♪ >> hello. this is the news hour live from london. coming up in the next 60 minutes, saudi jets target the former yemen my yemeni house but they take a step forward. a suicide-bomber attacks a hospital building in northern syria where hundreds of government troops are held up. macedonia police say that eight police officers were killed in a gunfight in the north of the country.

german forces rescue migrants, now the e.u. wants military action against human traffickers. the domination in formula in spain. action from the circuit coming up later in the program. >> hello, we start this hour in yemen, and it appears that they're inching closer to a cease-fire deal. a proposal of a cease-fire on tuesday has been discussed but fighting continues. ali abdullah saleh escapes

unhurt and has announced his alliance with the houthi rebels. [ explosions ] >> it's the first time the saudi-led coalition has targeted yemen's former president ali abdullah saleh. he was unharmed in the attack and remains defiant. >> you should continue carry area arms, willing to sacrifice lives in defense of these attacks. i can describe this aggression as an act of could you wards. if you're brave enough, face us on the battlefield. come and we'll be at your reception. shelling with rockets and jet fighters cannot help you achieve any of your goals. >> this is the moment the international air force in sanaa was struck by coalition jets.

houthi fighters who control the capital say the attack was to prevent the landing of aircraft carrying aid. [ explosions ] >> the saudi-led coalition has intensified it's military campaign pounding targets in aidsen and any other provinces. saudi commanders say that this is an ammunition depot that the houthis were planning to use. saudi arabia has offered a five-day humanitarian truce but the houthis remain skeptical. they say any step to alleviate the suffering of the yemenis will be welcome. they're also urging aid agencies to send immediate relief to the people.

>> this will lead to the humanitarian crisis in yemen.: the saudi will stop, but i do think that they will stick to this five-day cease-fire. >> the u.n. has announced it will start delivering aid during the cease-fire. >> we will respond on the ground. we're ready to do that, but certain conditions have to be made and we hope that they'll be met in the coming days. there is no time to lose. every day that is spent there is civilian life lost. >> this was a village attacked in the central province of ebb. local people say that there are no fighters in the area. the continuing war undermines the chances for a political

settlement in the country that was ravaged by years of instability. the houthi rebels say that they are open to political talks if they take into account their growing political influence across yemen. >> well, the u.n. resident coordinator to yemen said that lives have been lost daily because of the urgent need for humanitarian supplies. >> we have to the consideration that yemen was at the beginning of this hostilities the poorest country in the middle east, the poorest in the world. you can imagine how it has been reduced by the last week of hostilities. and what it will take to restore it to normalcy. we interrupt to say that the infrastructure system has been profoundly destroyed,ed roads the water many more people will die because of the damage to the

infrastructure. the inability of the system to get hope to the people. to bring in food, to bring in fuel, which is in short supply, and save life. it's a matter of days. >> i'm joined in the studio by kate nevins from the organization safer world. thank you for joining us. from what you're hearing does it look like we'll get some pause in the fighting come tuesday. >> it's not really looking that positive. after the saudi arabia foreign minister announceed the

humanitarian calls that's where they started huge aggressions against sadaa. i think its worse remembering that this is not a conflict only between saudi and the houthies and saleh. there are many other people involved in this conflict, and what a truce really looks like with fighting on the ground. it's quite unclear. >> obviously, you focus a great deal on conflict resolution, and we're not speaking about a permanent cease-fire. we're only talk about a temporary pause that would allow aid to come into the country and end the suffering of people who are already in dire straits because yemen imports much of its food, many people were going hungry even before this conflict began. how much of a respite would a five-day truce bring. >> that's a good question.

we're looking at a country where 90% of its food is imported and it's one of the most malnourished countries in the world. five days aid is really important, but it won't pull back the kind of catastrophe that we're looking at in yemen. what we need is a complete removal of all the blockades in yemen, the shipping, and allow food to be brought in in large amounts and to be moved around the country. this is not just to get food to the ports, the saudis have destroyed much of the infrastructure that it move food fuel, and water around. >> infrastructure has been damaged. we know that the main airport in the country has also been targeted as well in the campaign. and what do we know about security in some of these ports?

would security for a short time be guaranteed? >> i think they're saying they would be able to get supplies in if there was a truce agreed. but security in shipping is a much bigger question. >> and the problem of fuel, without fuel you can't supply people with food. even if access is granted. even if this pause in fighting comes into force on tuesday you could have a lot of trouble distributing the supplies to people. >> yes, it's about getting that aid to people. and fuel is moved by truck which requires fuel, or by pump, which requires fuel. >> kate nevens from the organization a safer world.

>> members of al-qaeda has stormed a complex and elsewhere there has been continued heavy fighting especially in the border of lebanon. gaining control of it is vital for supply lines for assad government and opposition. we have reports now from lebanon. >> the suicide attack on this hospital was powerful. plumes of smoke covered the town followed by heavy fighting as rebels closed in. more than 200 syrian soldiers are besieged. the al nusra front fighters allied with al-qaida over ran the tan two weeks ago.

the town is crucial to the syrian government. another crucial battle is on syria's border with lebanon. we her from hezbollah that fighting along syrian government forces in fierce fighting along the mountains. fighters are make be gains in a number of areas. >> we're on the hilltop where the attack happened 37 we used immediate medium to heavy weapons. >> syrian jets would provide aerial sport hitting a number of target. this is a key supply route for both hezbollah and the syrian government.

it's a hard battle. the mountain range is vast and rugged. the syrian rebels are adopting tactics and using the mountainous terrain as a perfect hide out. that could prove hard for 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 that they repelled a number of attacks and are determined to fight back. this battle is going to be a long one. and it could easily spill over into lebanon and deep into the political in-fighting and sectarian tension there is. >> the new must lee yum is 200 meters inside syria after being moved closer to turkey by the army in february.

they agreed to troops at the site. syrian state media described the incident as clear aggression. eight people have been killed in car bombings in iraq. the attacks happened north of the capital of baghdad. five security forces were killed while three civilians were killed. meanwhile the iraqi government has relied on iran-backed militias in its fight against isil in anbar province but it's feared that sunnies would be alienated as these militias take the lead and "n" recapturing the province. the government is now trying to create a local force. we have reports from baghdad not all sunni tribes are on board. >> reporter: the iraqi government says that the recruitment drive is the first step to creating a non-sectarian force to fight the islamic state of iraq and levant. hundreds of sunni men are now

officially part of the mobilization force that means they will fight along iranian-backed shia militias and government troops in the mainly sunni province. >> today is different. there is a state which is standing behind all your efforts in providing all the necessary resources. iraqis have put behind their differences. >> the governor of this province supports the government, but anbar society is divided. there are other influential tribes who want to identity isil fight isil alone. >> we want the government to address sunni grievances. for years we suffered from the sectarian government policies. now through proxies iran is trying to extend its influence in anbar. we won't accept this. they want to eliminate sunnies. >> isil controls much of the area west of baghdad. they will does recapturing anbar

in early april but made few advances on the ground. [ explosions explosions ] >> prime minister hyder al abadi is trying to avoid inflaming contentions. >> government forces have not been able to recapture territory from isil without the help of iranian-backed shia militias and u.s.-led coalition airstrikes. many sunnies in anbar do not want the militias in their province. they prefer weapons. but the government is reluctant to provide them with ammunition. and so the sunnies who are already fighting isil on their own may have no other choice but to fight along side the government. they're hoping they won't have to answer to the paramilitary shia forces. >> we will defend iraq as a nation. we're hoping that this force will be part of the so-called national guard. we will be under the defense

ministry. >> isil exploited the situation in anbar which has long been a symbol of opposition to shia-led rule in baghdad. this is a battle that cannot be just won on the battlefield. this is a battle at the heart of iraq sectarian and political divide. al jazeera baghdad. >> still ahead for you on its al jazeera news hour, image change for south africa's opposition democratic alliance announceed it's first black leader. and liverpool's champions league dream all but over. robin has details for us in sports. >> now it's been confirmed in the past few minutes that saudi arabia's king will not be attending the upcoming gulf

summit with u.s. president barack obama. instead king salmon has designated to someone else to attend the talks. >> the government bus carrying staff from the attorney general's office when it was attack: workers and civilians are among the casualties. european union has asked for the united nations backing for a military campaign in libya targeting ships used to send migrants across the mediterranean. it is the latest step to try to curb the number of migrants leaving libya for european shores. they will address the u.n. security council on monday. joining me now is james spencer middle east and north africa

analysts and retired infantry commander, thank you for coming in. what do we know what this military mission might involved. >> at the moment it's still fairly nebulous. they will attack ships at sea the problem with attacking it on land you don't know who is on board and there might be night watch men and something like that. >> obviously to target those boats, you--they would be at sea much of the time. that's when they may become most advisable. how difficult will it be to avoid civilian casualties? >> impossible. high explosives. it would go everywhere. >> they wouldn't be targeted at all once they see that boats are at sea. >> yes, because of civilians. >> would it be effective to targeting the trafficking

networks themselves. >> if you can get the networks, absolutely. if you can get those who are effectively making money out of it absolutely. but that requires intelligence and it's a give difficult game. >> those orchestrating those networks, they're likely to be on the boats. >> god no. these boats likely will be sinking. they would be coordinating it from afar j. >> you're talking about a strategy that would not involve military tactics. >> this is a tactic, not a strategy. this is addressing an issue that is a massive political scale in the e.u. at the moment. but solving it would take a number of different strategyies that would move across countries

countries. >> what will be proposed on monday? >> well, russia has suggested a modified somalia process whereby any ship coming a fairway off will be regarded as potentially radical or facilitating and moving migrants, turn them around and take them back. the problem is is if you have have warships doing that, once they touch the warships they can claim asylum, that is difficult. >> are there ways to address this problem from other parts of the world lessons that can be learned from possible parallels to piracy in african waters? it's a different thing. >> in terms of solving the issue up front yes the very simple thing is when there is reasonbly good government control in somalia, whether that is under the islamic courts union or when

the ships are displaced piracy fell off massively. when there is good government control there isn't a problem. that's why you see less of a problem in tunisia, which is closer lesser of a problem in egypt. one of the big issues with libya is there is limited government control. >> thank you very much. james spencer good to get your shouts on this. >> well, boats carrying 574 people have run aground in western indonesia. the boats were washed ashore at the northern end of the sumatra island. at least half on board are rohingya, a persecuteed group from myanmar. >> the international organization say there are 500 to 550 people who arrived on several boats in indonesia earlier sunday morning local time. authorities are still trying to

verify where these people came from. they could have come from bangladesh or myanmar where the majority of the rohingya live. in myanmar it's the government policies that are making so many of them desperate to escape. they are they are subjected to restrictions that limit the number of traveling freely and limit the number of children that rohingya people have. and they have not been given legal status. lee years ago their living conditions got worse for the row hinn darohingya. more than 10,000 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 unable to go to school. and things are unlikely to improve unless the government's

policies change. if that doesn't happen many more will be tempted to make the dangerous journeys to leave the country. >> a powerful storm has forced more than 2.5000 people from their homes in the fill philippines. they have already prepared relief packages and designated buildings as emergency shelters. there are no reports of injuries or death but the storm has knocked out power in some roy vince. it will head towards japan. the german chancellor angela america can merkel will laid a

wreath at the unknown russian george i would come to pay respects for those who were killed in the war together with president putin. >> it is not a secret that the relations between russia and germany today are going through a bad period because of the differences in the assessment of the events in the ukraine a bilateral trade in 2014 for the first time in five years fell by 6.5%. >> now cuban president raul castro has met pope francis at the vatican. castro thanked the pope for his role in the changes in change in relations with cuba. >> if the pope continues to talk

and he does, sooner or later i will start praying again and return to the catholic church. i'm not kidding. i'm a communist. the communist party does not allow it, but it is allowed now. it is a step forward. >> much more to come for you on the al jazeera news hour. the taliban claims responsibility on an attack on a helicopter that killed foreign diplomats in pakistan. we'll bring you the latest on that story. and in sports, the stakes get higher in the nba playoffs. robin will be here with that story. blame

>> sunday night. >> 140 world leaders will take the podium. >> get the full story. >> there is real disunity in the security council. >> about issues that impact your world. >> infectious diseases are a major threat to health. >> "the week ahead". sunday 8:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america.

>> we're here to fully get into the nuances of everything that's going on not just in this country but around the world. >> ...as if there were no cameras here,

would be the best solution. >> this goes to the heart of the argument >> to tell you the stories that others won't cover. how big do you see this getting? getting the news from the people who are affected. >> people need to demand reform... >> we're here to provide the analysis... the context... and the reporting that allows you to make sense of your world. >> ali velshi on target only on al jazeera america >> welcome back. you're watching the al jazeera news hour. let's take you to the top stories now. opposing forces in yemen may be inching closer to a cease-fire deal. in syria there has been continued heavy fighting in the area along the border with lebanon. gaining control of it would secure supply lines for the assad government and opposition.

cuban president raul castro met with pop francis in the pope francis at the vatican. he thanked him for his role in improving relations with the u.s. a gun battle took place in the northern town where many albanian people live. tim friend has more. >> police say the main part of their operation against the group is now over. the gunfire could still be heard on the streets sunday morning. most of the armed group believed to be around 30 are reported to have been arrested. but some were refusing to surrender. >> you can see its terrible, terrible. >> this is an area that saw fighting during ethnic albanian insurgentcy in 2001. but the mayor said the group had

no local backing. >> the armed group has no support for the people. they want to keep the piece and they hope this action will have a result. we want 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 to attack target. >> this group is well armed and well trained. >> the opposition would heighten ethnic tensions as as a distraction. in thein the past there have

been protests where demonstrators accuse of wiretapping and abuse of office. 30% of as moan i can't's two million people are ethnic albanians. many former insurgents enter politics, but the attacks demonstrate there are still resentments and the threat of further violence. tim friend, al jazeera. >> ivana jordnaska is an activist and blogger and joins me now. can you tell us more about what is behind this unrest? >> thank you for having me, first of all. as you mentioned in your article, this is a very convenient time for our government to have this kind of incident happening. in looking at everything that happened in the balkans the international scene the environment that is in kosovo

with with regards to serbia and it's european integration it is highly unlikely that a group from a neighboring country would conduct activities like this. what is important to notice here is that the group although we have heard that they're ethnic albanians, the important thing is that they haven't had the support, but they haven't been able to gather larger support. so taking that into account together with what the government has had happened there is interesting theory that i have written and blogged about, there is one group that would benefit from having this kind of crisis situation. a crisis situation would mean interviewing a curfew in the region and also that it would

mean certain measures would be able to implement it. >> you're suggesting that that is convenient--sorry to interrupt you are you suggesting that that is convenient for the government there? >> it is a convenient time for them. we don't have evidence of this, but it is very suspicion that it. "s" happening just now. they're saying that this group was linked to the attack up north to the border with issue i serbia, but this action itself was full of events that didn't make sense. there was no purpose to it. as well as we don't know why the terrorists were here. we have to ask ourselves who is benefiting from this? who has the most to win? >> so just a quick final question for you ivana if you

don't mind. given that this is a group--there is so much we don't know about what has sparked this fighting in kumanovo. are we likely to see a pro longed amount of fighting given this group does not have local support? >> if i understand your question if there is going to be prolonged period of fighting? >> this is a group that doesn't have any support among the people that live there. >> exactly. well the people that live here, the local population bothal painan and macedonian are skeptical of the logic being told by the government. so they don't have the support. again, we have been hearing on

social media reports of certain organized groups starting certain shops and certain ethnic groups in kumanovo. if that happens violence might continue. but as the situation is, the current events happening with armed groups is not going to cause any further violence by the local population. however, if there are those provoked attacks happening then we could see further violence. >> ivana, thank you very much for bringing a sense of what is happening there in kumanovo in. >> thethere has been killings in switzerland as.

some of the victims were related. greece has to repay 700 million euros on wednesday. one of the areas of controversy is the pension system. we have reports from athens. >> leisure is the only luxury left. their pensions are spoken for. >> i'm paying off a home improvement loan. my children don't have work, so i use the rest of the money to help them and my grandchildren and property taxes. >> pensioners make up 7% of the economy and have become a safety net for society as a whole but they're also the government's biggest expense despite being cut by half. there are not enough contributions coming in to pension funds because the funds

were crippleed when forced to accept a $28 billion loss on government bonds they had invested in. a decision next month could raise the government's bill from $500 million to $1 billion a year. that's likely to widen the gap between creditors who want further pension cuts. >> at the moment there are conflicting views in the talks. they haven't backed down. they insist on cutting main and hawks sill hear pensions. >> sthey want to cut back some money from public works contracts, that would make pensions viable for decades and

remove them as a budget expense. >> inin theory that should remove them from the negotiating table. but the money they want to earmark for pensions is money creditors want diverted to pay off the debt, which is now higher than ever. >> voters in poland have had their say in the first round of the election. the president has limited powers in poland which include the armed forces and the right to veto legislation. taliban has claimed to shot down a helicopter in pakistan. seven people were killed in friday's crash. the video is said to show

fighters firing the missile. kamal hyder has more now from islamabad. >> the taliban in pakistan has released a video showing three members showing different components of a russian missile that they say was used to bring down the helicopter. 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 also 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 fault that developed on the aircraft. everything was going smoothly. according to aviation experts if the aircraft had been hit in the air if would have come down by a

rock. but this shows it was, indeed an accident, and the crew members made desperate attempts to save lives on board after the helicopter caught fire. >> it's been two weeks since nearly eight thousand people were killed in nepal's earthquake. the priority now is rebuilding infrastructure and preventing the spread of disease. the doctors are especially concerned about pregnant women and babies. >> they are the youngest affected by the quake. premature babies born in the hours and days after. this woman was 30 weeks pregnant and happened to be in hospital when they began to feel shakes. >> the doctors came and told me to get out so i ran down the stairs. >> she had to get an emergency

caesarean operation 12 hours later because of the risk to her life and her baby's. [ ultrasound heartbeat ] >> the doctors say that several women had miscarriages following the disaster. >> in these kinds of situations it is expected. we do know that women go through a lot of stress. women who are about to deliver particularly they may lose their homes they may lose a breadwinner. that does cause stress. so they could be premature deliveries. >> some, however didn't have the proper medical help available even before the earthquake struck. adding to the stress is living in tents like these. coping with hot-weather some days and rain on others. the united states estimates that there were 126,000 pregnant

women in the quake-affected areas. most of them in rural and remote districts. the focus now is to get medical help to them. >> it is concentrating on making facilities available. here in the bitting centers where women can come and have the service and making advice available. >> the next step will be to provide the long-term care premature babies need. for them the after attacks of effects of the earthquake may last had a lifetime. >> south africa's opposition party has elected its first black leader. it is seen as an effort to shake off the party's image of white minority.

>> now the first black leader of the south africa's main opposition party. but he knows critics of the party think it represents the interests of a white minority. so in an acceptance speech he tells supporters now that he is in charge change is coming. >> the system divides --we will

build a new future. >> he's considered a vibrant leader and was praised by bringing in more black voters. south africa's opposition parties have young black leaders leaders, many people asking the question is there is the african national congress worried? >> it has not done enough. it has not delivered enough. there is a shift in terms of either staying away from the polls or i'm going to vote for an alternative party. it is there that they should be able to capitalize. >> the government elections are due in 2016, which could be the real test for the now black-led democratic alliance.

>> south africaing are watching and waiting to see if the appointment is what they need to entice more much-sought-after black voters. >> columbia will stop using a chemical to irradicate coca plants that make cocaine. it is a health risk and they will find a new way to fight the cocaine production. an indigenous group has been struggling to keep their culture alive.

>> in western venezuela say they are of the water and like the water. inter connected with the rest of the world. in the laguna there are some commerce and men continue to fish but their culture and their language nearly vanished. recognizing the importance language has in the process of self determination as apologists began work on a new grammar with the help of the three surviving people who spoke it. >> even the existing literature made no reference to the language. crucial aspects of their culture that serve to build a people's identity were not being recognized. >> the task was difficult because the three barely spoke among others. the three elders have died but thanks to them new lessons are caught in schools like these.

for local anthropologists recovering the language from the brink of extinction has helped the people to regain their sense of identify. it has given them greater political participation. participation that many hope will help break the cycle of discrimination that had led men to abandon their culture or their region. this woman collects thatch for her roof. she has five children and they have all left for jobs. >> they have all left for jobs. there is nothing left to do. all my life i've done the same jobs collecting thath atch for

the roofs. >> children need to be proud of who they are but they need to receive other tools that will allow them to defend themselves in the world. >> as they struggle to maintain their it was with changes all around them, fernandez and the team hope that their efforts will help them decide their own fate. al jazeera venezuela. >> still ahead for you a champagne moment as mercedes continues their podium strangle hold in formula one. we have that and the rest of sport coming up.

>> protestors are gathering... >> there's an air of tension right now... >> the crowd chanting for democracy... >> this is another significant development... >> we have an exclusive story tonight, and we go live... al jazeera america gives you the total news experience anytime, anywhere. more on every screen. digital, mobile, social. visit aljazeera.com. follow @ajam on twitter. and like aljazeera america on facebook for more stories, more access, more conversations. so you don't just stay on top of the news, go deeper and get more perspectives on every issue. al jazeera america.

>> welcome back. time now for your sport with robin. >> thank you very much. rosberg has narrowed the gap in the championship lead. he has his first win of the seen at the spanish grand prix. >> with hamilton sweeping all before him this season, barcelona was a bonus as rosberg claimed championship points. hamilton was hampered and raised ahead. hamilton continued to as mercedes. there was panic in the pit.

and they will be grateful they did nothing more than lead the mechanic moaning. the grand prix proved to be something of a roller coaster ride. a pair was left battling to stay in the top ten. in front nothing hamilton hunted vettels. there was a shake up allowing mercedes to maneuver their man back to second. >> it was a perfect weekend. great to be to win the race like this also thanks to the team that has been a on. yes, really great.

>> it was a good race. they did a fantastic job and i'm grateful to come up for second with the team. >> rosberg will move forward and relight the rivalry within mercedes. al jazeera. >> in sport champions league qualification, an early lead. the highest scoring defender, the liverpool six points above manchester united, and united has the football for next season.

>> it's very important. we're not near chelsea. >> i thought the performance today was probably our worst one for a long time. with that we've been poor but not for the majority of the game. obviously the players are in a solid move they know they haven't done themselves justice. >> the dutch league champions some style before he heads to manchester united. they'll join united for $28 million in this free kick.

that's why it's been so much interest in the forward. twenty-second of the season for him. he had two more shots saved as he bows out to a standing ovation, as you can see there. and spaniard atletico madrid with a buying boost. he need one more win to put themselves in place for europe's top position. villarreal with a finish against elche. and a win there could put them close to valencia and fourth. well p winning back-to-back claycourt victories. rafael in a dad 6-3 6-2, and and. in cricket matches between india and pakistan are set to resume in december.

the series will include three tests, five one dayers and in the united emirates. >> this is an important beginning, a rebeginning a revival between pakistan and india, which is so important to the cricketing community of india and pakistan and the rest of the worst. >> we had to come forward we have to look into it and once we do that we'll be in position to come out and we are waiting for it. >> for the second time in two days the nba with cavaliers losing out. it was the eastern conference top seed. atlanta hawks making sure that that the washington wizards were

away. the hawks tieing this one up with 14 seconds left. paul pierce made a jumper for washington 103-101 the final score. the wizards take the 2-11 series lead. >> i wanted to make sure that i got the shot off with no time on the clock. if we had gone in to over time or if i missed the shot we didn't want to police the shot. we took the time and get to the spot and we were able to make it it. >> memphis beating golden state. grizzlies taking the lead. that is your sport for now. >> thank you so much. well, you can get the latest on everything we're covering and more on our website. the address for that is www.aljazeera.com. you'll find all the latest

comment analysis and video on demand. that's it for me. but a full bulletin of news coming up stay with al jazeera.

>> hopes are raised for a halt in bombing. hello there this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up a suicide-bomber attacks a hospital building in northern syria where hundreds of government troops are holed up. and defeating a group of albanian fighters after a day of