her party has become too right wing for scottish tastes. >> it's an argument but not if we spend money on health and education. what we try to do is have an economic plan to grow our tax base so we can protect the essential services. >> reporter: the nightmare is against the white this scotland and rely on s and p to form a majority government and alex who led the independence campaign deputy prime minister of the uk. because the scottish government and s&p is formally antinuclear the equation between replacement for trident versus austerity is an important issue in the election in scotland and in england it is not at all because westminster every party apart from the greens said they are in favor of spending another $150

billion on nuclear weapons. the s&p committed scotland to antinuclear movement the like of which has not existed since the 1980s this then could be the shape of things to come. so what does this mean for the westminster and balance of power across the uk? let's talk to dunkin at glascow and thank you for your time and why do you think the s&p has surged so much in scotland against the labor party? >> one is coming out of referendum and people gotten gauged in politics and that whole process was one of imagining a new country and i think that is important and i think as we have come into this election campaign what we have seen is i think it was harold who said in a political battle between past and the future the future will win and people of scotland are seeing the future. they do and especially in a seat like this in paisley with

20-year-old up against douglas alexander and very much looks like the old london based political party against young, fresh, new ideas and that is capturing people's imagination i think. >> reporter: they said they will not work with conservatives because they can't stand them but don't seem to work with s&p, will they change their mind do you think? >> i just don't understand the labor parties' position in this and do not understand they would never do a deal with s&p and after thursday things will have to change and he will have to look at what the arithmetic looks like. >> and maybe him as prime minister. >> i'm not sure they will go with a coalition to create that possibility but supply maybe case by case issue, who knows, i think s&p are willing to talk about almost anything with the labor party but you know the labor party needs to decide if

it wants to make a government or not. >> reporter: people say this is a win-win situation for s and p because if they can't get seats and a hold in power in westminster the leadership goes back to people and say we will not get anywhere with westminster and just need another referendum. >> it's a possibility and if westminster is not listening this is for the s&p and if westminster won't listen something has to change but i think s&p would be a bit careful about a new referendum 2016 manifest to because it's not saying that want that that argument was last year and this is about how to make this in westminster. >> reporter: do you think there will be a referendum by the end of the decade? >> depends on what happens in westminster and it's possible if they don't start responding to the scottish people. >> reporter: thank you very much indeed that is all from us for here from for today, tomorrow we are down in the south coast of england talking

about the far right party that wants to transform english politics by limiting immigrations and back to you. thank you so much lawrence. police in maldives arrested leaders and 192 others after anti-government protests turned violent and demanding release of the president and government accused organizers provoking violence and sentenced to 13 years in prison in march. the u.n. says the ruling was arbitrary and disproportionate. in burundi protesters calling for a halt to demonstrations for two days of mourning two people and three police killed in a grenade attack after anti-government prozests and this is in the capitol where they burned tires and marched in the streets and protesters angry that the president is seeking a third term in office. severe weather warnings remain

in effect in eastern australia. at least five motorists were killed when they vehicles were washed away in floods. a six-year-old died after being swept away by heavy seas off the coast of cleveland. the city was also drenched making many roads impossible and cutting off power to homes. still ahead on al jazeera, ahead of boxing biggest night we ask if the sport itself could be on the ropes thanks to a hard hitting rival. ♪

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central ashun artists rarely receive attention outside of the homeland but singapore is hoping to put spotlight on them from the region and we have more on the new silk roads. >> reporter: an inspiration for modern art from history, the silk road was a trade route through asia this exhibition looks to forge that connection in modern times through canvas and paint. >> we try to bring culture and art from central asia region into asia. >> reporter: the showcase includes more than 30 paintings from pakistan kazistan and others giving a glimpse of life in countries. >> transported to where the art is and sense the light and heat. >> expression is considered to want a peaceful life and world. >> reporter: investment in modern and contemporary art is minimal in soviet states and

works rarely shown outside of the region. >> more and more we have artists coming from central asia it's kind of a new approach to the painting and bringing explanation about the culture, about the environment. >> reporter: organizers say the two-day exhibition was well received in singapore creating yet another path along the silk road. i'm with al jazeera. time for sport and andy all right. >> thank you and we will start with boxing and the fight many thought would happen and mayweather versus pacquiao now just hours away. ♪ close to 12000 fans packing into las vegas mgm grand just to see the fighters take to the stands and pacquiao has won and mayweather has gone through the career unbeaten and this is the american's 48th fight and

pacquiao lost five times and he is slightly smaller and lighter man for this fight. >> i've been fighting bigger guys like dehoya doesn't matter to me. >> a lot of people wondering if you can be that dynamic attacking knock out artist again, how do you feel about that? >> i feel tomorrow that the lord you know, is always with me and strengthen me and deliver me into his hands. >> i dedicated myself to the sport of boxing for 20 years. >> do you feel as though pacquiao might do something reckless tomorrow night you might be able to take advantage of? >> i can't say but i'm ready to fight. >> reporter: mayweather and pacquiao are among the most famous names in the sporting world there are not that many other boxers competing for global headlines and with sports like mixed marital arts growing

in popularity boxing could soon be fighting for its future and andy gallagher reports. >> reporter: if this is boxing's last big fight then the so called gentleman game is bowing out in a big way. this is the weigh in for the anticipated mayweather and pacquiao fight but boxing is losing fans to a relatively new sport. >> level, going for the shot. >> reporter: these are mixed marital arts fighters training to compete in the ultimate fighting championship or usc and it's attracting younger fans. supporters say there are more knock outs more action and a rising roster of stars. but even the professionals here have their doubts about competing with boxing. >> boxing has been around forever and it's going to be around forever and, you know this is a big fight but i'm

pretty sure that when ali fought foreman they said it would be the last big fight and have been through it before and it's not going to happen. >> reporter: unless the ultimate fighting championship is making in roads at least here and sports organizers say the way boxing is run could be the beginning of its down fall. >> boxing is short sighted and greedy and not thinking about the future of the sport, what they did with tickets here only a certain amount of tickets went on sale then they were on secondary market and there are tickets everywhere and they price the fans out of the fight. there are so many people who would love to come in town and see the fight. >> reporter: people in mgm arena do not mind the ticket prices and believe the fight could rein-i having rate interest in a sport that captivated fans for generations. >> it's a sport that will live on and brought you ufc. boxing is going to continue. >> mma is good but i don't think it would be able to catch up to

boxing any any time soon boxing is here to stay and always has been and always will be. >> marshal arts has come a long way in a short time and that applies to the u.s. market and globally boxing is still king and you have to soak up the atmosphere in this arena to know that and to know boxing and fighters like mayweather and pacquiao draw huge crowds and big money and both men approaching the end of careers and leaving people to ask who and what will take their place andy gallagher las vegas, nevada. we will talk to a former mixed marital arts fighter and teaches mma and boxing and mark what is your take on this can boxing take its future for granted? >> i don't think so. i think that both sports are needing each other and they both build off of each other going

forward. mixed marital arts is a growing sport and boxing being around for decades before mma, they both will use each other and kind of build off of each other as mma grows in popularity people who compete only in mixed marital art there is something to be said just for learning the sport and being involved in the sport boxing alone and adds more credibility and legacy to boxing. >> are kids now taking mma who previously would have gone straight into boxing? >> that's an interesting question. i think that boxing because of its roots was kind of promoted to kids. boxing is kind of an urban city kind of sport, it was popular in

free clubs, free kind of youth centers to keep kids off of the street and now with mma rise in popularity every parent whether you have money or not or don't have any money is kind of throwing their kid into this new growing sport just because kids are fans and they like it. so the roots are very very different. but at the end of the day i think that as a kid or anyone interested in mixed marital arts is more interested they realize boxing is necessary and have to learn that. so you know like i said before i see both of them kind of playing off of each other and both of them neither one of them dying in the near future. >> just a point you made there about kids being fans of usc is the fact that the sport has gone out of its way to make itself accessible on television and the way kids can access the sport

itself has that made ufc and mma more accessible to kids than perhaps the boxing thinking of pay per view and it's difficult for kids to see a boxing match with pacquiao or mayweather? >> definitely you have a real good point there and dana white who was at one point a boxer and a boxing promoter he knows. he has played the boxing game and which is why he changed the rules for ufc and mixed martial arts because of the expense and less affluent people to gain access to the sport and participating in it and that is why he made mma available to everybody these days so i think that you know i think it's a good thing for mma as a whole

but boxing will also be there too just you know mayweather with his promotional company is also changing the way in which kind of boxing is now promoted and marketed to everyone going forward. >> mark we will have to leave you there, thanks for the insight and looking forward to the fight coming up in the next few hours. there is some other sports and atlanta hawks are in the second round of the playoff with a win over the nets and scoring 25 point and kyle had 20 and three triples and a quarter run 23-3 and ended brooklyn's chances 111-87 winners. they face the washington wizards in the next round. it's not just in the boxing rain going toe to toe, look at this involving golfers bradley at the world match play in san francisco

francisco. >> i'm not going to shut up. >> don't tell me to shut up. you don't tell me to shut up. >> i told you. >> you don't tell me. >> reporter: that is not how golf is normally done. >> no it's not.

bombed by all sides civilians in syria hit by chlorine gas, shells and coalition air strikes. ♪ this is al jazeera live from london also coming up one week on as the death toll keeps rising from nepal's earthquake and meet a family struggling to cope. military rescued 234 girls and women from the boko haram forest stronghold. and carrying the hopes of the nation winners at the town where pacquiao grew up ahead