inspiring. entertaining. talk to al jazeera. only on al jazeera america. iraq deploys shi'a militia to try to stop the advance from ramadi. you're watching al jazeera. also on the programme, a shoot-out between police and gang members in mexico leaves more than 40 dead. no end in sight for the violence in burundi. two killed in grenade attacks in the capital bujumbura. and refugees who fled the war in yemen make a desperate

plea for help from djibouti shia militia in iraq have been deployed from a base near ramadi to try to stop the advance of i.s.i.l. i.s.i.l.'s capital of ramadi is a major setback for the government iraq's disputie prime minister the group can no longer be recorded as a local matter and is calling for international action against them. >> more than 40,000 people left ramadi since it was captured by i.s.i.l. they took over the syrian city. they have fallen and i.s.i.l. controls half of syria and large parts of iraq's sunni heart

land. let's go to zeina khodr. joining us from the iraq any -- iraqi capital. tell us about the deployment of the militia. >> yes, the militia have been moved to a neighbour town. it cannot be considered part of the the counter offensive against i.s.i.l. they moved the troops to prech i.s.i.l. from advancing -- prevent i.s.i.l. from advancing to the base much what has been happening since sunday since i.s.i.l. took control of the capital ramadi. they have taken territory east. they have moved and taken the town. now there is intense fighting and it is a contested town. a few kilometres from the base

and why is it important, the government doesn't have many positions to stage the base from. the government is trying to protect it. but i.s.i.l. is - it doesn't just want to control the base. if they manage to push government forces out, it can link ramadi to its stronghold of fallujah. they have held fallujah since january 2014. they cleared the corridor, it brings them closer to baghdad. they have opened a new town. they targeted a number of checkpoints. i.s.i.l. on the defensive. the government shia militia men. we understand some 6,000 have been deployed in anbar, but the fight has not begun in ernst. with i.s.i.l.'s gains on the ground, is - they are now pushed to rethink the overall strategy against i.s.i.l.

>> well yes, this is what we are hearing from officials in iraq, particularly sunni politicians, they believe the strategy is not working, they do not agree with the statements made by the obama administration, that they are winning the fight and what i.s.i.l. - the territories that i.s.i.l. gaped in recent days what they did is take strategic territory. what can they do. this is the question. you talk to sunni politicians, and they say that the government is slow in promising to integrate sunnis into the security forces. the regular forces are weak. there has been months of training. they cannot wage a battle which is why the government bring in the militia men. when i.s.i.l. took the heart land a lot of sunni leaders went to the kurdish controlled north. what they were saying is we don't support i.s.i.l. or their

ideology, but we do not wage the fight on behalf of iran. they are allies shia militias is an extension, they will not wage the war on behalf of them. they'll allow sunnis to govern their open territories, be responsible for the security in their own territories. there has been a lot of opposition to the demands. yes, politicians reiterating time and time again on the need for political reconciliation. because i.s.i.l. has been able to exploit the turmoil in iraq and syria, that's how they managed to gain ground. >> thank you for that. zeina khodr explaining the complexity of the shia militia deployed there in iraq a 3-hour gun battle between mexican police and gang members left over 40 people dead. all but one of those were

suspected of being part of a drug cartel. john holman has more from mexico city. >> reporter: that sound is gunfire. and these people were killed in what authorities say was a shoot-out between police and gang members in south-west mexico. by the time the ambulances arrived 40 were kad. one was a police officer. it's un -- 40 were dead. one was a police officer. it's unclear what happened. federal police say one was attacked by gunfire. >> translation: the shoot-out was prolonged and sporadic for three hours, and three different parts of the property. >> this all in a region controlled by the powerful new generation cartel, who recently shot down an army helicopter and killed 15 police in an ambush. the government sent in a 10,000

strong force, state's authority saying those killed in the shoot-out could be from the cartel. >> as federal forces move into the territory, analysts say it's inevitable that this confrontation will take place. that is not the picture that the mexican government wants nationally or internationally of mexico as they tray to shift the image for one in which violence and organised crime is deeply ingrained. as the government arrested the leaders, smaller outfits like the new generation cartel emerged to take their place. >> it changed the nature of a threat, and ultimately - they will ultimately need to change the nature of the response. the police's response in this incident was overwhelming. it's not clear what happened or why the death toll was so high

vote counting is underway in ireland's referendum too on whether to legal lies same sex marriage. ireland's equality minister said early indications of the vote an overwhelming yes. these are live pictures you can see coming out of dublin with people counting those votes. keep in mind of course over 80% of the population is catholic. so if there is a yes to this referendum, this will be a huge cultural shift for this traditionally conservative society. if it is a yes, as i mentioned, it would make ireland the first country to adopt same-sex marriage by a popular vote hillary clinton are welcomed the publication of around 300 emails relating to the 2012 attack on the u.s. mission in benghazi. four people, including the u.s. ambassador to libya died.

clinton was secretary of state at the time and has been criticized for her handling of the attack. the emails will not change anyone's understanding of what happened. >> i'm glad that the emails are starting to come out. this is something that i asked to be done as you know for a long title. and those releases are beginning. i want people to be able to see all of them and it is the fact that we have released all of them, that have any government relationship whatsoever. in fact, the state department have the vast majority because they went to dot gov accounts domestic spy programme being extended has been blocked. a programme that allows data to be collected expires on july the 1st: patty culhane has more.

>> we know the u.s. government does collect cell phone data every communication in the united states and abroad has been accessible to theme. the spy agency says they can do that because the u.s. passed the palent after the -- patriot act after the 9/11 attack. part of the law is to expire including the keeping of information on every phone in the u.s. - who you called, when how long you talked. it's needed. >> programs have been seriously vetted and given significant oversight by both the house and senate intelligence committees, and they found nothing wrong with them. they found they were illegal, effective, which was important. actually, a federal judge declared the programme il, and a justice department report says the massive programme has not worked. that's the conclusion that an independent board reached. >> and they concluded that that

programme had never contributed substantially to any terrorism investigation. it had never identified a terrorist suspect, or led to - or stopped an act of terrorism. the congress decided to keep much of the programme with a few changes. the government will keep the record. agents will need a warrant if they want to keep the data. they have to be more specific in the scope of their search. some civil liberties groups say it doesn't go far enough. >> the conversation about mass surveillance proved controversial with regard to internet spying undermining encryption and undermining internet security for everywhere. those are not reflected at all in the u.s.a. freedom act. thanks to the leaks by former contractor. they know the scope of the surveillance, and will find out how much the congress is willing to do to change it

in mali there has been more fighting between separatist rebels in the north and pro government militia. battles are taking place in manaka, despite an official ceasefire. soldiers have been accused of killing nine civilians in a village nearby. the u.n. is investigating reports of human rights abuse. >> three people have been killed and 30 wounded in grenade attacks. in burundi it happened at a market in bujumbura, weeks of unrest starting with the president's decision to run for a third term in office. and homeless children are getting caught up in the fighting director protests. haru mutasa visited a center where some children go to escape the violence. >> reporter: there's no guns police or soldiers - just food.

it's free. one less thing that the street children in burundi's capital have to worry about. it's far away from the protest against burundi's president. >> during the protest we hide in drains along the road. sometimes police find us and shoot us. >> reporter: many children come here traumatized, after hearing fighting. >> the treats -- children have to go back on the streets at night. they face harassment from security forces. this has to stop the protection of rights of children in a situation of crisis is the same as in non-crisis and everywhere is responsible. >> it's not just children living on the street who are vulnerable. parents are told to keep children at home. don't let them come onto the streets by themselves. anything can happen in the capital.

things are unpredictable. at any moment they can come onto the streets, and that's where many are caught up. >> some demonstrators thing the police will not fire at them if children are in the crowd. >> children are used as human shields, when there are violence protesters block the road police use tear gas to disperse them. >> government officials say up to 130 children have spent a few nights in police cells since the current crisis began last month. places like this offer temporary reprieve. 100 children come every day. it can be just children even if it's only for a few hours. >> more to come here on al jazeera, including an army of clean-up workers and volunteers mopping up after an oil spill in california. >> being a monk for a day, south

korea's buddhists reach out to attract new young followers.

>> guardianship imposed by the state >> they lose more rights than someone who goes to prison... >> what's being done to protect liberties in texas? >> i'm just a citizen trying to get some justice for an old man... >> an america tonight investigation only on al jazeera america thanks for joining us at al jazeera. a quick recap of the top stories. shia militia in iraq have been deployed from a base near ramadi to stop the advance of i.s.i.l. i.s.i.l.'s capture of ramadi has been a set back for the government a 3-hour gun battle in south-west mexico left 42 people

dead most were suspected gang members. it's the highest death toll from gang-related violence tins pena nieto took office 2.5 years ago. these are pictures from dublin, where vote-counting is under way in ireland's referendum only whether to legal ace same-sex marriage. an early indication is that the result will be an overwhelming yes. there has been fears battles in the yemeni port city of aden. fighters loyal to president abd-rabbu mansour hadi are fighting houthi militia in several parts of the city. the violence forced many to seek refuge in djibouti and that's where our correspondent joins us. we can see, too, jamal, that an age shift from iran docked behind you. how much will this help to

alleviate the problems faced by the refugee? >> not much anticipated arrival of the iranian trip. right behind me finally, doctors, a few hours overnight actually here in djibouti. how much will it go in terms of alleviating djibouti. not much the dire situation, those stranded in yemen, or the refugees here in djibouti so much so that the united nations, the u.n.h.c.r., the refugee agency, and the world food program and others are scrambling to help the plight of those that have been displaced and can say that the situation is so dire that it requires a lot more from the international community. an aid trip is not going to cut it. we spoke to some in the north of the country. they explained how difficult the situation was.

>> translation: under the burping sun in an all-but deserted area in djibouti they are gathered. hundreds that have run away crossing the sea. they have two children they are camped out for weeks in unbearable conditions. >> the children are finding it impossible to stay here. some of us are diabetic. some have heart problems we can't cope in the heat. there's no electricity or cold water. >> there are more than 1,000 refugees, the u.n. is struggling to cope. many have been allocated tents. in the storeroom, there's not a great deal in the way of food or clothing. holes have been dug up to service toilets. hundreds of cubicles making you want to throw up. the u.n. set up a vaccination programme and is providing clean water. the refugees say it's not

enough. >> translation: the international community has not fulfilled its obligations. especially the gulf. they should come and see how we are living. the heat is unbearable, the children are sick. >> in djibouti, they are safe. conditions at the refugee camp are dire. the united nations is doing its best, but with the influx of refugees are continuing. unless the international community acts fast. things could get worse. >> an international donors conference is expected to take place. the camp supervisor tells me it can't come fast enough. >> we call for neighbouring countries to open the door and hope that the international community will move forward in providing support. all the refugees tell us how they were terrified by the shelling, and my the houthis and forces loyal to former president

salali abdullah saleh. finding a safe place for the children is all they can think about. the children are safe they are by no means out of harm's way. diseases could spread and many have fallen sick. many hope that the world will hear their calls for help. >> as you heard, it is a dire situation. the authorities expect more refugees to come here to djibouti. as we mentioned the united nations is hoping to hold a donor's conference in the coming weeks, and hope the international community will move as swift as it can to bring together a military operation to attack yemen, and move to alleviate the suffering from a humanitarian perspective. and until that goes into actions, that seems likely to

continue thank you. >> the united nations security council has condemned the attack on a mosque in saudi arabia in which at least 21 people died. the suicide attack which has been claimeded by i.s.i.l. happened during friday's prayers in the eastern province it's home to many shia minority. >> the dutch government will push ahead with a proposal to ban face veils in some public areas. it says clothing that covers the face will not be allowed on public transport, in schools, public hospitals and government departments. >> an oil pipeline spill in the united states is raising questions about industry safety. more than 300 workers are trying to clean up the spill on the coast of california. records show that on average there's a pipeline incident every 30 hours.

rob reynolds reports from santa barbara. >> reporter: on the beech the clean up continues. workers in protective clothing hauls away sands and rocks. ships with boons keep the oil from spreading out to see. 79,000 litres spilled into the pacific on tuesday. the clean up is likely to take some time. >> the harder part will be the shore loop the beaches, the cliffs and the soil. i don't want to put a time line on that we want to make sure we do it right. it could take weeks, months. >> it is owned by a texas firm all american. environmentalists say the company owes the public answers. >> we are told that pipelines are safe. they don't spill. in this case it should have shut down immediately when the spill started, it didn't. a lot of oil got out. >> at this news conference the

company executive offered plenty of apologies, little hard information of. >> none of us nobody in the industry wants to have an incident. the residents don't. questions are being asked about the safety of other pipe lines criss-crossing the country and about whether regulations are strong enough to prevent spills like this happening again in 2010 a ruptured pipeline owned by the corporation poured more than 3 million litres of coout into the river in michigan. the biggest spill in u.s. history. one study found 1,400 pipeline spills or accidents in the u.s. between 2010 and 2013 alone. >> there is a constant this little spill, that little spill, which we don't see. >> a department of transportation report issued last year said regulation has not kept pace with the cheaping oil and gas trappings environment:

a giant oil spill here in 1969 angered people arrangement the movement. activist was a mathew santos college movement at the time. >> i'm shocked 45, 46 years later, here we are, deja vu, that we haven't learnt anything. the federal government ordered an excavation of the damaged pipe to under go tests to see why it failed. the u.n. secretary-general urged country in south-east asia to deal with the migrant crisis in the region. speaking in vietnam ban ki-moon said saving the lives should be a priority. thousands of asylum seekers from

myanmar travelled to indonesia, malaysia and thailand in the last few weeks. buddhists in south korea are gearing up for a big religious festival of the year. that's the birthday. and this year the celebrations are focussed towards attracting new members after a recent poll suggested it was declining. >> under a serene roof of lant erps, one of the -- lanterns one of the more chaotic groups. these muslims are practicing celebrations. it is part of an effort to reach out and attract new followers, trying to shift a perception of passive itty. the head of the biggest buddhist order says a new approach is needed. >> we didn't the really try to

do anything with the cultural visitors to the temples. we were passive. it may have something to do with the future of our teaching. now we are trying to adopt an aggressive strategy. >> a poll earlier this year showed the numbers of people describing themselves as buddhists fell by 8% in 10 years. 59" say religion was important to them, compared to 90% of protest ants. korean buddhist looks like a religion in decline. it faces threats from a society seek as materialistic and with less time for teachings from the buddha. and competition from others. it was not helped three years ago when video emerged of monks gambling and drinking. the order used the scandal as an opportunity to confront and resolve problems. it's reaching out with a message

tailored to seeians, about using muslims in daily life. for some it represents a departure from the core teachings. >> buddhist teaching talks about reaching the state of enlightened wisdom by emptying an eternal group of worldly goods. popular buddhism is headed in the opposite direction. >> for people like a former banker running his family's successful food business that is part of the appeal the ability to get guidance from a senior month and find the right path in business through prayer. >> businessmen running mid to small companies face employee problems. so i often pray that a lot of nice people work for me and help make the company grow. growth is preoccupying south korean buddhism as it becomes more business like and focused

on its open recruitment. >> the eiffel tower was closed for several hours. employees say they experience abuse and assault when they confront the pick pockets. management says it is working with police to find a solution. a new pew poll shows a large majority of americans identify themselves as christians, but in recent years numbers have been dropping and dropping fast. more members of non-christian religions, and more that claim no religion at all are making up a growing minority.