>> saudi jets target the yemeni house. halts in the bombing take a step forward. you are watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up macedonian police say 14 members of an armed group and eight police officers were killed in a gun fight in the north of the country. and the pope and the president, raoul castro said the catholic leader could persuade him to return to the church.

>> hello. we begin this hour in yemen, and it appears opposing forces are inching closer to a cease-firedee deal. you hour reblt say they would respond positively to ending the suffering of the yemeni people. a humanitarian pause on tuesday has been made by the saudi-led coalition. diplomatic efforts, the fighting continues he has announced his alliance with the houthi reynolds. >> it's the first time the saudi-led coalition has targeted yemen's former president. the former saudi-ally was

unharmed in the attack and raimdz defiant. >> scan scan remains . >> i can describe this aggression as an act of coward icy. if you are brave enough face us on the battlefield. cowardice. if you are brave enough, face us on the battlefield. it cannot enable you to achieve any of your goals. >> this is moment of the international airport in sanaa was struck by coalition jets. houthi fighters who control the capital remainstol say the attack was to prevent the landing of aircrafts carrying aid. the saudi-led coalition has intensified its military campaign, pounding targets in sanaa prove incident in northern yemen, in aden and many other provinces. saudi-remains army commanders say this is an ammunition depot

the houthis were planning to use to shell saudi villages. saudi arabia has offered a 5-day humanitarian truce starting tuesday, but the houthis remain skeptical. they say any step to alleviate the suffering of the yemenis will be welcome. they are also urging aid agencies to send immediate relief to the people. >> they are the ones who vac face. if they stop the fighting this will lead to the humanitarian crisis in yemen, it will help. the humanitarian aid to come in to yemen. it will stop. let me shake sure the saudi, i don't think that they will stick to this 5-days cease-fire. >> but fighting shows no sign of abating. this is a village which was attacked in the central prove incident of ib.

local people say there are no fighters in the area. the continuing war undermines the chances for a political settlement in the country. there was remains remains that was ravaged by years of instability. the houthi rebels say they are open to political talks if they take into account their growing politic remains political influence across yemen. hasha malbara a remains access. >> the u.n. residence remains resident coordinate or remains to yemen says lives are being lost daily remains daily because of the urgent need for humanitarian supplies. >> we had to bear into consideration yemen was at the beginning of this remains these hostilities the poorest country, around the poorest in the world. you can imagine how it has been reduced by the last week the facilities, what it will take to restore it's normalcy. we have to appreciate the system has collapsed. the infrastructure system has

been profoundly disrupted. road electricity, water, and many more people will die because of this damage on the infrastructure, the ane remains inability to care for the wounded, the more -- the people that are more affect remains affected than the war, itself. hence we need to be given urgent humanitarian space for the united nations just to tackle life-saving urgent intervention and expand our coverage bring in food bring in fuel which is very short in supply and save life. it's a matter of days. >> moving to syria now where activists say opposition fighters including members of al-qaeda have stormed a complex where 250 government loyal remains loyalists have been trapped for the past two weeks. the syrian observatory for human rights says the fighters have captured the complex in the town

of s remains jsir sh h remains remains shughurt gaining control of the area is seen as vital to secure supply lines for both the assad government and the opposition. a report now from the bu cuellar valley in lebanon. >> the suicide attack on this hospital was powerful. mrooumz of smoke covered town. t followed by heavy fighting asrenals remains rebels closed in. more than 200 syrian army soldiers are besieged. a coalition of rebels which includes al nusra front fighters overrun the town around two weeks ago. there remains the town is not far from aleppo, president ash remains bashar assad's stronghold.

from hezbollah, the group fighting alongside syrian government forces show fierce fighting in the mountains. helz hezbollah remains hezbollah says fighters are making gains, clearing a number of areas. we are standing on the hilltop where the attack started. we use medium and whechz. ground troops are advancing under the cover of our heavy fire. >> syrian jets were providing aerial support hitting a number of targets. a key supply route for both hezbollah and the syrian governments. the regime also wants top secure a key road connecting the capital forecast remains damascus with homes and to president assad's stronghold on the western coast. it's a hard battle the mountain range is vast and rugged. the syrian rebels are adopting guerr remains illa warfare tactics and using the terrain as a hideout. >> could prove hard for the

syrian government jets and hezbollah fighters to fully control or clear that area. >> despite hezbollah's attacks, syrian rebels remain powerful in the area. they say they repled a number of attacks and are vowing to fight back. this battle is going to be a long one. it could easily spill over into lebanon and deepen the political infighting and sectarian tensions there. al jazeera, valley near the city and remains remains syrian border. >> at least eight people have been killed in car bombings in iraq. the west attacks happened just north of the capitol, baldad remains remains baghdad. five execute forces were killed while three civilians were killed in taji police in northern macedonia say they have defeated a group of ethnic albanian fighters after a day of fighting that left eight

officers and 4 gunmen dead. many ethnic albanian people live. tim friend has more. >> police say the main part of their operation against the group is now over. gunfire could be heard on the streets of kumanova on sunday morning. most of the armed group believed a number before 30 are reported to have been arrested some were refusing to surrender. >> you can see its terrible terrible. this is an area that saw fighting during an ethnic al ban remains bainian en surgency in 2001. the mayor said the group had no local backing. at a time armed groups are have remains have no logistics and no support from the local people. the people want to keep the peace and they hope this action will bring a result removal of this group. i am appear remains appealing to our citizens to remain calm to keep the peace and stability and not to be provoked. >> the interior ministry said

that the fighters entered macedonia from an unnamed neighboring country, and intended to attack government targets. >> this group was well armed and well trained for such circumstances. special forces had strong resistance from the terrorists who attacked with automatic weapons, bombs and snippers. >> remains. >> but the opposition says the government is using the events to heighten ethnic tensions as a distraction from its own difficulties. >> remains in the past weeks there have been street protests demanding the resignation of prime minister nickla gruef remains vski who will demonstrators remains accuse of wiretapping and abuse of. 30% of macedonia's two remains 2 million people are ethnic albanians. many former and remains insurgents classified politics. the latesttac appears top illustrate, there are still res est remains eventments and the

threat of violence. tim friend al jazeera. >> a german chal chancellor has called on russian president putin to help end the war in ukraine. she is in mock 0 to take part in commenrations marking the end of the second world war. she looked on as a wreath was placed at the grave of the unknown soldier as russians remembered their victory over nazi germany. >> i had come to moss co during a difficult phase of the russian german relations because it was important to me on the 70th anniversary of the end of world war ii to pay respects to those killed in the war together with president putin. >> it's not a secret that the relations between russia and german today are going through a bad period. our bite lateral trade in 2014 for the first time in five years fell by 6.5%. cuban president raoul castro has ped pope francis at the vatican.

he thanked the pope for the role between the u.s. and cuba. the first south american pope mediated during secret negotiations which led to the resemption remainsumption of tries between the two countries. he expressed his admiration from remains for pope francis. >> i said if the pope continues to talk as he does sooner or later, i will start praying again and return to the catholic church, and i am not kidding. i am a communist, a cuban communist party did not allow it. but it is being allowed now. it is a step forward. >> still ahead for you on al jazeera, thousands of migrants risk their lives crossing the mediterranean, we reveal the shocking fate some of them suffer. and the talibantable claims responsibility for a details on the story coming up as well.

♪ >> welcome back to al jazeera. let's update you on the top stories. opposing forces in yemen could be inching closer to a cease-fire deal. houthi rebels say they will respond positively to efforts to end the suffering of the yemeni people but the fighting continues with the latest airstrikes hitting a compound of former abdula sulla. on the border with lebanon. it's a strat ekeidge reek original remainson. gate remains gaining control could provide security remains secure lines from itakia province. police say they have did he have

feet a group of ethnic albanian fighters after 24 hours of fight that left eight officers and four gunmen dead. the gun battle took place in the town of komonovo where many ethnic al bain crane remainsians live. >> now remains now in other yours remains news european union is to ask for the united nations backing for a military campaign targeting ships used to send my grants across the mediterranean. the move is the latest step to try to curb the rising number of migrants leaving libya for european shores. the eu foreign policy situate show remains shore is to address the securityo area on monday. >> the sea route is remains is the most dang dangerous in the world, thousands have been killed this year as they tried to release italy -- to reach italy and a better life. many bodies are never ford. some of the bodies that wash up on libyan beaches are stored. a warning that some viewers may find images in this report

disturbing. some call it the journey of death. thousands and thousands are willing to take their chance. >> he tells me there is people were shouting the boat capsized and people fell into the water. he doesn't know what happened next. he was thinking of himself. he was rescued by the libyan coast guard. often dead bodies are forgotten at sea and they float back to libya. hasanamo remains a says he has never seen anything like it. he is the driver of the only refrigerated ambulance. he has transported dead fighters and seen all sorts of wounds. >> i see remains it's horrifying. there is a terrible smell. the bodies were in the water for 20 or 30 days. some were eaten by the fish. some bloated or dissolved by the

salt. others are found floating and fishermen bring them back. the krorpsz taken to the morguing in mizrata's hospital. it's in poor condition. look at how they keep the fridge closed. it's not cold enough. the smell of rotting bodies is overwhelming. >> the bodies were found randomly on beaches. nobody knows for how long they have been floating in the see before they were watched ashore. some are so disfigured it seems they have been in the water for a while. there is even the body of a child and by the looks of it, he was between three and four years old. >> they are found on the beach in january. since, then lying here slowly decomposing. nobody knows their names or where they come from. somewhere, their families are wondering what happened to them. >> it's very painfully to see dead bodies. no one asks for them. we don't have means to take a d and remains na sample. the fridge preserves the bodies. it does not freeze them. we say death is an eternal test. not in this case. they stay here for months. sometimes six or seven. they suffer in death as well.

it is really painful. >> they are given a number. only the location where they were found is registered. it can take a long wile to bury them. there is little money and in a country at war, dead my grants are not a priority. the unknown bodies will ended i need remains end up in this cemetery tucked away between the san remains sand dunes t remains. it was once used for gadaffi security forces. 37 were finally, buried here recently. those at the morgue will join them one day. the story of these bodies will go unnoticed by the thousands of migrants waiting in libya to cross the mediterraneanian. any one of them runs very real risk of inlanding his journey here in the nameless cemetery. misrata. >> boats have won run around in western gone ease i can't. remains at the northern end of

sumantra island. half are from an ethnic community that has faced decades of discrimination. the others are believed to be dang remains bangladeshis. an update from the area. >> the international organization for migration says there are between 500 and 550 people who arrived on several boats in north aceh on sunday morning local time. authorities are industrial trying to verify where these people came from the u.n. considers them one of the most pes kurtd in the world. human rights say in myanmar, it is the government's apologized making so many of them desperates to evening ape. they are subject to restrictions. local authorities try to lem the remains remains element of number of children they have. the government has not given

them legal status. three years ago, their conditions living conditions got worst remains worse when communal fighting is the majority of the people live. more than 140,000 people were displaced. they had to live in camps and are still living in camps unable to return to their jobs their homes. children are unapparently go to school. things are unlikely to improve unless the policies change. if that doesn't happen many more will be attempted the pakistanitable is claiming to have shot down foreign diplomats. ambassadors were among those killed. more from pakistan's capital remainstol islamabad. >> the it remains remains they have released add radio showing

this say the russian missile was used to bring down the helicopter and with several diplomats dprafl remains traveling now, according to the military and also exclusive footage obtained by al jazeera shows that the helicopter was indeed coming in for a normal landing and then crashed it shows the rescue on board and talking to some of the survivors who said that they did not actually witness any missile hitting the aircraft. this was totally a technical thing that developed on the aircraft. everything was going smoothly according to aviation experts, if the aircraft had been hit in the area remains air, it would have come down like a rack. it shows this was indeed an accident and that the crew members made desperate attempts to save lives on board after the helicopter caught fire. >> it's been two weeks since nearly eight,000 people were killed in nepal's earthquake.

the priority now is rebuilding infrastructure and preventing sfred of disease. doctors are concerned about pregnant women and babies. jamil has more. >> they are the youngest affected by the quake, premature babies born in the hours and days after. machina was 30 weeks pregnant and happened to be in hospital when it began to cha remains shake. >> first, i was told not to move. but then the hospital kept shaking and an oxygen cylinder remains cylinder fell over. doctors came and told me to get out. i ran down the stairs. >> she had to get an emergency cesarean operation 12 hours later because of the risk to her life and her baby's. doctors say several women had miss carriages following the disaster. they are emphasizing the need to keep a close eye on their pregnant patients. >> in these kind of situations

it is expected. we do know that women go through a lot of stress. women remains women who are about to deliver are vul numberable. they may lose homes, a bread winner and that does cause stress. so they could be premature deliveries. >> some, however, didn't have the proper med remains medical hell remains help available even before the was remains earthquake struck. >> adding to the stress for some of these women is living in tents like these. coping with hot weather sundays and rain on the others. at least they are close to hospitals like these in the capitol. those in remote areas are even more vulnerable. theuniated remains remains united nations ascremains estimates most women were in rural and remote districts. the focus is to get medical help to them. >> it is concentrating on making the facilities available in the district and even at the area. we are the birthing centers

where women can have the service and making advice available in those tents, 24 by 7. >> the next step will be to provide the kind of long-term care premature babies need. for them the aftereffects of the earth remains earthquake may last a liecht. fez jamil, al jazeera, kathmandu. south africa's main opposition party elected its first black leader, seen as an attempt to shake off the image of being dominated by the whiteman orty. >> reporter: 34-year-old maine is the first black leader of the main opposition party, the democratic alliance. he knows critics of the party with its blue colored emblems think it represents the interests of a white minority. so in his acceptance speech he tells supporters because he is now in charge change is coming.

>> if see me in black, you don't see me at all [applause.] ? >> om pieing forever. it was east remains evil and deplorable. ultimately p we can not ta remains stay in that way of thinking. we must knock down the evil of apardon ite remains i'd. >> out going leader skroibd as a tough denacious vibrant leader was praised for get remains attracting more black voters. can he take it to the next level? >> south africa's two most popular opposition parties have young black leaders. the economic freedom fighters and remains is now in charge of a democratic alliance. many people are asking the question: is it remains is the

ruling african national congress worrying? >> a dominant feeling you find is that it is not necessarily done enough has not delivered newspaper remains enough. there is a shift in terms of either i am staying away from the polls or going to vote for an alternative party. it is there that the deal should be able to capital. lock local government elections are due to succeed which could be the first real test for the now black-led democratic alliance. >> will remains we sterile remains still coming for you. >> my remains he is promising to create jobs, tackle corruption and put the interests of the black majority first so south africans are watching him and waiting to see if his appointment is what the democratic alliance needs to attract more black voters. port elizabeth. >> use to rely on ghana's

textile it is. now, the government is encouraging people to buy local. a report. >> when you shop for fabric in west remains west africa, it's beginning of a creation journey. the tradition is you find a tailor or seem stressed to make an outfit. in a store like this you can be sure the goods on genuine remains remains genuine. but local fabric producers in ghana say the industry is suffering from a flood of important, imitation products often a remains of inferior quality. because the textiles have been so badly affected they are producing a quarter of the amount compared to five years ago. we don't mind cheap textiles coming in to ghana and into the markets in west africa but we object very strongly when people are coping our brands putting tickets on there saying made in ghana when we know very well that they are not. also, of course they are copying our designs, which is an investment that we have made.

>> many people like to shop in the market because they think they can get the bargain but you have to know what remains what to look for. when you look at these two labels, it's impossible to tell the difference now this is the label to the remains on the fake brand. this is the one on the original. the only way to be sure remains is to check whether the number on the fabric, itself matches what is on the label and in this case it doesn't. >> the government wants shoppers to support their local fabric industry as a way of also promoting culture. it introduced friday where remains wear where ghanians are encouraged to come to work in traditional fab. one of ghana's most famous musicians. >> i think we should whether remains wear african wear monday, tuesday, whence remains remains wednesday, thursday and on friday western wear. when you go to the west nobody wears the african wear even once a year. >> traditionally, the type of clothe remains cloth is supposed to show how a person is feeling. they have individual names and

for many people, especially for funeral wear there is a spiritual attachment. all of this is slowly disappearing and they say it's up to individuals to hold remains hold on to it and support industry. more on everything at aljazeera.com. scientists. let's check out our team of hardcore nerds. dr. shay soma are. a, a mechanical engineer. facial recognition technology. it can fight crime by spotting a face in a crowd, but can it keep you out of the club? >> my picture is in the gallery. information.