investigative series new episode the death of aging only on al jazeera america moroccoan jet taking part in saudi of led air strikes in yemen goes missing. ♪ hello, i am darren jordan in doha with the world news from al jazerra. also ahead south korea warns i've merciless responsible response to north korea's test of a nuclear missile. rival groups in the central african republic sign a deal to put down their arms after a conflict that has killed thousands. cuba's president thanks pope francis to for help ending the

diplomatic deep freeze with the united states. we begin with news out of yemen. and morocco state news agency is reporting a fighter plane taking part in the saudi-led coalition against the houthis is missing. it was an f-16 similar to the one here, it's not known if the pilot ejected. morocco helping in the early campaign with six fighter jets. >> yep's former president has announced an alliance. there has been a small sign of deposit natural i can practice he is,. >> reporter: it's the first time the saudi-led co since has targeted yemen's former president saleh.

the former saudi ally was unharmed in at tack and remains defiant. >> translator: you should continue carrying your arms, revved toy sacrifice your lives in defense against these ba lidge rants attacks. i can describe this aggression as an act of power. if you are brave enough come and face us on the battlefield. come and we will be at your reception, shelling by rockets and jet fighters cannot enable you to attain any of your goals. >> reporter: this is the moment the international airports in sanaa was struck by coalition jets houthi fighters that control the capital say the attack was to prevent the landing of aircrafts carrying aid. the saudi-led coalition has intensified its military campaign pounding targets in northern yemen in aden, and many other prom provinces saudi army

commanders say 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 alleviate the suffering of the yemenis will be welcome. they are also urging aid agencies to sends immediate relief to the people. >> the saudi started the attacks. they are the ones who start the fight. if they stop the fighting, this will lead to the humanitarian crisis in yemen will how say it? it will help the humanitarian aid to come to generally. let me make sure, i don't think the saudi will stick to this five-day ceasefire. >> reporter: the u.n. has announced it will start delivering aid when all parties have committed to a ceasefire.

>> we need to be given proper structure to this agreement to allow the u.n. to expand operation on the ground. we are ready to do that. but the conditions have to be met. we hope they will be met. there is no time to lose. every day we spends innocent civilian lives are lost. >> reporter: but fighting shows no sign after baiting. this is a village which was attacked in the central province 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. that was ravaged by years of instability. the houthi rebels say they are opening to political talks if they take in to account their growing political influence across yemen. al jazerra. south korea's defense minister says his country will respond mercilessly to north korea's test firing of a new

submarine launched plastic missile last week. harry fawcett sends up this update from seoul. >> reporter: south korea is taking this news extremely seriously that can be seen with the meetings taking place on monday the government discussing this. and giving a news conference in which south korea's defense ministry said that this was a very serious and worrying development. urging north korea immediate there on halt development of submarine launched ballistic missile technology, saying it undermines secure are you ty to the korean peninsula. the defense ministry is trying to play down the significance of this one test or at least the success of this one test saying that it was unlikely to have been a long range missile that emanated from a zeb marine, more of a test of the launching capacity and probably didn't fly very high above the surface of the water. also noticing that the five other country that his have s.l.b.m. technology as it is

nine managed between the initial test and having a fleet of submarines that could launch missiles took four to five years. however, north korea says this is the equivalent to having a time bomb strapped to the back of its enemy. that is the key worry here in south korea that its tactic in the future of having a kill chain so-called to identify a missile on the launch pad and strike it before it entered anywhere cloth to south korean territory that. could come under real threat in north korea is able to develop enough submarines with a long enough range that could remain undetected under water and fire at will. more than 570 people have been rescued from boats off western indonesia. most the of those on board were muslims from myanmar. others from bangladesh. one migrant said they had spent two months at me. the they face decades of persecution in myanmar. thousands more are reportedly being held in ships in nearby international waters. 10 armed groups in central

african republic have signs a peace deal with the government aimed at ending the conflict that began two years ago. the groups have promise to lay down arms and stop the violence that has killed thousands of people. under the deal those involved in war crimes will not be granted amnesty. nearly a million people have been forced to flee their homes due to the fighting. in the iraqi city of fallujah a 40 soldiers and shia militia members have been killed. suicide bombers used two armored vehicles and a bulldozer filled with explosive to his tack soldiers. in syria recent advances by rebel groups against government forces in idlib province have come at a heavy human cost. the number of injured people crossing the border no to turkey seeking treatment is growing rapidly. putting pressure on rehabilitation centers. now a report from the syria-turkey border. >> reporter: evidence of the brutality of war is packed in to every room of this

rehabilitation center near the border with syria. shrapnel and bullet wounds are the most common. this young fighter has spinal cord injuries. and is paralyzed from the waist down. >> translator: to be honest, we are under a lot of pressure since the fighting came closer to the border here. we are getting more patients up to 60 per day. >> reporter: syria's conflict now in its fifth year, has resulted in around a million wounded people. there are no reliable estimates of how many have been left permanently, physically disabled. shrapnel cut in to his spinas his unit tried to ambush a government checkpoint. his legs are paralyzed. >> translator: when i got injured first i felt so depressed. it was hard to think i might never walk again. and spend all my life like look. then i began to accept what happened and feel i am improving. i have great hopes i will recover and go back and join the

fight. >> reporter: fighters and civilians share the facilities here. but the indiscriminate nature of the violence really hits home when you see children like this 11-year-old. he tells us he was playing football when the ball was kicked on to the top of a defensive sand bank around his village. he reached up to get the ball and that's when a sniper's bull pet hit his neck. >> translator: i am not able to walk right now. i am having physiotherapy to be able to walk again. >> reporter: the clinic recently lost 50% of its funding because says its director, many gulf-based donors can't easily transfer money anymore. they are affected by international restrictions intendeds to stop the funding of armed groups in syria. that's happened at a time when this clinic services have never been in greater demand. bernard smith, al jazerra, on the turkey-er is i can't border. cuba's president raul castro

has thanked pope francis for helping to broker the historic diplomatic deal with the united states. castro made a rare visit to vatican on sunday and it made a big impression on him as lucia newman explains. >> reporter: it was supposed to be a meeting two tank pope francis for his role in helping that you relations between havana and washington. but after a prove hat chat with the pontiff cuban president raul castro made a stunning announcement. >> translator: i said that if the pope continues to talk as he does, sooner or later i will start praying again and return to the catholic church. and a think not kidding. i am a communist. the cuban communist party did not allow it. but it is being allowed now. it is a step forward. >> reporter: it would actually be a return to castro's past. he and his older brother fidel castro, went to a jesuit school in their youth before declaring themselves atheists and shutting down catholic schools after the revolution. and it just so happens that pope francis is the first yes jesuit

leader of the catholic church. president castro says he will even attends all of the pope's masses when he visits cuba in september on his bay to the united states. we asked the leader of cuba's catholic church, card nar jaime or particular a what he expected from the visit. >> translator: it's natural that the pope will reaffirm the church's desire for cube to open up to the world and the world to open up to cuba. especially as the pontiff has participated in the dialogue between the united states and cuba. >> reporter: pope francis will be the third pontiff to visit cuba in 17 years. a lot considering that cuba is a small country where the church is not particularly strong. but then cube harassed always awakened an interest disproportionate to its size and pope perhaps as a rolling in establishing ties between huh van and washington makes this upcoming visit particularly

significant. mixing politics and relidge inning is asrelidgereligion is as old as time and both the pope and castro are proving it again. still to come here on al jazerra. >> translator: it has to be a bad omen. maybe the gods are angry. >> the smiths associated with the earthquake. nepal's rez knew mission moves from saving lives to protecting heritage. ♪ and we'll tell you why playing french music making waves on local radio stations. more on that. stay with us.

>> "inside story" takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the sound bites. we're giving you a deeper dive into the stories that are making our world what it is. >> ray suarez hosts "inside story". only on al jazeera america.

♪ ♪ welcome back. the top stories here on al jazerra, morocco's state news agency is reporting that a fighter plane has gone missing while taking part in the saudi-led coalition's air campaign in yemen. a statement from morocco's armed forceses the jet was an f-16 similar to the one seen here. south korea's defense minister says his country will respond mercilessly to a test missile launch last week. more than 570 people have been rescued from boast off western indonesia, most were rah thing a muslims from myanmar, one said they had spent two months at sea. the iraqi government has relied on iranian-backed shia in litsch militias. in its fight against isil. as zeina khodr reports from baghdad, not all sue are sunni

trikes are on board. >> reporter: the iraqi government says the recruitment drive is the first step to creating a nonsecond ter vinnie force to fight isil in anbar province. hundreds of sunni men are now officially part of the government-backed popular mobilization force. meaning they will fight behind government backed troops. >> nod is different, there is a state which is banding behind all your efforts and providing all the necessary resources iraqis have put behind their differences. or ban as society is divided. and there are other influential tribes that want to fight isil at least. >> we wanted the government to address sunni grievances, for years we soared from the government sectarian politicians politicians. we won't accept iranian control

now iran is trying to extend its influence in anbar we won't accept this. we want to eliminate sunnis. >> reporter: isil controls much of this province in baghdad. the government announced the military option to recapture anbar but made few advances on the ground. iranian-backed militia say they are ready to help. but prime minister al bad i is trying to avoid inflaming sectarian tensions. who should wage the battle has been a contentious issue. government forces have not been able to recapture territory from isil without the help of iran year-backed shia militias and u.s.-led coalition air strikes. many sunnis in anbar do not wants the a matt litsch as in their province, they prefer weapons. but the go government is reluctant to provide them with ammunition. and so the sunnis who were already fighting isil on their own may have no other choice but to fight alongside the government.

they are hoping they won't have to answer to the paramilitary a shia forces. >> translator: we will defend iraq as a nation. we are hoping the force will be part of the so-called national guard. we will be under the defense ministry. >> reporter: ice ill exploited the situation in anbar. this is a bat that would cannot just be won on the battlefield. this is a battle at the heart of the sectarian and polight killing divide. hundreds of women have taken to the streets to protest against the president's bid for a third term in power in ba rooney. many see as it a violation of a peace deal from 2005. 19 people have died in demonstrations against the president. south africa opposition

party has elected its first black leader. the party has struggled with perceptions it mainly represents the white minority. a report from port elizabeth where the new leader was elected. >> reporter: 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 with its blue-colored emblems think it represents the interest of a white minority. so in his acceptance speech he tells supporters because he's now in charge change is coming. >> if you don't see that i am black, you don't see me at all. [applause] >> this doesn't mean that our skin color must be. [ inaudible ] forever. the system of racism divides our

roots. it was eve and deplorable. and ultimately we cannot keep that way of thinking. we must build a new bridge in to a new future. >> reporter: outgoing describes as a tough fun and vibrant leader was praised for attracting more black voters about, but can he take the party to the next level. south africa's two most popular opposition parties have young black leaders. economic freedom fighter party and now in charge of a democratic alliance. many people are asking the question, is the ruling african national congress worrying. >> a dominant feeling that you do find within the electorate is that they have not done enough. it has not delivered enough. so there is a shift in terms of either i am staying way if the polls or i am voting for an alternative party. it's there that they should be able to capitalize. >> reporter: local government

elections are due in 2016 which could be the first real test for the now black-led democratic alliance. >> if you are watching this program, we are still coming for you. [cheering and applause] >> reporter: he is promising to create job, tackle corruption and put the interest 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 entice more much sought off black voters. al jazerra port elizabeth. hundreds of families gathered in mexico on mother's day to demands justice for their missing children. protesters held a march in mexico city carrying photos to put pressure on the government to look for them. amnesty international says more than 25,000 people have gone missing in mexico in yes cents recent years. chilean president is expected to announce the formation of a new cabinet

later. she fired the last one live on tv. over a series of corruption sandals. but as daniel reports from the capital santiago, this that did little to improve the slide in her approval ratings. >> reporter: chileans are losing faith. the opinion polls show that her popularity has fallen to drastic lows . >> she came in to office knowing trust in politician was very low. but she had high percentage trust now. the real state scandal that affects her son has affected the trust people have on her and that is going to be very difficult for her to recover. >> reporter: the president gave herself 72 hours to reform her cabinet. to reinstill some trust in the team. after she herself, became tainted by the property scandal. for which her son and doubt earlier being investigated. but do the people she is trying to win over have faith in her

plan. >> translator: no. no. no. way we have seen it all. the country has to be governed by politicians but we don't have confidence in them. >> we knew a new system with no politicians. chile today is very corrupt. >> translator: it's serious, we are losing confidence in the country in the institutions and political parties because there is no transparency and people are not informed. >> reporter: there is a whole restaurants in santiago dedicated to moxie chile's politicians. that's perhaps no surprise with the latest opinion polls showing only 3% of the population has faith in political parties. politics in chile is a serious business. there have been intense negotiations going on here and at other government buildings. but with faith in this

government, in particular and politics and politicians in particular have slumped solo a simple shifting around of cabinet ministers may not be enough. >> it will be like an aspirin the problem chile needs to address is the economic growth. with it growing at less than 2% a year there is no new employment creation and many chileans have expectations. >> reporter: chileans pride themselves on their economic and political stability. they demands high standards of their politicians and expect results. chilean leadership is under intense pressure to deliver. daniel al jazerra, san diego tiago chile. it has been two weeks since a devastating earthquake struck nepal. in in addition to saving lives there is also a major attempt to rescue the country's cultural heritage, andrew simmonds traveled to witness it firsthand. >> reporter: there is a different tempo to the relief

operation now more than two weeks after the earthquake. this is work is about trying to rescue ancient tradition. the temple dates back to the fifth century and within it lies treasure. but modern day social media spreading stories of wrongdoing. another part of this country's heritage is destroyed. and myths are associated with it. not only that, rumors circulating now that jewelry associated with with a deity is missing. a priceless jewel-encrusted vest is said to to have been stolen but official i say it will all being recovered. the earthquake struck soon after the start of one of the most important festivals of the kathmandu valley. this chariot had left the temple and was being pulled along by volunteers as part of an ancient ritual symbolizing snakes being dragged back to the valley

ending a drought. the legend gives all the credit to a rain god. the deity is in the chariot along with this priest month has to stay aboard. tragically a nearby building that collapsed as the quake struck belongings to him. his father and aunt were killed in it. even so he's unfazed at having to stay in the chariot. >> you can't call it a bad omen, earthquakes happen in other countries, it's a natural disaster. >> reporter: back at the temple some people aren't reassured by his words. >> translator: we are cursed. this is a hard thing for us. >> translator: it has to be a bad omen. maybe the gods are angry. this shouldn't have happened. >> a lot of people are is spooked. a lot people are very scared. >> reporter: this conservationist believes superstitions have to be put to one side. >> for somebody like us we have the heritage of that veil, we have to get up and start running in again.

>> reporter: no sooner has he spoken, than the rain comes. despite tradition, it doesn't signal a restart of the festival. no one is sure when that will happen. andrew simmonds, al jazerra nepal. russia's president says the peace deal agreed in minsk in february to try to stop the fighting in eastern ukraine is moving forward. vladimir putin made the comments as he welcomed germany's chance her angela america toll moscow, she was there to take parts in then raises marking the end of the second world war. under french law almost half of all music played on national radio must be in the french language. the law was introduced two decades ago to stop an invasion of english-language songs and protect the national music chief. but as niemi neave barker reports in paris many feel it no long air supplies. >> reporter: it's drive time the team prides itself on playing a mix of music. whatever the language.

but in doing so, they occasionally break a law that dates back to the mid 1990s requiring 40% of all radio music to be french. half of which needs to come from new artists. >> translator: the legal quotas are not the best way of supporting the french music industry. it excludes 50% of french artist because many perform in english these days. >> reporter: only one in every 10 records bought in france was by a french record when the law came to be. today many people are turn to this internet to discover new muse anything a variety of languages where the quotas don't apply. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: rap group performing in french. they believe all good music should get the same air time. >> translator: as long as the mutes sick good we don't care if there are quotas or not whether it's french or english or whatever the language as long as the music is good. >> you gotta play it so people

can discover it. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: these performers are hardly representative of france's cultural establishment now some the sheer fact that they perform in french is something of a rare cultural commodity. especially to those people who feel that the influx of foreign language is his eroding the country's national identity. but even some supporters of the law describe it as a necessary evil. like composer and french lyricist. >> translator: we are defending our heritage and language. i hope one day these quotas will disappear because everyone will have realized it's important to have songs in french and to express french culture. for the government, state regulation remains the safest way of nurturing national at that time ends. but in an increasingly globalized world it's getting harder to drowned out foreign

sounds. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: neave barker, al jazerra, paris. and a quick reminder you can keep up up-to-date with all the news on our website. there it is on your screen, the address aljazerra.com. that's aljazerra.com. tossing on the waves of the mediterranean, thousands upon thousands of migrants fleeing wars and chaos and searching for opportunity. the single biggest group are syrians - tens of thousands of them with their children and little else - will risk this voyage. most often it leads to italy, but that is not where this journey ends of the to better understand what happens after they hit dry land, we joined