celebrations in burundi as the army says it is taking control, but the president says he is still in charge. ♪ hello there. i'm julie mcdonald, this is al jazeera live from london. yemenis enjoy a break in the fighting as a ceasefire to allow aid in takes hold. ♪ migrants rescued by a british navevy ship, but the u.k. is resisting plans to share the refugees more evenly.

and the stars have been told no red carpet selfies this year. ♪ welcome to the program. there's confusion in burundi with conflicting claims as to whether the president has been forced from power. word of an l edged coup first came in a radio broadcast when this man announced the president had violated the constitution by seeking a third term and that his mandate was over. but that claim was denied by the president's twitter account. pierre nkurunziza was in tanzania for a peace conference, but announced that he was flying home urgently. the coup leader has ordered the closure of the airport and land borders. the claims of a coup were greeted by celebrations on the

streets of the capitol. malcolm webb is there. >> reporter: dozens and dozens of soldiers on foot and some in trucks came into the city center. along with hundreds of cheering protesters. a military officer says he has taken control of the country. here in independence square for the last couple of hours there have been many many hundreds of cheering protesters waving branches, and cheering every time they see military vehicles going past. the army are very popular here. they are seen as being neutral and being a benevolent force in their goal of trying to stop the president for running for a third term. and a benevolent force in trying to reinstate the rule of the constitution. of course it still remains to be seen if people are going to get the free and fair democratic

elections that they say they have been protesting for. >> reporter: osama has more on the day's events and the background to the apparent army seizure of power. >> reporter: people in the capitol are celebrating. they have heard that the military has removed president pierre nkurunziza. the state broadcaster has been surrounded by solders. they are believed to be loyal to an army general that says he is taking control of the country. more than a dozen people have been killed and hundreds injured in protests. people have been angry at the president who was running for a third term in office. his opponents say another term for him is unconstitutional. but his party insists because he was chosen by parliament for his first time instead of popular vote his recent bid for office doesn't violate the constitution. but the violence has caused widespread unrest and

condemnation from african neighbors and world powers. the eac is trying to find a solution. the president was in tanzania for consultations when a former ill tell against chief made the announcement of his removal from office. he told the local radio he is taking over but is committed to democracy and will form a transitional government to restore national unity. >> i think if you go on the countryside, people may not be this excited about the possibility of a coup. i think observers are quite cautious about being enthusiastic about such a move. we need to remember that a coup is not a constitutional way to replace a president. moreover, once you have a military coup we need to ask ourselves how long will it take to have transfer to civilian government. >> reporter: the military has played a neutral role in the

recent unrest. it has been popular with protesters. what some say a coup could mean fewer protests on the streets. i'm joined by a political analyst on africa at the london school of economics. a fair warm welcome to the program. >> thank you for having me. >> what is your view on how things are developing? >> i think it's very interesting, but doesn't come as a total surprise. there has been quite a bit of division in the ruling party. this man was head of intelligence service and already warned nkurunziza if you run again there will be unrest in the party. so it was likely that such development might happen actually. >> tell us about the man who we are describing at the moment as being behind the coup.

>> yeah. he is wide respected, very professional he has i think a vision for the country. what is interesting he was the first hutu chief of staff after the conflict. so this gave a kind of optimist note on the development, yeah. >> how much depends on what the military decide to do in terms of who they decide to back? how much depends on that decision? >> i think quite a lot. first what extent this coup is really -- the whole army is behind it? or is there division within the army? we don't know yet. and there has been history where the army will take power and then basically choose who to make king. so we might see that as well. >> what is the potential for this to be a powder keg moment? >> yeah. yeah. well, this we don't know.

because the [ inaudible ] countryside, for example, the president is quite popular in the countryside. we know there has been some weapon distribution as well so what is going to be the reaction of people loyal to them in the country, do they have the organizational capacity to try to fight back or not? and no one knows at the moment. >> there are some leaders who have overstayed their welcome. so what is the difference here? >> yeah i think it must now be following very closely what is happening in burundi. so again, example. how i think the difference in one and the other there are differences first the state is much more stronger and effective, and the police and military partners and second [ inaudible ] some development in the country, where in

burundi, even supports are fed up with the corruption and [ inaudible ] visible and blat important and it's not this level in rwanda. so i think that's the big difference. >> thanks benjamin. >> thank you. ♪ a five-day truce in yemen seems to be largely holding, but there are reports of houthi shelling in some areas. the ceasefire was proposed by saudi arabia to allow in humanitarian aid, a permanent end the crisis though seems a long way off. prompting the security council to call on ban ki-moon to arrange peace talks. natasha ghoneim reports. >> reporter: blaring horns instead of gunfire. people walking and shopping instead of fighters in the streets. in the old city of sana'a it

was a run to ordinary life on the first day of the ceasefire, but not everyone was feeling optimistic. >> reporter: the yemeni people will never agree to a truce. these yemenis will use force to confront them. >> reporter: the truce is an attempt to help ease the suffering of yemenis after weeks of conflict. iran has sent a naval ship to escort its cargo else have carrying supplies and journalists. but the iranian military says it won't allow the saudis to inspect the ship. >> the houthis are divided. there is a group that would very much like to accept the ceasefire and move along, but there is another group that is probably under the influence of the iranian government is that

not necessarily happy with the terms of the ceasefire. >> the u.n. enjoy to the country lands in the country on tuesday night. he says aid must reach yemenis. >> translator: yemen has no choice but to have all of the different sides sit at the table to find a solution. >> reporter: as the ceasefire begins in yemen, human rights watch is demanding houthis stop recruiting child soldiers. the group is accusing the houthis of intensifying their efforts to get children to join their fight. hashem ahelbarra is live in the saudi capitol riyadh. hi hashem. is the ceasefire holding? >> reporter: basically it's holding across most of the country, except for some sporadic clashes taking place. but in general there is a

ceasefire which has so far been respected by most of the different feuding factions. the saudi army says there has been some shells landed in saudi villages, but the saudi army is observing self restraint so the ceasefire holds. sources close to the houthis say there has been some -- they have heard saudi-lead coalition war planes flying over some areas, but we couldn't get any confirmation of that from sources here in riyadh. >> hashem ahelbarra live with that update. thank you. now yemen is likely to be on the agenda as leaders from gulf nations gather in the united states for a summit on regional security. u.s. president barack obama has welcomed saudi leaders to the white house ahead of that meeting. the u.s. president said the two nations are building on a strong

relationship during a challenging time. >> on a personal level, my work and the u.s. government's work with these two individuals and crown prince on counter terrorism issues has been absolutely critical, not only to maintaining stability in the region, but also protecting the american people. and i want to thank them for their exd extraordinary support and hard work. >> let's go live to alan fisher in washington, d.c. hi alan we know some leaders won't be there. is that a snub to barack obama? >> reporter: some will try to portray it as discontent. but of the six gcc countries,

only two heads of state will be here. the amir of qatar, and the amir of kuwait as well. but those that are attending aren't just minor figures. people who are involved in the day-to-day decisions that will affect a lot of what goes on in the gcc, and there is a lot to talk about at the moment. you have iran and yemen and the ongoing battle against isis in iraq and syria. what will the gcc be looking for? they will be looking for security guarantees from the united states. they will get commitments that they will get access to more american weapons. the americans can't go too far because legally they are obliged

to make sure israel maintains a slight edge in weapons in the middle east. but it will mean there will be more weapons flowing to the area perhaps more military operations, and cyber security as well. there is a lot to cover in the next few hours, and there will be a formal dinner later this evening, and also on thursday when all of them head to camp david where they will be breaking into groups. >> alan fisher live from washington, d.c. thank you. still ahead here on al jazeera. >> you could feel it off of the tracks. >> a train derails on one of the busiest rail corridors in the united states. and the lapse in concentration that apparently

caused north korea's defense minister his life. you're gonna find us being un-afraid. the topics will fascinate you, intrigue you... >> they take this seriously... >> let me quote you... >> there's a double standard... >>...could be a hypocrite >> you're also gonna get a show that's really fair bold... never predictable... >> the should be worried about heart disease, not terrorism... >> i wouldn't say that at all... >> you'll see a show that has an impact on the conventional wisdom that goes where nobody else goes... >> my name is imran garda i am the host of third rail and you can find it on al jazeera america just because i'm away from my desk doesn't mean i'm not working. comcast business understands that. their wifi isn't just fast near the router. it's fast in the break room. fast in the conference room. fast in tom's office. fast in other tom's office. fast in the foyer [pronounced foy-yer] or is it foyer [pronounced foy-yay]? fast in the hallway. i feel like i've been here before. switch now and get the fastest wifi

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>> the new al jazeera america primetime. get the real news you've been looking for. at 7:00, a thorough wrap-up of the day's events. then at 8:00, john seigenthaler digs deeper into the stories of the day. and at 9:00, get a global perspective on the news. weeknights on al jazeera america. a reminder now of the top stories here on al jazeera. thousands of people have been celebrating in burundi's capitol after an army general announced the president had been dismissed. the president says he is returning to burundi. but the general says he won't be allowed back in as the airport and borders have been closed. after weeks of bombing, a sense of normality has returned

to yemen's capitol as a five-day truce appears to be holding. but there have been reports of violations of the truce in some areas. and yemen is likely to be on the agenda during talks between president obama and the saudi crown prince in washington, d.c. now the iraqi military says the deputy leader of the islamic state of iraq and the levant has been killed. he is reported to have died in a coalition air strike west of mosul. he was apparently holding a meeting with other isil leaders at the time of the strikes. zana hoda has more from baghdad. >> reporter: he is believed to be the second in command in the islamic state of iraq and the levant organization. they call him a stand-in leader. the leader of isil is believed

to have been wounded a few weeks ago. there have been a lot of reports that he has become immobile, he is unable to travel between iraq and syria, so the group is preparing a successor in case he dies. he is believed to be a very charismatic leader. he belonged to the al-qaeda network for many many years. he fought in afghanistan, and longed to the al-qaeda in iraq group, which was really the origin of isil. he was always a physics teacher, an iraqi from mosul, we understand there was a coalition air strike that resulted in his death. undoubtedly this will be a symbolic and psychological blow to the group, but it's too early to tell whether it will be a strategic blow because we understand there were other

nominees. this group is preparing for eventualities and they probably have already lined up a successor. staying in iraq at least 35 people have been killed near the city of fallujah. a suicide bomber detonated a device at the base of the city. a group linked to the pakistani taliban and isil has claimed responsibility for an attack on a bus which killed at least 46 people, six gunmen on motorcycles boarded the bus and then opened fire. the bus was carrying shia muslims. the e.u. is pushing ahead with a controversial plan to introduce refugee quotas in response to the migrant crisis in the mediterranean. but the proposal is already

hugely divisive. jonah hull reports. >> reporter: the e.u. has been criticized for failing to dealed a eventually with migrants crossing and drowning in mediterranean waters. its response a multi-proned strategy aimed at every level of the problem from the root causesover the problem to enhanced rescue efforts at sea and possible military action against smugglers. there's also a plan to impose a mandatory quota system on e.u. countries taking asylum seekers in. >> what will make the situation worse is doing nothing. maintaining the present system not creating steps forward. >> we are facing an unprecedented situation, an exceptional dramatic situation that requires an unprecedented and exceptional action. >> reporter: but despite bold

talk of solidarity among europeans, there is division in the ranks. the overall strategy will be presented to european leaders at a summit here at the end of june. but not all member states are happy. in particular some aren't entirely happy with the mandatory quota system. the hungarian prime minister for instance has described the plan as mad and writing in the times newspaper on wednesday, britain's home secretary said blanket resettlement plans would encourage more people to make the journey. economic migrants she said should be sent back. >> we need to deal with this trade in human beings these callus criminals who are trading on people's aspiration and profiting from trying to move them across africa and into europe. part of that of course is ensuring people can be returned to africa. >> reporter: the e.u. says

better measures will ensure that some are repatriated, but the emphasize is on helping southern countries cope on the front line of this tragic migration crisis. there hasn't been a unanimous response in support from their northern neighbors. kremlin critic alexi will not be jailed after a ruling in moscow. prosecutors wanted to imprison him for violating his sentence. at least 31 people have been killed in a fire at a shoe factory in the philippines. it happened in a suburb of the capitol. the blaze started when welding embers came in to contact with

chemicals. dozens are still missing. north korea's defense minister is reported to have been executed by a firing squad armed with an anti aircraft gun. south korea's intelligence service said he was killed after falling asleep during a meeting lead by leader kim ki-jong. harry fawcett reports. >> reporter: was the moment north korea's defense minister sealed his fate? south korea says he dozed off during this meeting at the end of april and was executed days later. pictured earlier this year seoul says was killed for treason, and failed to carry out kim ki-jong's orders. >> translator: our government cease such execution as a way to create a fearful atmosphere so it would promote consolidation

of the regime. >> reporter: but the suddenness of his fall is also leading some to question the stability of the leadership. south korea's intelligence agency says 15 other officials have been executed since the start of this year. >> there has to be better systemic ways to ensure the order of the system rather than this quick removal. this quick removal seems to indicate only the weakness of the system not the strength at all. >> reporter: the uncle was publicly humiliated before his execution, but this time there has been no announcement. the execution was particularly violent in front of a crowd of hundreds. last week the u.s. based organization released this satellite image showing what it

believes was a similar killing in october. anti-aircraft guns with a range of 8,000 meters aimed at targets just 30 meters away. north korea has already worried the south by showing off its ability to launch a ballistic missile. soul is monitoring the long-term effects on north korea east leadership on what it is calling a reign of terror. a train in the u.s. city of philadelphia has derailed leaving at least six dead and more than 50 injured. the passenger train was carrying 243 people from washington, d.c. to new york city. gabriel has more now from philadelphia. >> reporter: daybreak and police keeping people far away from the wreckage so investigators can search for clues. residents waking up to horrific headlines to represents overnight. an amtrak train derailed minutes after pulling out of a station.

all six passenger cars and the engine ran off of the tracks. they crashed into each other and flipped on their sides. >> it felt like the brakes were hit hard and our car started going over to the right. so i just braced my arm against it. >> you saw it go like that. and then we just rolled and rolled. and the next thing i knew we were pushing out the emergency exit, and i was outside and there were people screaming and bleeding, and we helped them out, and they are okay now. >> reporter: 243 on board, some walked away but more than a hundred transported to hospitals. the worst rail crash in u.s. historiry was in 1943 killing 79 and injuring 117 in this same location. hundreds of workers rushed to the accident site. investigators are still trying to find out what went wrong.

>> i have been on the scene with my staff, it's a disastrous mess. i have never seen anything like this in my life. >> translator: the train was traveling one of the busiest routes in the united states. there are dozens of trains between washington, d.c. and new york that transport on average 11 million passengers ooefr year. rail service remains partially suspended while investigators try to find answers on what caused the crash. the cannes film festival is getting underway in france. the top prize is the palm door and there will be a different feel to opening day. charlie angela explay plains. >> reporter: the crowds gathering to get as close as they can to get a glimpse of

their favorite stars. the cannes is mixing it up this year. normally they go for a big hollywood blockbuster on opening night. and mad max was scheduled to be that film. ♪ >> reporter: but instead the film industry are going to be sitting down to a gritty french drama about a troubled boy. and i spoke to the festival's director about his choice. >> the film directed by [ inaudible ], i think it's very universal, and this character could have been english german. >> reporter: the films have a very international flavor j. we'll see the first feature fill

from ethiopia. but later when the paparazzi are photographing the stars, the stars are asking -- being asked to stop photographing themselves. on behalf of million and a half people here in the city of philadelphia, we also express our deepest sorrow. we will do everything we can to assist families. >> new details on the train derailment that killed six people in philadelphia. officials getting ready to look at the black box. and president obama sits down with arab leaders to talk about the war in