>> 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 violence.

and the pope and the president, cuba's president said that the catholic leader could persuade him to the return to the church. >> hello, so we start in yemen where it appears that opposing forces are inching ever closer to a cease-fire deal. rebels said they would respond positively to efforts to end the suffering of the yemeni people. an appeal for a cease-fire on tuesday has been led by saudi coalition. the fighting continues hitting the compound of gym's former of the former president saleh. we have the latest.

♪ music ] [ ♪ music ♪ >> it's the first time that the saudi-led coalition has targeted yemen's former president ali abdullah saleh. the former president was unharmed in the attack and remains defiant. >> you should continue carrying your arms, ready to sacrifice your lives in defense against these belligerent attacks. come and show yourself on the battlefield. >> this is the moment the international payment was struck by jets. they say the attack was to prevent the landing of aircraft

carrying aid. the saudi-led coalition has intensified its military campaign counseling targets in northern yemen. in aden, and many other provinces. saudi army commanders say that this is an ammunition depot the houthis were planning to use to shell saudi villages. saudi arabia has offered a five-day humanitarian truce starting tuesday. but the houthis remain skeptical. they say any step to alleveiate the suffering of the yemenis would be welcomed. they're also urging aid agency ies to send immediate relief to the people. >> if the saudi stop the attacks. they are the one who is start the fight. if they stop the fighting. this will lead to the--it will

help, and humanitarian aid will come in to yemen. if they will stick with the five-day cease-fire. >> the u.s. has announceed it will start delivering aid when all parties have committed to a cease-fire. >> we need to allow u.n. to respond to situations on the ground. we need to do that. we hope that they will be made in the coming days. there is no time to use. every day that we spend innocent civilian life are lost. >> but fighting shows no sign of abating. this is a village which was attacked in the central target of eb. 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 they're hope to political fashion if they take into account their growing political influence across yemen. >> and saudi arabia's king will not be attending the upcoming gulf summit with usa president barack obama. crown presence nayev will be attending the talks. the summit coincides with the five day humanitarian trust. well kate nevens with the program safer world. she said that the truce is agreed upon all parties in yemen. >> this is not a conflict only between saudi and huties and saleh. there are many others involved in the conflict. and what a truce really looks like with so many factions

fighting on the ground is quite unclear. we're looking at a country where 90% of its food is imported. five days of humanitarian aid is really really important. but it won't pull back the kind of pa castro my that we're lag at art you top we need a complete removal of the blockade so commercial shaping and fuel can start coming back into the country in large amounts and being moved around the country. >> let's take to you syria now where activists say that opposition fighters have stormed a complex with 215 government loyalists have been trapped for the past two weeks. fighters have captured the conflicts in jisr al shughur.

and gaining control of it is seen as vital secure supply lines for both the assad governments and the opposition. we have reports from lebanon. [ explosions ] >> the suicide attack on this hospital was awful. plumes of smoke covered the ground. more than 200 syrian army soldiers are besieged. al nusra front fighters who are allied with al-qaeda, overran the town two weeks ago. the town is crucial to the syrian government. another tunnel battle is taking place on syria's border with lebanon. the group fighting along side

shia government forces shows serious fighting in the mountains. hezbollah said that it's fighters are making gains. >> on the hilltop are weather the attack start. our >> providing airline port hitting a number of targets. a key supply route for most both hezbollah and the syrian governments. it's a hard battle. the mountain range is vast and rugged. the syrian rebels are using the mountainous terrain as a perfect hide out. that could prove difficult for

fighters to clear that area. despite the attacks syrian rebels remain powerful in the area. they say they repel a number of the attacks and are vowing to fight back. this battle is going to be a long one. al jazeera near the syrian border. >> prime minister greeted troops at the site we remains the grandfather of the ottoman empire's founder they described it as clear aggression. at least 14 people have been

killed in car bombings in iraq. the worst attacks happened north of the capital in baghdad. security force members killed in the town of tarmyah while three were killed in kaji. it's feared that sunnies will be alienated so the government has tried to create a local force. but not all sunni tribes are on board. >> the iraqi government said that the recruit drive is to fight the islamic state of the iraq and levant in anbar province. hundreds of sunni men are now part of the mobilization force. that means they'll fight along side shia militia and ghost troops in the mainly sunni

province. >> today is different providing all the next sources. iraqis have put behind their differences. >> the governor of this province supports the government but anbar society is divided. there are others who want to fight isil alone. >> we want the government to address sunni grievances. we won't accept iranian control. and now iran is trying to extend its influence in anbar. we won't accept this. they want to eliminate sunnies. >> isil controls much of this province west of baghdad. iranian backed militias say they're ready to help, but prime minister hyder al abadi is trying to avoid inflaming

sectarian tensions. who should wage the battle in anbar has been a contentious issue. government forces have not been able to recapture isil without the help of iranian backed militias. and many sunnies do not want the militias in their province, they prefer weapons. but the government is reluctant to provide them with ammunition. >> so the sunnies already fighting isil on their own may have no other choice but to fight along side the government. they hope not to answer to the shia militia forces. >> we're hoping that this force will become the national guard. we'll be under the defense ministry. >> isil exploited the situation in anbar which has long been a symbol of opposition to shia led rule. this has not be won on the battlefield. it is at the heart of iraq

sectarian and political divide. >> the taliban claims responsibility for an attack on a helicopter that killed foreign diplomats in pakistan. and an image change for south africa's, the diplomatic democratic alliance led by its first-ever black.

>> hello again. a reminder of the top stories here on al jazeera. "posing forces that could be inching close for a cease-fire

deal. houthi rebels said that they would respond positively to end the suffering of the yemeni people. continued heavy fighting in the board of lebanon. gaining control of it is seen as vital to secure supply lines to the assad government and opposition. and at least 14 people have been killed in car bomb negotiation iraq. the worst attacks happened north of the capital of baghdad. four were killed in tarmiyah while three civilians died in taji. nato has urged restraints in macedon in a in violence that killed 22 people. the police say they defeated a group of ethnic albanian fighters in kumanovo. tim friend has more details. >> the police say that the main part of their option against the group is now over. the gunfire could still be heard on the streets of kumanovo on

sunday morning. most believed that the number of 30 are reported to have been arrested. but some were refuseing to surrender. >> you can see that it's terrible. >> this is an area that saw fighting during an ethnic insurgency in 2001. the mayor said that the group had no local backing. >> the armed groups 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'm appealing to the citizens to remain calm, keep the peace and stability and not to be provoked. >> the fighters entered macedonia from an unnamed neighboring country with infant to attack target thes. >> this group walls with armed and well trained.

>> but the opposition says that the government is using the events to heighten ethnic tensions as it distraction from its own difficulties. in the past weeks there have been street protests demanding the resignation of prime minister who demonstrators accuse of wiretapping and abuse of office. 30% of macedonia's people are ethnic albanians. there are still resentments and threats of further violence. tim friend ankle. >> five people have been found dead after a shooting in northern switzerland. it happened on the german border. the gunmen is believed to be among the dead. they believe it was the result

of a domestic dispute as some of the victims were relateed. angela merkel has called on russian president vladimir putin to end the conflict in ukraine. she attended the wreath laying ceremony on the grave of the unknown shoulder. >> i have come to moscow during a political phase of the russian-german relations. it is important for me to pay respect for those killed in the war together with vladimir putin putin. >> russia and germany today are going through a bad period because of the assessments in the threats of ukraine. our bilateral trade for the first time in five years has fell by 4.5 percent.

>> the sea route between libya and europe is the most dangerous migrant route in the world. thousands of people have already died there. >> some call the it the journey of death yet thousands and thousands are willing to take their chance. >> he tells me that there were people who were shouting. the boat capsized and people fell into the water. she doesn't know what happened next. he was thinking of himself. he was rescued by the libyan coast guard but often dead bodies are forgotten at sea and they float back to libya. he said he has never seen anything like it. he is the driver of the only re

refrigerated ambulance. he has transported dead bodies. >> it's horrifying. there is a terrible smell. the bodies were in the water for 20-30 days. some were eaten by the fish. some bloated by the salt. others are found floating and fishermen bring them back. >> the corpses are brought to this hospital. it's in poor continue. look at how they keep the fridge closed. it is not cold enough and the smell of rotting bodies is overwhelming. >> bodies were found on the beaches. no one snows how long they were floating in the sea before they were washed ashore. some are so disfigured. there is a body of a child and by the looks of it, he was three or four years old. >> they've been lie hearing slowly decomposing. nobody knows their names or where they come from. somewhere their families are

wondering what happened to them. >> it's very painful to see these dead bodies. no one asks for them. we don't have means to take a dna sample. thethey stay here for months. sometimes six or seven. they suffered in death as well. it is really painful. >> they are only given the location where they were found is register. but it can take a long while to bury them. there is little money and in a country at war the dead migrants are not a priority. the unknown bodies will end up in this cemetery tucked away between the sand donees. it was once used for gaddafi security forces in the up rising of 2011. 37 migrants were finally buried here finally. those in the morgue will join them one day. the story of these bodies will go unnoticed by the thousands of migrants who will across libya

to cross the mediterranean. any one of them run the risk. ending here in this cemetery. >> boats carrying 574 people have run aground in western indonesia. they were washed ashore in the sumatra islands islands. the exit pole in poland's presidential election suggest. it is moving forward. >> the taliban claim it shot

down allele carrying a helicopter carrying diplomat. >> the taliban in pakistan have a video showing three members showing three different components of a missile that they say was used to bring down the helicopter. and which several diplomats are traveling now. according to the video the helicopter was coming in for a normal landing and then crashed. it also showed the rescue on board and talking to some of the survivor who is said that they did not actually witness any missile hitting the aircraft. this was a technical fault that developed on the aircraft.

everything was going smoothly. if the aircraft had been hit in the air it would have come down like a rock. however, this shows that it was indeed, an accident, and the crew members made desperate attempts to save lives on board after the helicopter caught fire. >> south africa's main opposition party democratic alliance has elected its first black leader. mmusi maimane is seen as shaking off the imagine of the white minority. >> he has made history. he is now the first black leader of south africa's main opposition party, the democratic alliance. but he knows critics of the party think it represents the interest of a white minority. so in an effective speech he tells supporters because now he's in charge change is coming.

>> because if you don't see that i'm black then you don't see me at all. [ cheers and applause ] the system of race identification divides and is deplorable and ultimately we cannot stay trapped in that way of thinking. we must build a new future. >> outgoing described as a tough tenacious fighting leader was praised by black voters, but can maimane take the party to the next level. south africa's opposition parties have young black leaders.

many people ask the question is the ruling africa national congress worried? >> not necessarily it has not done enough. it has not delivered enough. there is a shift of either staying away from the polls or i'm going to vote for an alternative party. and it is there that the da should be able to capitalize. >> local government election elections will be the first test of the black-led democratic alliance. >> we are still coming for you. [ cheering ] >> maimane is promising to create jobs, tackle corruption and put the interest of the black majority first south africans are watching him and see if they'll attract more

south africa supporters. >> cuba's president raul castro has met with pope francis at the vatican. >> it was supposed to be a meeting to thank pope francis for his role in helping foreign relations between havana and washington. but after private chat with the pontiff, cuban president raul castro made a stunning announcement. >> 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'm not kidding. i'm a communist. the cuban communist party does not allow t but it is being allowed now. it is a step forward. >> it would be a return to castro's past. he and his older brother fidel castro went to a jesuit school in his youth before declaring

themselves atheists and shutting down catholic schools in the revolution. it just so happens that pope francis is the first jesuit leader of the catholic church. president castro said that he would attend all the pope's masses when he visits cube on his way to the united states. we ask what they expected from the visit. >> especially as the pontiff has participated in the dialogue between the united states and cuba. >> pope francis will be the third pontiff to visit cuba in 17 years. a lot considering that cuba is a small countries where the church is not particularly strong. >> pope francis' role in help to

go re-establish diplomatic ties between havana and washington makes this particularly important. >> and there is much more on our website. the address www.aljazeera.com. out of cash. i go through to show you first hand how tax cheats could drive it to ruin, and what should be done to get greek offenses out open. i'm ali velshi, and this is "real money".