london. keep up on aljazeera.com. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ . >> isil fighters make major gains in iraq and syria, just weeks after predictions that they were in retreat. this is al jazeera, lye from london. hundreds have been rescued but 4,000 are still adrift. the government talks tough on immigration, but government says it is missing the target to tighten borders.

a strong country is one that properly controlled immigration. >> almost half a milliliters of oil spill from a ruptures pipeline. >> hello. far from slowing down, the momentum of fighters appears to have accelerated. they have taken the ancient city in syria. it is a site, and is one of the most significant archaeological location ms. the world. and as al jazeera reports there are now fears that it can be destroyed. >> this appears to be the final stages of fighting for a city at the heart of syria. isil fighters push the government forces out of pal mire rah. they are now in control of the infrastructure including the national hospital and security head quarters.

and of course thousands of people. >> there are about 140,000 people here. including some displaced from homes. people are afraid, there is no water. we can only use local wells and there is no power most of the time. >> it is surrounded by gas fields there's also a military airport. the culture loss has been incalcuble. >> it has roman arab, some of them were bundled up andic thatten out of the city, but much of the site remains at risk. >> we may have different views but we have to protect

the incredible human history. i would appeal that destroys her tang won't help anything. >> it has been used as a syrian military camp. activists release add video they show it covers in bullet holes they accuse soldiers of looting. so much of the past has been preserved in this ancient place, but the future is uncertain certain. al jazeera. 50 people are injured during the battles in the eastern city. rival groups have been fighting for control for more than a year, and in recent months this is including members of isil, the conflict ha so far killed hundreds of

people, and displaced thousands. also making gains in iraq, where heavy fighting is underway. there is a new front line, in the east of ramadi this is a fierce fight. isil has taken some towns in the district. forces lo ill to the government are trying to prevent the armed group from getting closer to a main base a few kilometers away. isil hasn't lost it's momentum. there are those that believe the armed group may not just want to grab territory, i wants to train the resources of the opponents. does isil want to be setted or to be a group. is this the idea of being moving combat. a moving group. is that you will always

threatening so many, especially when the defensive military forces are not equipped. and not threatened. >> commanders are moving some of their front lines. this is part of on going preparations for the promised counter offensive. these men are known as the popular mobilization force, and they will lead the fight they were called in after the regular forces in the local police were not able to hold off the isil assault. >> there is a shortage of government soldiers in unbar. and authorities are now asking for volunteers to join. the prime minister also says that they will speed up the training of the local police, and arm and recruit sunni tribesman. it is not the first time abadi makes such a promise to

integrate sunnies into the security forces. many are skeptical that this plan will work, especially because there has been long time opposition from shia politician. >> on an bar's front line, they are seen fighting the government has been trying to show that this fight is being waged by iraqis and is not a shia war against sunnies. there is a need to create a nonsectarian army in iraq. ae. thes in the past have failed. but the country is at a dangerous cross roads and with multiple front lines iraqis need to unite now more than ever. al jazeera, baghdad. so an interview with president obama has been released what did he have to say. >> the interview with jeffery

goldburg of the atlantic. he did talk about the fall of ramadi in particular, now, it is important to point out the obama administration has been trying to down play the significance of this. and the thing they say is well it had been surrounded for a long time, it wasn't very well defended, one person said that it was surprised that it took so long for them to take the town of ramadi. saying that the fall of ramadi is a tactical set back, he went on to say he doesn't believe the coalition is living the fight against isil. but that he did have some criticism for the iraqi government although he says he does support the prime minister, that not enough is being done to arm and train the sunnies in an bar. he said that needs to be sped up. an barr. he also went on to say this the u.s. will continue to support the iraqi military, with weapons, with training, don't forget their advisors

on the ground, but then this criticism, he said we didn't do it alone, we basically need effective partners. so those are the late escomments from the president. >> and there are some u.s. politicians that would argue that the strategy needs to change and be more boots on the ground, is that something that is ever likely to happen. >> the top commander did an interview and said we aren't even considers u.s. combat forces on the ground, when politician talk about more boots on the ground, they are very vague about what they want them to do lindsay gram said 10,000 troops and a lot of people run with that and says combat. he is talking about 10,000 additional trainers. there's about 3,000 in there in safe bases so most of the politicians are talking about ramping up that training. training u.s. soldiers is a

much different thing to try to sell then putting u.s. troops back on the ground to take the fight directly to isil, that i can tell you would be very unpopular with this war weary public. over 3,000 have been rescued or come to shore in the last month, in addition to the search malaysia says lit allow 7,000 migrants in, but only temporarily. more from malaysia. >> that was always the problem, letting the people you were trying to help know they can now receive help.

especially since the push back region not letting them land. from the coast and probably don't know that they can now seek refuge, if they saw a naval or coast guard, they would probably be more likely to try to outrun it rather than knowing that that vessel is now there to offer them help and assistance in getting ashore. so that will change in theory or to malaysia, but in all likelihood, they will probably choose to come here, and people know that. many of the migrants have been going through to the indo knee sean side, and in theory though, if given the option, they will start to come here, this is the destination for many of the people onboard especially from myanmar, and many of their families friends are already here in malaysia. so they will likely come here, so people and the authorities are gearing up for an expected influx of

hundreds possibly thousands of newcomers in the next one to two weeks. >> many of the nigh grants have come ashore, are in poor health. some spent months at sea. in indonesian, where they are being cared for. >> they ought thought they were going to i do, when they were finally rescued they simply couldn't believe it. doctors have examined the asylum seekers say their condition is very very bad. most of them are dehydrated, malnourished, they have infections and all kinds of skin diseases. and authorities are struggling to take care of them. >> we thought we had died already, and would meet god soon. we had lost all hope of survival, we were so scaried. >> many of them were still at sea. but the reality here on the ground is that the navy says

they are not actively rescuing anyone that is still stranded until they get a direct order change the policy, to send away everyone who is illegally entering the territory. >> this means that the time is running out for the thousands who are still at sea, and looking at the condition of those who are just arrived one day ago, it is clear that there's no time to lose. as nato incretes the rhetoric or the trevor to the battic states. >>

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♪hey girl ♪we're having a party happy birthday, grandma! ♪we'll be swinging ♪dancing and singing ♪baby come on over tonight >> "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.

>> fighters from the islamic state of iraq say they are now in control of the neighboring city. here is president obama says he doesn't think the fight against the group is being lost. in iraq, too they continue their advance just days after taking the capitol ramadi fierce fighting continues to the east. shia militia are now moving troops in preparation for a continue ever attack. to start searching for migrant boats. groups estimate that as many as 4,000 people are still adrift many of those are in poor health. >> in yemen forces loyal to compiled president hadi say they have taken back sites held by houthis rebels.

program troops are now advancing towards east of sad da. meanwhile, peace talks are 2000 to start next thursday. government groups gain ground. it borters sadaa the power base of the houthis. if jawf force into hands it will be the most significant los since they took over power in september. these arsenal of vehicles seized by tribes man loyal to president laddy. fighting continues across the country. two houthis backed by soldiers loyal to former president have intensified their campaign, to capture yemen third largest city. >> we arerd oared by our legion, and morals to defend

yemen. the saudi led coalition has ramped up it's air strikes against houthis positions in the capitol. these are some of the weapons, air dropped to government troops in the southern province. as the fighting picks up, international efforts are underway to bring together yemen's warring factions to stop political talks in geneva. saudi arabia which backs president hadi said iran is not welcome at geneva. >> the last time i checked iran was not a member of the g.c.c., was not a member of the league of arab states is not a contiguous neighbor to the state of yemen is not a third member of the security council. therefore, i don't see what is the point why not invite brazil, and others to the conference, there are no place for iran in the consultations in geneva. they are not been playing a

constructive role. and as such cannot be rewarded. >> the growing political device can undermine the chances for any deal in geneva. international aid agencies warned the on going crisis will effect millions of people across the country. >> yemen's key factions say they welcome the geneva talks but remain divided over it's agenda, government loyalists want the talks to recognize hadi as yemen's legitimate leader. the houthis only the other hand insist the talks should acknowledge the growing political influence. >> britain's newly re-elected prime minister has promised to crack down on the number of immigrants entering the country. the people coming into the country has hit near record numbers. a year earlier, it was 209,000, despite the promise to cut immigration to less

than 100,000 during his first term in office. cameron says that figure remains his ambition, but restricting immigration can put him on a collision course with the european union. simon mcgregor wood has more. >> on a raid looking for illegal immigrants. it was a good photo opportunity, for a prime minister trying again to get tough on immigration. the latest numbers are an embarrassment, to david cameron, who keeps promises targets he can't keep. >> is immigration was an issue in the recent election and he now claims a mandate for tougher action. >> so while a strong country isn't one that pulls up the drawbridge, it is one that properly controls immigration. >> next week, his new majority government will introduce a new immigration law. promising to make the u. k. less attractive to migrants. >> one dealing with those who shouldn't be here. by t radioing out legal

migrants and boosting deportations. retomorrowing our immigration laws so we reduce the demand for skilled migrant labor and crack down on the exploitation of low skilled workers and three addressing the spike in e. u. migration by renegotiations in europe. >> david cameron and his speak paid homage to the long traditions and positive benefits of immigration, but his argument, and it's one he thinks will connect with many voters, is that now the numbers are similar my too high, and they are putting pressure on public services and forces down local wages. >> make egg life harder for immigrants won't help. >> they have gone beyond tightening visa controls now it is about letting anomie grants who want to try the adventure of living and working in britain for a period of time to know they are going to have a very very tough time.

half of last year's immigrants were from the european union. david cameron says he is determined to get concessions on immigration from his partners. and unless he does, he won't get the numbers down, and arguing for this country's continuing membership of europe and his promise referendum, will be much harder. al jazeera london. >> sweden says it is a. scrapbleed fighter jets to intercept two russian military planes flying near it's air space. becomes as nato consider as request by three baltic nations for thousands of troops to protect them against a possible russian invasion. the move would break a packet, that they would never put permanent bases in sovereign countries. >> it is a drill but the intention is real enough.

150 times they were scrambled for year to shadow russian aircrafts over the border. the current lead nation in this nato mission is norway, backed up in lithuania by the italians. this they say is all about reassuring the tiny baltic states that they won't let the russians do to them, what they did to ukraine. >> we show them our presence, by being up there and show them that we are nearby, and that we are on alert. we are air born within 15 minutes and basically a show of force and show them that we are here. >> lithuania looks at ease. >> 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 country side, protect the

capitol. >> as well as having russian to the east, does the russian enokay to the west. the trains carrying oil and russian troops pass straight through. lithuania, feels surrounded. so as well as calling on nato to defend it's skies this country with latvia has now formerly requested a standing nato army, of 3,000. that's a real test of nato's stated commitment, to protecting these countries. >> they are asking to get together with us. the process will continue on the ground, the same as we have had in the air. it will be good. >> of course, the russians say this is hysterical scaremongering, we asked for but were refused an interview with their ambassador. one of their diplomates said to me, some people say we have our hand in everything.

propaganda materials that's no match for nato's open door policy. to journalists. >> note tea admits there has never been a single significant incident of a russian war plane deliberately breeching the air space of any of the battic states. for all that, they practice this over and over again just in case they say they ever have to do it for real. >> privately some officials say it looked strange to spend so much effort on preventing an air of ground war, they think extremely unlikely. but set against a western marry ty of an unpredictable russian leader, they prefer not to take any chances. lawrence lee, al jazeera. >> amnesty international says qatar has not done enough to improve conditions for migrants. the government promised to do more for it's work force who are helping the country prepare for the 2022 world

cup, but they say there has been no significance advances. >> there is a range of abuses that workers are facing. mostly it has to do with their relationship to their employers. ten in many cases are people who are not being paid for months at a time, they don't even have enough money to buy food or water and they have to rely on charity. people who are also living in very poor accommodations that doesn't comply with rules on accommodation for workers. and also people who are being forced to work eventually, because their employer is threatening them with with holding the passports and refusing them to kind of let them leave the country. and what we have seen is that the changes that have happened is the electronic payment system has been announced. it hasn't been introduced yet, so we still have to see what happens. there's a six month period from february, so by the end of the summer, we should see

how that is working in practice. and the other change that has happened is that the number of inspectors has increased to 294 inspectors i believe. how, these are small changes and they don't address the core of the issue which is that employers have a very big power over workers. >> chili's president has given her annual state of the mission speech. the government has been tarnished. and her approval rating is under 30%. houthis forces are out on every street corner the protests are beginning once again, 150,000 people rallied there last week, latin america has more. >> where congress of chili is based. protestors the ever the last

hour now there have been sporadic clashes of these rock throwing protestors clashing with riot police who are armed with tear gas with water cannons they have been going back and forth and back and forth. that was called by students and labor unions. as the president gave her address, this is because of the large number of riot police that are out here, at least 2,000, and also the fact that two students were killed in exactly one week ago right here during that demonstration. >> california has declared a state of emergency after an oil pipeline ruptured. 400,000 litters of oil are estimated to have leaked out. this is what the california coast looks like after 400,000 litters of oil spilled. the governor has declare add state of emergency and the health department is you remembering people to stay

away from the oil and it's fumes. nearly a fifth of the spill has reached the ocean. >> we currently estimate a portion of that orb near 500 barrels which is approximately 21,000 gallons of that 105,000 gallons may have migrated to the water. >> environmentalists are warning that the leak threatened wild life. >> we have response crews out combing the beaches looking for effected wild life. >> over 100 cleanup crew and nine vessels are trying to limit the spread and legislating oil from the surface. >> we are actively on the beaches, and we have the contractors on the beaches removing oil from the sand, this is the first step, because that's the easiest thing we can get to on the beach area. and we have plans, obviously, to continue the clean up of the rocky areas the pebbles and the outcrop. >> there was a major oil

spill on the santa barbara coast in 1969 and it is credit requested giving rise to the american environmental movement, locals and volunteers are also joining to clean the beaches. >> it is terrible, this is -- the coast is some of the most preteen we have in the county, and to see it just covered in crude oil it is terrible. it is really sad. a few pelicans started washing up a few other sea birds wash up, a few seals were coming through as well. >> the pipeline carries nearly 1200 barrels of oil an hour, to a distribution hub hundreds of kilometer away. the company that runs the pipeline says it is sorry for what hat ped.police department what happened. >> we apologize for the damage it has done to the wild life, and to the environment. question are very sorry for the disruption it has caused on the citizens and the visitors to this area. >> an investigation is underway to determine what went wrong but like in all

man made disasters the ecosystem is already paying the highest price. >> more details for you on all the news we are covering and of course sport on our website, the address of that is aljazeera.com, and you can also watch us by clicking on the watch now icon. a state of emergency in california. workers are doing everything they can to clean up an oil spill on the coast. the u.s. and cuba sit down again trying to hammer out their differences over reopening embassies in washington and havana. plus isil takes control of a strategic ancient city, now the u.s. is sending more weapons to help in the fight. >>