>> gunfight in iraq as isil fighters take almost full control of the city of ramadi after ceasing the main government compounds. hello, i'm barbara serra. you're watching al jazeera live from london. worsening violence in yemen. halfway through what is supposed to be a cease-fire. the boston marathon bomber sentenced to death after killing

three and injuring hundreds more. and migrants in limbo because asian countries don't want them. plus... ♪ the thrill is gone ♪ >> singing the blues legend legendary guitarist bb king dies at age 89. a key strategic target in iraq has been taken by fighters from the islamic state in iraq and the levant. isil has over run the overrun the regional headquarters in ramadi iraq's largest province anbar. the iraqi army helicopters have been targeting fighters in the compound, and government troops say that they still retain control of two districts in the city.

[ gunfire ] >> ramadi is now under control of the islamic state in iraq and the levant. it has long been the city they would fight over and it was iraqi's main stronghold in anbar province. but they launched an all out assault taking over the compound which houses much of the city's government buildings. they manage to penetrate using suicide-bombers. government forces and their local sunni allies were not able to stop their advance. many were killed. it was a strategic blow to the authorities who have been losing ground and other areas of the province the assault was part of a large-scale attack on government forces on multiple fronts in the province. isil used 22 suicide-bombers to target the barracks of security forces in the town. it is clear that isil considers

anbar strategic. it controlled most much anbar province before this latest assault. now isil controls most of the capital of the sunni heartland. people of ramadi were caught in the fighting and the fear is isil will punish those who cooperated with the authorities. officials are blaming the government for isil's huge gains. they've been warning that isil would make gains if reinforcements and weapons were sent but the government won't give sunni tribes weapons because they're suspicious of their loyalty and forces are too weak to fight the forces alone.

>> after suffering military setbacks. other provinces ill can now claim a victory just weeks after the government declared a military campaign to recapture anbar. al jazeera. baghdad? >> the u.s. says despite the setbacks it is still confident that it can help iraq defeat isil. >> there will be good days and bad days in iraq. isil is trying to make today a bad day in ramadi. we've said all along we see this as a long-term fight in conjunction with our iraqi partners against isil. we are confident and we'll

continue to push back isil where they'll gain advantages on the grounds. >> let's go to yemen for their reports. >> this was the scene in the yemeni city of taiz. street battles between pro government forces and houthi fighters. it was the worst day of fighting since the saudi proposed truce came to effect on tuesday. medical sources say several civilians were killed including children. fighting has also been reported

in the southern city of aden, the western cities and just east of the capital where tribal fighters support abd rabbuh mansur hadi say the houthis are violating the truce. >> the houthi breached the alleged truce. they have attacked us with heavy weapons and tanks, but with god's help we'll stand up to them until we expel them from all of yemen. >> even with the cease-fire in place, they're halting the delivery of aid. it's warning that fuel shortages are critical, and yemen's hospitals will cease to function. aircraft carrying 21 tons of aid has arrived in sanaa. >> this april is part of five airplanes. the aid is to help the victim all over the public. the main goal is to boost the

reserve and help the displaced. >> the aim was to deliver aid to 2.5 million yemenis in need of fuel and medicine before the truce ends on saturday. but the continuing violations of the cease-fire are putting that goal further out of reach. al jazeera. >> the boston marathon bomber dzhokhar tsarnaev was sentenced to death. he was found guilty of 30 charge in april. three people were killed and over a hundred injured in the attack which took place at the finish line of the race in 2013. the u.s. attorney general said that she believes that it's, quote, a fair and just verdict. >> today the jury has spoken. make no mistake the defendant

claimed to be acting on behalf of all muslims this was not a religious crime, and it certainly does not reflect true muslim beliefs. it was a political crime designed to intimidate and to coerce the united states. >> jay gray now joins us live from boston. jay, obviously this was an incredibly high profile case. what kind of reaction has there been? how much debate has there been over this verdict this decision to sentence him to death? >> outside of the courtroom and near the finish line where the bombs were placed a lot of people were gathered. others saying that it's difficult to see dzhokhar tsarnaev seeing the rest of his

life in near isolation. he wouldn't have any interaction with inmates there. he would be allowed outside for about 30 minutes a day for exercise. but again that would be loan as well. some people actually think that would have been a more severe punishment for this young man to go in that facility and spend the rest of his life. we're a state that does not have a state death penalty. it's been almost 70 years since massachusetts has sent anyone to death row. this is a state that generally doesn't believe in the death penalty, this obviously a very extreme case struck to the core of what this city is all about. >> and sorry, we have some break up there jay. but obviously some people spend decades on death row. do we have any idea what the timeline would be here? what legal options are open to him?

>> he hasn't been sentenced at this point. that's a legal formality and will happen in the next few months here. then the appeals begin. first the mandatory appeal and then likely a rash of appeals and early they could be centered on where this child trial was held. first they petitioned to move the trial. and i suspect his new team will center on that, saying there is no way that this decision could be just. they'll ask for it to be retried in another venue. >> jay gray with the latest from boston. thank you. now gabriel elizondo takes a closer look at the case and what happens next. >> the verdict is death. an unanimous decision by the 12 jurors but no finality. there is a lengthy appeals process. >> we know that there are going to be appeals about whether the death qualified nature of this jury that is to say everybody who served had to be able to

impose the death penalty but the majority of bostonians are against the death penalty. was this a trial by a jury not capable of reflecting the conference of the community? >> joy car tsarnaev is likely to be moved far away from the scene of his crimes, most likely the federal entrench years penitentiary. they would weigh mitigating factors such as the killing of children and the influence of tsarnaev's older brother tamerlan killed by police, and an tumultuous up bringing. the burden of proof is on the prosecution, mitigating arguments would also be considered but tsarnaev's

lawyers admitted from the get-go that he did it. it was the only way they felt they could argue for a life sentence. but it was not meant to be. jurors sat through 27 days of testimony and both phases of the trial, and listened to more than 150 witnesses. after deliberating the 12 men and women of the jury weighed all the factors and finally agreed that the 21-year-old joe dzhokhar tsarnaev should pay with his life. >> still ahead on al jazeera secrets, lives and the syrian president. the leaked video, which is causing a political storm in lebanon. plus... >> the pa huge stations, and the pusseling people. we're in moscow's metro.

>> time now for a reminder of the top stories. isil fighters have taken full control of the city of ramadi. it's a major defeat for government forces. the jury in the boston marathon bomber trial has reached its verdict on whether dzhokhar tsarnaev should be sentenced to death. the verdict has been read to the court. three people were killed and 260 injured when a bomb exploded near the finish line in 2013. the united nations is calling on the saudi-led

coalition to help speed up the delivery of humanitarian aid to yemen. after two months of airstrikes they have allowed cease-fire to allow vital supplies in the country. it's been described as human ping-pong. boats filled with migrants forced to back out to sea by asian countries that don't want them. the latest incidents have taken place in the sea to the east of the bay of bengal. they're pushing hundreds of migrants from the coast. it has air dropped food parcels to them. fishermen rescued 800 rohingya migrants whose boat was turned back by the navy. 100 people died fighting for food and water. we have reports from bangkok. >> this is not a rescue. thethe people on board say the

traffickers and the captain escaped, and they ran out from rice and water ten days ago. they say 12 people died during the trip. >> the people are starving and suffering from die diarrhea and dying it. there is nothing to keep us alive. two more people over there are dying from starvation. one man jumped off the boat and drowned because he went crazy. ten people have jumped ship. one died while some of the others made it to nearby fishing boats. >> i don't have anything left, and the ra akhine killed my mother. >> a few fishing boats pulled up along side the boat filled with ethnic rohingya with supplies of rice. the navy was also trying to trace a phone signal coming from

a passenger to a migration monitoring booth. >> really what should be done is thinking first and foremost of how lives can be saved. don't think what you're going to do with these people. save the lives first. give them medical care. proper treatment, and then you can take the next step. >> many on board the boat said that they wanted to go to malaysia where their family members were. >> they're just going nowhere slowly. veronica pedroza bangkok. >> at least 35 people have died in a bus accident in northwest china. a further 11 were injured when their bus overturned and fell 30 meters into a ravine.

the "world health organization" estimates that over hundred thousand people are killed in road accidents in china every year. leaders of an attempted cool in burundi have admitted that it failed. it follows weeks of protest against the president's bid for another term in obvious office, which critics said would be illegal. >> this soldier came to hospital injured. he had been fighting for leaders of burundi's attempted coup. then police came here and shot the injured men. >> they began to shoot everywhere and looks to those

patients. >> out from the streets protesters tried to block the roads after hearing about the coup's failure. but they were quickly dispersed with gunfire. on wednesday the military takeover was initially popular among the demonstrators but since it failed many now think it's made things worse for them. >> this whole coup d'etat is something they came up with by themselves. we don't agree with them. they came from the same party. they fought together and did things together. then they came here to talk about the demonstrations, things we didn't want to hear about. >> but most of the streets in the capital were quiet with loyalists, police and soldiers in control. after the coup attempt fighters loyal to the president attacked and burned t.v.'s and radio. now the only tv and radio on hair are the state broadcasters

control by the government. when the president returns to the capital his forces welcome him. but activists have been organizing the protests against his bid of a third term are now in fear of crackdown. many are in hiding or have fled the country. the government says that those involved in the attempted coup will go on trial. activists are still calling for more protests on monday against a third term. burundi's political crisis is far from over. >> boko haram has retaken a town in borno state. they say that the town has completely fallen under the control of the armed group having been liberated in february. meanwhile residents in a village in the neighboring state say that the armed group has killed seven people there. syrian government forces have launched a round of

airstrikes in the northwestern city of idlib and also around a alebanon poe. more than 27 people died when a missiles hit a fuel tank. at least 12 others were also killed in villages surrounding the city. the government also average launched airstrikes in a suburb of damascus. several people were injured in the shelling and the number of homes were destroyed. a lebanese tv station has leaked a secret video recording of a foreign minister admitting that bashar al-assad knew about a plot to attack lebanon. the minister was close to the syrian regime, and a lebanese armed group we have details from beirut. >> an extraordinary twist and it reveals the former lebanese

minister talking with an informer.

>> it was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. he confessed to transferring the explosives to lebanon but insisted he would sit up he was set up and misled. his lawyers argue that the crime never took place. the plan is to start a wave of bombings and aas nations bombings inside lebanon. he could be released in less than a year. the ruling has angered many in lebanon, and analysts warn that it could threaten the fragile stability of the country. >> the impact is huge

. >> the verdict has debate over political groups. the case has brought syria's role of lebanon back in the spotlight. syria has had forces in lebanon for 29 years just after the country's civil war in 1975. many considered it as the rule of lebanon. it was accused of carrying out bombings and assassinations. in 2005 syria would bow to international pressure. they have accused syria of

assassinateing this man's father and said that syria's meddling into lebanon has never ended. syria's role in lebanon is neither new nor surprising to many people here, but this is the first time that they have shown syria's direct involvement. the latest development would only make the situation more complicated. >> one of osama bin laden's top aide was sentenced by an u.s. court. >> the wreckage of a missing marine helicopter has been found in nepal. the helicopter with eight people on board disappeared while delivering aid on use after a

second major aftershock hit the country. three bodies have been recovered from the scene. >> moscow's transport system is celebrating it's 70th birthday. it is one of the busiest metro stations in the world. >> deep beneath moscow streets one of the russian wonders is buried. a subterranean world of mosaics chandeliers, architecture and exquisite detail. and however beautiful all this is it is not a museum it's a transport network. 196 stations, 10,000 trains a day, 12 lines 327 kilometers of

track, and on an average working day, 8 million passengers are carried. by the time the first train started rolling may 15, 1936, there were already 15 other underground networks in europe. moscow may have been late, but this was stalin's project executeed in stalin's grandiose style. a boast to his own people and the world's of come communism's greatness. >> like many transport systems it has proven a soft target, suicide-bombers killed 40 people in 2010.

and a few accidents like last year's fatal underground derailment have tarnished an otherwise pretty good safety record. but the system's main challenge is how to cope with the overcrowding and financial constraints of a mega city holding between 13 and 17 million people. we have a plan to increase in our metro system and double our metro lines. >> the metro built to display the ussr is moving with the times so as not to be beaten by the modern worlds. rory challands moscow. >> the blues alleged bb king has died in his home in las vegas at the age of 89. the guitarist is credited with

bringing blues to the mainstream. he was once considered the third best guitarist of all time and his name is synonymous to the genre. for more information go to www.aljazeera.com. >> this week on "talk to al jazeera" nasa administrator charles bolden. >> getting to space is very difficult. getting to mars is very, very, very difficult. >> he's been aboard the space shuttle four times. his missions included helping deploy the hubble space telescope and flying the first joint us/russia mission. >> i think we've always gotten along with everyone "off the planet" better than we have "on it" for one simple reason, we're mission focused.