the world's heritage at risk of destruction. i.s.i.l. fighters enter the ancient ruins of palmyra. hello, i'm jane dutton you are watching al jazeera. also on the programme, malaysia's prime minister says his country will conduct search and rescue missions for thousands of refugees in the andaman sea. >> california declares a state of emergency as over 400,000 litres of oil spills into the sea we'll hear from amnesty

international about its reports into workers' rights in qatar ahead of the world cup monumental ruins of an ancient city at risk of destruction from a modern conflict. i.s.i.l. fighters evered the u.n.e.s.c.o. -- enter the u.n.e.s.c.o. site of palmyra. ramadi, the capital of the biggest province and palmyra, the cradle of civilisation now in its hands. >> reporter: this appears to be the final stages of fighting for a city at the heart of syria. i.s.i.l. fighters pushed syrian government forces out of palmyra. they are in control of city's

infrastructure including the national hospital and security headquarters. >> translation: there's about 140,000 people here. people are afraid. there's no water. they can use local wells, and there's no town most of the time. >> reporter: palmyra is surrounded by gas fields and home to a prison. that's military airport and weapons depot. >> the military significance is >> the military significance is mostly in terms of the prison. there has been a lot of the u.n.e.s.c.o. site is 2,000 years old and has roman era colon aids and priceless artefacts. some were bundled up and taken out of the city. much of the site remains at rick. >> if you consider it from i.s.i.s.'s perspective, an

entity that has a history of looting the cultural heritage site and destroying them palmyra is a catch for them fighting between rebels and government forces damaged parts of the site. the u.n. says it's being used as a syrian military camp. activists released a video showing the walls covered in bullet holes. palmyra has had so much of the past preserved, but the fewer is uncertain i.s.i.l. began its offensive on tuesday last week. some of the 140,000 inhabitants fled, those remaining life under i.s.i.l.'s rule. the threat captured the headlines. control of the city gives i.s.i.l. access to the east and homs in the west.

the group controls five cities across syria and iraq. including mosul, ramadi fallujah and hodr. caroline malone has more. >> there's a new line east of ramadi. i.s.i.l. captured territory. government forces and local police are trying to defend their possessions. repatriations are under way for a counter offensive. i.s.i.l. is gaining momentum. >> iraqi prime minister calling on volunteers to join the regular forces. there's a shortage in anbar. what the government is trying to do is strengthen the security forces of the state. it is a very delicate time. shia militia men will lead the battle in anbar. it's a sunni province they are thinking ahead. what happens if and when they

capture territory, who will hold the ground. we hear abadi say he'll train local police men, speed up the recruitment, create a nonsectarian force. progress has been slow and there's some opposition. this is key, because at the end of the day, they don't want this to be seen as a shi'a war in a sunni province or against sunnis i.s.i.s. is on the momentum and they are trying to amass their troops there's a humanitarian crisis, the government is struggling to cope. >> there are reports that saudi arabia shells hit an international humanitarian office in yemen. artillery fire and air strikes hit the office in the northern town of maidi along the border. the reuters newsagency quoted a local official saying five were killed in the strike. the area is a stronghold of the

houthi rebels. forces loyaled to exiled president abd-rabbu mansour hadi say they have taken back areas. government is travelling to the east. houthis controlled large areas of territory across yemen. >> two people have been killed in fighting. and fighters in benghazi. 50 people were injured during the battle in the eastern city. rival groups fought full control of benghazi for over a year. this included members of i.s.i.l. malaysia's prime minister ordered the navy and the coast guard to search the sea for stranded migrants. most are rohingya fleeing violence. malaysian say they will provide temporary shelter for those that land on the territory, and

thailand mr no longer push back boats. we have more from lang cowy. >> that was the problem with the policy letting the people you were trying to help know that they can receive help. the migrant boats are thought to be offshore especially with the push back policy of the government not letting them land. they were outside and can now seek refuge. if they saw a naval or coast guard they'd be likely to outrun it rather than knowing the vessel is there to offer help and assistance in getting assure. that will change in theory. migrant vessels will have a choice of going to indonesia. they will probably choose to come here and those in malaysia know that. many migrants have been going to the indonesian side of malacca

or andean see. if given the position they'll come here the destination for many especially the rohingya from myanmar. families and friends are here in malaysia. they will likely come here. authorities are gearing up for an influx of hundreds thousands of newcomers in the next few weeks. malaysia and indonesia agreed to provide some with temporary shelter, the situation in thailand is complicated. the government said it will not turn boats away but asylum seekers will be detained if they make it onshore. >> reporter: the view of the international community has been clear - get the people onshore and get them to safety. malaysia and indonesia agreed to provide the rohingya and bangladesh migrants with shelter. thailand said no they will not

open their doors yet. the government says they have and will continue to provide humanitarian aid on the boats. it boils down to immigration law. if they come onshore they'll be detained until the status of each migrant is determined. are they a refugee, have they fled for economic region if they left to find work they'd be sent back. >> once they heard us explaining the laws most of them said they'd like us only to provide food and water. they don't want to get to thailand and be detained they want to go to other countries. we can't force them. this man has been a fisherman his entire life. he never met a "rock newman show", and is not mus -- a rohingya and is not muslim. >> they did not do anything wrong. not helping them is killing them. >> translation: he said they would help them they have no

extra money. in this navy anyways most feel they should do more. there were strong feelings expressing the opposite voice saying rohingya should not be allowed in thailand. a facebook page was set up saying we whether no let rohingya into the country. 40,000 liked it. people have been asked to check the profile picture to this reading "the majority of thai people don't want rohingya into the country." as the crisis moves into a new phase thailand has a growing deal, disagreement with the people in the country over its growing responsibility amnesty international says qatar has not done enough to improve conditions for migrant workers. the qatari government promised to do more for the workforce, who are helping the country

prepare for the 2022 world cup. amnesty says there has been no significant advances. >> there's a range of abuses that workers are facing in qatar. mostly it has to do with their relationship to employees. in many cases are people who are not paid for months at a time. they don't have enough money to buy food or water and have to rely on charty. people who -- charity people living in poor accommodation, not complying with qatari rules on accommodation for workers, and also people who are being forced to work eventually because their employers are threatening them with withholding passports and refusing to let them leave the country. what we have seen is the changes that happened the electronic payment system has been announced. we have to see what happened.

there's a six month period from february. by the end of the summer we should see how that is working in practice. the other change that happened is the number of inspectors increased to 294 inspectors i believe. however, these are small changes and do not address the core of the issue, which is that employees have a big power over workers. qatar's issued a statement rejecting the conclusion of amnesty's report saying it has increased is number of labour inspectors to enforce regulations and is building new accommodation for more than a quarter of a million workers. more to come - the osama bin laden papers the u.s. releases documents from the former head of al qaeda. >> i'm laurence lee in the skies over lithuania, as n.a.t.o. increases the rhetoric over the russian russian threat to the baltic

states.

>> al jazeera america, weekday mornings. catch up on what happened overnight with a full morning brief. get a first hand look with in-depth reports and investigations. start weekday mornings with al jazeera america. open your eyes to a world in motion. thanks for joining us on al jazeera. here is a reminder of the top stories - the ancient syrian city of palmyra has been captured by the islamic state of iraq and levantment the syrian army and officials withdrew after being overwhelmed by the group. palmyra is home to a famous heritage site malaysia's prime minister said he ordered the navy to comb the coast looking for refugees stranded at sea. it's the first country in the region to do so. myanmar agreed to hold talks on

the growing crisis in asia amnesty international says qatar has not done enough to improve conditions for migrant workers despite promises of reform. qatar says it has increased labour inspectors and building accommodation for more than a quarter of a million labourers. iraq's prime minister haider al-abadi is in moscow meeting the president vladimir putin. before the 2003 u.s. invasion of iraq relations between russia and baghdad were strong. kim vinnell has more on the efforts to rebuild the relationship. >> reporter: with the fall of saddam hussein and the withdrawal of u.s. troops the relationship between iraq and russia had to be rebuilt. they are working to become partners when it comes to energy, defense and trade. russia has a right to lucrative oil fields oil and gas 90% of

russia's income. russia is a major developer of the oil fields and started production. it's thought to contain 43,000 barrels of oil, one big cash cow. baghdad spend a decent amount on arms. in 2012, baghdad concerned with arms uprisings, it signed an arms contract with moscow. russia provide bilateral trade is bilateral trade is returning to pre-saddam levels turn over $2 billion. there's a renewed focus on agriculture, transport and infrastructure. and baghdad and moscow can benefit correspondent rory challands is covering the meeting for us. why has haider al-abadi come to russia? >> well the main issue that the

countries are talking about is military cooperation. iraq wants russian weapons basically to continue the fight against the "ultimate 8," and russia is concerned that the spread of the islamic state may affect the southern borders. russia has been happy to provide baghdad with weapons. last year it sent the first consign. attack aircraft. more are expected to come. iraqi sources say that in the future they are considering a future arms deal with russia words some $3 billion. this is a mutually beneficial relationship for both countries at the moment. >> any idea how it is viewed internationally? >> well, haider al-abadi has said that he has come here despite the advice of certain

forces to reject the invitation. which suggests that may be washington d.c. is not too happy about him being here. baghdad is saying at the moment with the security cooperation agreement with washington d.c. still being hashed out. it needs to get all the cooperation, all the supplies that it can from anywhere that it can get them to finance and equip its military. so yes, it's getting weaponry from the united states, it's also getting weaponry and advice from troip at the moment. -- tehran at the moment and now is coming to moscow to discuss deals and locking further afield at china too. >> thank you for that rory challands n.a.t.o. is considering a request by the three baltic states who want thousands to be deployed against a russian invasion. the move would break a pact with

russia to never put permanent bases and former countries. countries like lithuania is worried, sitting between russia to the east, belarus to the south-east. and cannesinin grad to the west. russian military jets plea over the baltic sea and that has increased tension with n.a.t.o. laurence lee reports from lithuania. >> reporter: it's a drill, but the intention is real enough. the pilots have 15 minutes from the alarm sounding to take to the skies. they were scrambled for real, 150 times last year, to shadow russian aircraft over the baltic the current lead nation in the n.a.t.o. mission is norway, backed up in lithuania by the italians, this, they say, is about reassuring the tiny baltic

states that they won't let the russians do to them what they do to the ukraine. >> we show them our presence by being up there, showing that we are nearby, and on alert. we are airborne within 15 minutes, and there's basically a show of force, and show them that we are here lithuania looks at ease, but the government is bringing back conscription to bolster its army. al jazeera understands the military here has been war-gaming scenarios about a ground invasion, as well as an air war. should they fight the russians on the streets, or in the countryside to protect the capital. as well as having russia to the east, there's the russian enclave of kalinigrad for the trains carrying oil and russian troops pass through. lithuania feels surrounded.

so as well as calling on n.a.t.o. to defend its sky, the country with estonia and latvia has now formally requested a standing n.a.t.o. army of 3,000. that's a real test of n.a.t.o. stated commitments to protecting these countries. >> we are asking to be together with us. if there is a process that will continue on the ground, the same as we have. it will be good. >> of course, the russians say this is hysterical scare-mongering. we asked for but were refused an interview with their ambassador. one of their diplomats said to me some people say we have a hand in everything. in propaganda terms, that's no match for n.a.t.o. open door policy to journalists. n.a.t.o. admits there's never been a single significant incident of a russian war plane breaching the air space of any of the baltic states. yet for all that these pilots

practice this stuff over and over again just in case, they say, they have to do it for real. >> privately, some n.a.t.o. officials admit it looks strange to spend so much effort on preventing an air or ground war that they actually think is extremely unlikely. set against the western narrative of an unpredictable russian leader, they prefer not to take any chances nearly 600 officers and soldiers are facing charms before a court martial in nigeria. the army says they are on trial for alleged offenses related to the fight against boko haram. last year 72 soldiers were sentenced to death by firing squad for alleged cowardice, mutiny and aiding the enemy the relations released files it says came from the compound where osama bin laden were killed in 2011. and they shed light on t

the inner workings of al qaeda, and osama bin laden's personal beliefs. kimberley halkett reports. >> the documentation paints a picture of a leader increasingly ignored and isolated. a man urging his followers not to gather in large groups in case of drone attacks, not to use email for sensitive messages, and called on them to: he advised against regional attacks, especially in yemen. later, though, others within the organization would champion so-called individual jihadists attacks, through the middle east and elsewhere. even then, clear signs of a skim within al qaeda, and a letter from supporters in iraq makes clear: muslim infighting leading to the formation of the islamic state of iraq and levant. former c.i.a. analyst says osama bin laden believes the key to al qaeda's success would be to

drive the united states out of muslim land. >> he felt that the key to their survival was their support from the united states, therefore they needed to attack the united states, undermine the confidence of the american people, cause the american people to force their government to withdraw from these areas, and then they'd achieve the goals. >> osama bin laden, the father and husband revealed with four wives and 20 children, he had family concerns and worries. "i missed you so much", he wrote to one daughter and urged his daughters to marry good people. it gives a rare glimpse into a person who once was the most wanted man in the world. north korea has criticized the united states after secretary of state john kerry described kim jong un as reckless. in a statement aired on north

korean sea it says they have the measures to counter the u.s. administration. john kerry called for international pressure on north korea, which he says shows a flagrant disregard for international law. >> california declared a state of emergency in santa barbara county after an onshore pipeline leaked oil. environmentalists are warning of impact on the locals wildlife and corals. we have this report this is what the california coast looks like after nearly 400,000 litre of oil spewed from the pipe line. the governor declared a state of emergency, and the health department is urging people to say away from the oil and fumes. a fifth has reached the ocean. >> we estimate a portion of that, or near 500 barrels,

21,000 gallons. 105,000 gallons may have migrated to the water. >> reporter: environmentalists warn that it threatens wildlife. >> we have a group combing the beaches looking for wildlife. >> reporter: over 100 clean-up crew and nine vessels are trying to limit the spread. >> we are actively on the beaches and we have the contractors removing oil from the sand is the first step. that's the easiest hipping to get to on the beach area. we have plans obviously to continue the clean-up of the rocky areas, rebel and outcrops. >> reporter: there was a major spill in 1969, and is credible for giving rise to the mast. >> locals and volunteers are joining. >> this is some of the most

pristine coastline we have. to see it covered in crude oil is terrible it's sad. a few pelicans washed up. a few sea gulls and seals. >> the pipeline carries 1200 barrels of oil, to a distribution hub. the company that runs the pipeline is sorry for what happened. >> we apologise for the damage down to the wildlife and the environment, and sorry for the destruction and inconvenens on the citizens and visitors to the area. >> reporter: an investigation is underway to determine what went wrongs, but like all disasters, the eco system is paying the price. a team of scientists say there's a link between the b.p.

oil spill in 2010 and large numbers of dolphin deaths. the study found a large until of bottle-nose dolphins died of lung and leagues disease. it said the dolphins were liking to suffer from common respiratory illnesses day b perform now to the top of indian controlled kashmir. nestled at the foothills is the indeera football agency. attracting visit scores. the hope is that as well as flowers, the garden will help tourism and get local businesses booming. >> tulip gardens is wonderful, amazing, so beautiful. we had to go to the netherlands and today we had it in our own country, we have to go to kashmir to see this. the garden will come up well. >> the garden also offers a

glimpse into local kashmiry culture with visitors treated to folk music and dancing, and is looked after by the government department of horticulture which deports most of the seeds and bulbs from holland. >> a state of emergency declared after thousands of gallons of oil spill along california's coast. >> the oil is difficult to contain and collect once it's on the water. >> cleanup crews working around the clock trying to protect wildlife. >> the u.s. and cuba talk about reopening embassies.