>> part of our month long look at working in america. "hard earned". >> hello there. i'm julie mcdonald. this is the news hour live from london. coming up heavy gunfire and multiple explosions in central kabul as a heavily fortified guesthouse comes under attack. we'll have the very latest from afghanistan. rallying to recapture ramadi ramadi shia militias say they're heading the offense

against isil in iraq. thousands of people are thought to be traffic migrants. >> rafael nadal is off to a winning start. and >> hello everyone. welcome to this hour of news. we begin with our breaking news. there has been heavy gunfire and several explosions in central kabul. the target is a heavily fortified guesthouse. jennifer glasse joins us from kabul. what more do we know at this stage? >> well, they attacked again two and a half hours ago. we saw lots of gunfire and explosions. it seems to be over. eyewitnesses tell me that they are on their way to that

guesthouse. police tell al jazeera that they believe as many as six attackers were involved, including a suicide-bomber at the gates. other attackers tried to get inside. two weeks ago not far away a couple of miles away 14 people were killed in another guesthouse in town. but this had obviously been a complex attack, a very concerted attack. very well guarded and with taking a lot precautions to try to prevent something like this from happening. the police were on the scene for several hours. they broke street lights to make sure that the attackers could not see them coming.

eyewitnesses say it seems to be winding down right now with ambulances head together scene. >> jennifer glasse on the line from kabul. thank you. to iraq now where an operation to drive the islamic state in iraq and the levant from anbar province. the soldiers will be supported by shia militias who played a key role in clawing back the area from isil. they don't think that the anbar offensive will take very long. however, their investment is racing fierce because most of anbar's oppositealation is sunni. anbar's capital ramadi fell to isil just a week ago. a major defeat for iraqi forces. it is 115 kilometers away from baghdad. we have reports on the outside skirts of anbar province. >> iraqi security forces gather

on the edge of ramadi prepare to go retake the city which fell from fighters to the islamic state in iraq and the levant more than a week ago. [ gunfire ] it's likely to be a long operation. there are reports of isil fighters prepareing to meet government security forces. they'll lead the operation from shia militia many of which are supported from iran and airstrikes by a coalition of countries led by the united states. the e. coli arm are gearing up with other politicians. it's feared that isil fighters could push into baghdad. to prevent that from happening this man is securing the outskirts of the capital. the

>> each militia has its own identity but all fight thunder banner including this sunni fighter group. fort flying baghdad comes with unique challenges. this is the bridge the last safe place to cross from anbar province into baghdad. with the operation under way it's likely we'll see more scenes like this. fears of what comes next are common here. >> as long as we sunnies sunnies are marchsunnies are marginalized. >> they'll open and close this bridge at random aware that fighters will disguise as displaced people. >> there is a huge challenge on its hands in securing western anbar province and defeating

isil but it's not just within anbar province but securing baghdad as well. many people say if baghdad falls then isil has won. but there are other significant challenges. that includes finding homes for these people who are fleeing the violence and making sure that they get back home eventually. al jazeera on the outskirts of anbar province. >> the iraqi forces that pled ramadi were suffering from low morale and a poor command structure and the opening sectarian code named given by to the offensive is, quote unhelpful. syria's air force has carried out an attack in the northeast. syria's state news agency said that 45 were killed in al raqqa.

an isil stronghold. al jazeera cannot independently verify those reports. syrian government planes attacked a refugee camp in damascus reportedly dropping six barrel bombs on the camp, home to some 6,000 palestinian refugees. isil fighters also attacked the camp last month. well, a former iraqi deputy ambassador to the united nations, and he joins me now live to talk about the situation in iraq. hello there, thank you very much for joining us. we heard from the pentagon that they're telling us that iraqi troops outnumbered isis 10-1, but it's simply not just a numbers game, is it? >> no, that's right. unfortunately, during the tenure of previous prime minister the iraqi armed forces were

seriously degraded because he was afraid that there would be a coup. the united states policymakers were very much aware of this. i have a senior political maker tell me that the then prime minister was coup-proofing the army in 2011. really it should not be a surprise to american policymakers that the iraqi armed forces are under equipped and under trained and that there are really problems with the officers because they were selected by the previous prime minister based upon their party loyalty and personal loyalty to him rather than competence. in iraq we fired the prime minister responsible for the fall of mosul a year ago. in the united states policymakers who were responsible for iraq's policy over the prior fire years six years, not only were not fired they were promoted.

>> how successful do you think the shia militias are lying lie to be in counter be isil. they are renown for different fighting much more efficient than argued. ordinary iraqis are volunteering to protect their home lapped against this common threat of isil. they have been accused i don't take a position other than to say that they are accused and the prime minister have said that both allegations need to be investigated. we do have to make that distinction. we also have to note that there

are decisions made on the allegations made about isil. >> do you think it's correct to stick to the plan of simply airstrikes? >> well, i don't think. it's not worked. someone said that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. it is not working. in order for a successful fight against isil the iraqi government not only have to reform the iraqi military, but that also they needed to engage in meaningful reconciliation, and genuine power sharing. now over the last year the u.s. has not executed it's own policy in respect to that, it has not

insisted or encouraged power sharing and reconciliation in iraq and the consequences of laser like action. they need more coordinated strategy beyond airstrikes. >> thank you for joining us with your views. thank you. >> my pleasure, thank you. >> now malaysian police have begun the grim task of exhuming the bodies from jungle graves. they were discovered on thailand thailand's border. >> it is a shallow unmarked grave. they're trying to find what is unearthed there. they mind human remains wrapped in a white cloth.

>> we're still digging up the graves. we can't tell you how many bodies there are except for the ones we found today. >> the police suspect there have almost 40 graves in the area. they're likely to be migrants or refugees when have been trafficked into malaysia. authorities say they believe this camp has been abandoned for 13 years. much of the structure is in ruins. you can eit was big enough to hold 200 people. all around the camp there are signs that people lived here. plates pieces of cloth that may have been curtains and crudely built cages where human traffickers kept their cargo.

it's one of 28 human trafficking camps found by the malaysian police over the weekend. less than a month after thai authorities found the camps. the majority of refugees are thought to be rohingya. they escaped by sea and have been brought over land through thailand and malaysia. thousands of them are thought to be adrift at sea after police in thailand started cracking down on human trafficking. they denied the the existence of these camps. there is no indication that the human trafficking send cates have been broken up. al jazeera. malaysia. >> coming up later in the news hour. questions over building safety

after fatal fire in china. plus the children who fled to safety. >> he is free to say what he wants to say. >> finds out what the president thinks about being describeded as a dictator by this playing legend. >> u.n. sponsored peace talks on yemen which were meant to begin on thursday have been postponeed. meanwhile in yemen itself fighters loyal to the exiled government captured a key city to aden.

>> meanwhile one civilian has been killed and five injured near the yemeni border. in northern yemen seven members of one family have been killed by saudi-led airstrikes. india's heatwave have killed many people. with the blisteringly hot conditions set to continue for another week officials are urging residents to stay hydrated and remain indoors as much as possible. >> at least nine people have been killed in the u.s. states of texas and oklahoma and 30 more are missing in the wake of a flash flood. it was likened to a sunni. hundreds were stranded and

hundreds of home were destroyed. and more bad weather is expected. let's go live to the texan town of wimberly. how is that search operation going? >> welcome the search operation for 12 people who are still missing this entire region has been hit particularly hard, but we came to the town of wimberley, the town of 2600 people because this really has been the epicenter of how bad it's really been. this is the blanco river you can see over my shoulder. it was a flood of water as residents described it to me.

this river crested at 44 feet 13 meters, and if completely wiped out all these giant trees along the banks of the river maybe more importantly over my right shoulder was the rio bonito resort. it had 14 cabins here that had been in the family for five generations, all cabins completely destroyed. the cabins were lifted off thoroughtheir foundations and they drifted down stream. people have been telling us how their livelihoods have been destroyed. that's what we've been hearing over and over today. the scenes of destruction are really bad here and they're expecting more rain in the coming days. river has not risen this high

since 1926. this flooding here, for example in the city of houston has turned major roads and thorough areas into rivers as well, as well as the town of san antonio. it's been historic flooding that has hit this part of the united states. thank you. just across the border, mexico, the number of people killed by a tornado ripped through the city and has risen to 14. a baby's body was rescued after being torn from its mother's arms. the twister has injured 300 people and destroyed or damaged 5,000 homes. china state news agencies say 12 nursing home employees are in custody after a care home they were in care of was destroyed in a fire.

from china adrian brown has the story. >> this is all that remains at the happy garden care home where so many perished. almost all of the building was destroyed, suggesting cheap materials were used in its construction. this is one of the poorest areas in china. the evening meal had been eaten and most of the residents had gone to bed. some were very frail so would have had little chance of escape from the flames and smoke. many did make it to safety, but by tuesday night rescue crews were involved in an operation. it's been two years since 11 people died in a fire at another home for the elderly. china's president chicago chicago ping has ordered an investigation promising anyone found responsible would be

found. many of the dead were in are a dormitory reserved for the infirmed. they couldn't move without help. and there wasn't much help after the fire broke out. adrian brown al jazeera, in central china. >> libbylibya's government was forced to abandon a session when a fire was set in a car. the latest discorruption for libya's elected parliament, which has had trouble to stamp its authority over an increasingly fragmented country. thank you very much for joining us on the program.

what is the significance of the way this is being reported do you think. he was an victim of an assassination attempt. it looks--within the camp of t tobruk you saw them with an attempt on his life. it looked like a power struggle to marginalize it's power.

i think the prime minister is leaning towards the compromised side where the military elements and other elements are leaning towards the eradication side. >> we have this power struggle. libya as a whole is increasingly fractured. just give me a picture of how fractured it's become. >> it's very disturbing. you have four civil wars going on in libya. one in the northeast where the action is going in bengahzi. and you have also a situation in the northwest tripoli is under

control of the gnc and other areas in the northwest is not. and then you have two tribal civil wars in the western southeast between and clashes in the arab tribes in the southeast. you have a very complex situation. two rubles, two governments two armies who are not in control of libya. and in the middle of this you have regionsal sponsors, specifically the regime in egypt and other areas in the gulf who believe that this conflict can be settled by irradicating one side, which is not achievable and not sustainable. in the middle of this you have the u.n. envoy but the media the local media in libya is not

helping because compromising has become a dirty word. >> thank you for your thoughts. >> this is about as much as anybody knows tuesday. the officials state news the ongoing talks over its nuclear programs. >> iran said that this has to do with jay con's conduct. i can only believe that the timing suggests with a

connection. and there is a close tie that this would improve their position at the bargaining table. >> but the obama administration has not linked his case to the talks. >> the nuclear talks are about the nuclear talks. we take the opportunity to raise concerns we have about american citizen who is are detained or missing or on trial. >> the foreign minister blamed a low level u.s. operative for the arrest. >> there are people who take advantage of the needs of others. they get visas to come to the united states and then make demands that are illegal and dangerous and damaging to the professionalism of a journalist.

>> jason did apply for a visa for his wife, and he asked for the u.s. to speed it up because in his words iran could become a dangerous place for journalists. but he insists he was not asked for anything in return. >> he's committed to the fight. it's what he has said consistently when he saw my mom when he met with his lawyer. i want to defend himself. i want everyone to know that i'm innocent. >> he might have a chance to do that now but only he and the few people will be able to judge the strength or weakness of the case bees made against him. >> still to come here on al jazeera. the financial black hole that's cast new doubts over russia's space program. a fire from an erupting volcano's on the galapagos islands.

>> a reminder of the top stories

here on al jazeera. there has been heavy gunfire in the center of the afghan capital of kabul. the target is thought to be a heavily fortified guesthouse in an area where there are foreign embassies. >> military forces taking back anbar from isil. forensic teams in malaysia have begun to exhume bodies from the shallow graves. they're believed to be bodies of migrants from myanmar and bangladesh. in >> they know this won't protect them from bullets and tear gas. but protesters in burundi say

there is little they can do, so they keep going. then in a matter of seconds they are dispersed. they haven't gone fire. they're awaiting for the police to move on. >> the police are shooting at us. they're hurting people. >> they protest against the president running for a third term. >> i don't want him at all. we say no to him. the police seem to know what the protesters are planning. they arrive slowly out on to the streets. they say they want to march into the city center. it's been a month of back and forth, but it seems the protests are spreading beyond the capital. at least one person was shot and killed during a protest in the

south of burundi. the president said he won't give up his plans for running for a third term, which is against the constitution. well thousands of people have been trying to escape the unrest of burunid. >> mothers and children by the hundreds boarding boats to get as far away from the fighting in burundi as they can. many children who have lost their parents like this 16-year-old, after they landed in tanzania, this girl and her two siblings were taken to the stadium for shelter. >> the situation in our country is getting worse every day.

we have no parents and nobody to protect us. people are killed or beaten up. that's the reason why we decided to leave. >> 1,200 unaccompanied children have been registered in this camp alone. >> this is largely a crisis facing children. 83% of the population on the move that had been registered in tanzania children. >> color are a is a major problem in tanzania's refugee camps. aid groups are racing to bring sanitation and supplies and psychological care. >> 30 social workers that have been training in child protection for identification, the documentation and the identification of options for these children. >> while they seek shelter here the refugees say they have

little faith in finding a peaceful solution back home. burundi has had a terrible past of het nick mass killings. for this girl, her parents were killed by militias when she was just nine years old. they want to make a new life in tanzania because they have little learn to return home. >> vigilante groups in nigeria say 37 people have been killed by boko haram fighters in the northeast. the armed group launched it's assaults on saturday evening. civilian fighters say that boko haram destroyed 400 buildings including eight mosques and four schools. united nations' children agency is warning of a marked increase in boko haram's use of children as suicide-bombers. this attack ten days ago is believed to have been carried out bay young girl.

unicef said that in the first five months of 2015 the number of reported suicide-bombings was 27 compared to 26 for the whole of last year. a dispute had led to the worst power shortage in nigeria in decades. >> it's decision time for kareem and his friends. the examinations are here. they must pass their grades in order to progress. without electricity at home they're forced to revise their notes in an unusual environment under street lambs on a major highway. >> i'm here because there is no electricity in our area. there, there is electricity

we're facing practical activities. but there is no electricity. >> the chronic power problem across the country is forcing students like him to take desperate majors. a wrong turn by a truck could be disaster rouse. >> the children stay here to read despite the risks. they're not sure how long it willen before that's streets are plunged into darkness. >> teachers say that students' grades are falling along with the education sector. >> it affects the quality of education they're getting and it effects the output coming from the students. it has impacted in such a way that it has affected how the

teachers teach. >> just last week the government said an electricity generation hit an all-time low for a population of 117 million people. it blames sabotage of oil and gas pipelines as well as oil workers' strike. with chronic shortage of petrol and diesel, most places, including hospital, are finding it difficult to deliver services. in a few days a new government will have to deal with corruption to energy crisis. still, many nigeriaens are hopeful of change. al jazeera nigeria. >> well, much of the fuel smuggled out of nigeria ends up in nearby togo.

they say illegal business is the only thing keeping them off the streets. >> these containers are filled with fuel from nigeria. both arrive nearly every day. the smugglers throw the containers over board and the tide brings them in. this is the beach on togo's border. the fuel smuggling business here is thriving. we have to film in secret because the people here don't want outsiders to see this. traders come from all over togo to buy fuel here. in the capital they sell it along the roadside. it's the way most people get around in togo. on a good day this fellow says that he could take home $40. he does not want us to show his face. >> i know its illegal but if it weren't for this, maybe i would

be on the streets or an armed robber. my life would be meaningless good for nothing. now i'm focused on my own business. >> the customer tells us that it's not just because of the price that he buys from the roadside. >> at the fueling stations they cheat you. i prefer to buy from the roadside because i can see the amount of fuel that i'm getting for my money. >> this is cheaper than going to the filling station. from time to time the police come and seize all their goods but it does not deter them. one of them also said it's about convenience because in some parts of the country it's hard to find a fuel station. >> there are no fuel stations. we push the vehicle to the border towns for the fueling. go to some district and

villages and you won't feel a fuel station. >> he said that the government needs to build more fuel stations or regulate the sellers so they operate safely and can pay tax. that's an idea that the sellers don't like. they say in the absence of other legitimate work they would rather stay on the ground and make money this way. al jazeera. >> european unions record agency said that it will expand its search and rescue operations in the mediterranean. that follows last month's e.u. decision for triple funding making the dangerous journey. in greece hundreds of people have arrived on the islands. greece is one of the countries shouldering the biggest burden of migrant numbers. a 14-year-old boy in us three i can't who dangleed bomb making plans on his games' cancel has been sentenced to two years in jail.

he pleaded guilty to terrorism charges. his playstation included instructions and would make contact with isil in syria. he'll serve a sentence in juvenile detention. lawyers for greenpeace intrahave launched a legal challenge against the government's decision to block it's with a bank account. the ngo is accused of acting against national interests. we have reports now from new delhi. >> coal helps to meet india's energy needs and the government wants more from it. this >> what we were trying to

amplify were the voice of indian citizens against a foreign corporation registered in a foreign country. how can you say that what we were doing is anti-national? >> the government claims greenpeace india has broken the rules governing ngo which receive foreign in airplane the government froes greenpeace india's bank account. >> those who were doing verified work there are 22,000 ngos and the surprising point is a vast total majority of them don't even file their annual reports. >> the executive director of greenpeace india aid that the organization will stick to its

mandate. >> up. >> we'll continue. >> india needs energy to speed up economic growth. the government sees lots of potential in coal. with the fourth largest coal reserves in the world india will increase it's use. >> many fear that this latest tussle between ngos like greenpeace india and the government is a worrying sign of things to come. >> sanjay is a senior advocate of the supreme court of india. he said these are the hallmarks of paranoid governments. >> every organization will have a breach of one or another. but in this response that is

essentially saying a message. you're using a hammer to kill a fly. >> some of the organizations on the end of this message say this is not only a matter of government policy but also survival. al jazeera new del will. >> vladimir putin's hopes of restoring the russian space program back to its soviet glory has met problems. now it follows recent rocket launch failures that are shaking international faith in russia's space industry and put commercial contracts in jeopardy. we have more now from moscow. >> another embarrassing embarrassing and huge set back.

the state auditor says it has evidence of misappropriation of $718 billion in state money by the federal space agency. now it says the majority of the old gas stations gasof the allegations are being focused on one of putin's pet projects. there were homes that there would be hotels and space tourism to be conducted at this plant. now president putin himself placed an additional $1 billion with a staunch warning of corruption, and it looks like that warning has not been heed: this has huge implications for the future of russia's space agency. it is a huge embarrassment for president putin and it has massive implications for just how much can really be done in

cracking down on those corruption here in the space agency. >> a cool vain know on one of ecuador's galapagos islands has erupt: the volcano which has been inactive for 33 years erupted on monday. lava was seen pooing down pouring down on the island. >> unveiling the reinvention of the piano. >> and in sport find out if this camera shy individual can shake off his nerves in sign for his latest victories.

[ piano music ] >> he has played piano all of his life. but this is the first piano with his name on it.

from the outside it looks like a modern piano. but inside there is a different design. you can see how the strings run in straight lines. that's what creates the different sound. a warmer sound closer to what composers would have had almost two hundred years ago. >> considered the world's greatest all around musician. as a conductor he has tried to build bridges through music. [ music ] >> he likens his role as pianist to solving a political problem.

>> it is as if each note is there for itself. and you the pianist has to give them a feeling of solidarity. but i feel very inspired with it. >> but listening to him talk to the instrumented builder it sounds like there is more tweaking to do. up. >> so far 24 is one of only two in the world. a rare reinvention that would be kept under wraps until he runs his fingers into it this week in london. al jazeera london. >> now here's andy with all the days' sports. >> thank you. nadal is off to a raining start.

he had an easy time of it in the first round. in straight sets usually the spaniard has been beaten five times this season. >> i'm here to try to avoid that and i'm here to try to play goods tennis, and to give me a chance to play well, and and my goal is the same always. >> this is the one major title to allude world number one djokovic. he's now won 23 consecutive matches. >> obviously it's been a year.

my opponent has shown especially in the second set why he has been around the tore and successful, consistent player for so many years. >> and serena williams is chasing her 20th grand slam title. the number one is the favorite to take the win. number 16 is out. the canadian beaten in straight sets. bouchard has lost eight of her last nine matches. and number four seat went on to defeat new zealand's marina. >> it was very difficult today.

sometimes i could not win my serve. it was a little difficult. but i'm still in and i'm still playing. >> fifa's president has shrugged off claims from opposition for his job. he said he wasn't prepared to leave. he said we're not leaving under a tick dictatorship. >> he is free to say what he wants to say. he is a free man and if he say that then you ask him why. >> how does it make you feel? >> listen, i have received so many titles.

i'm still the president. until friday 6:00. >> now benitez and the club president are in press conference with. he is at firefighter to replace ancelotti who was fired on monday. benitez did well at the spanish league at valencia. later we spoke with ben hayward. >> they have spoken 12 years winning, and ancelotti brought that trophy to them. it was like the holy grail. the fans were happy and the press liked him: players came out to say that they played the best football of their career under ancelotti.

the players didn't want the change. the fans didn't want a change. yes, they wanted to win trophies trophies, but ample ancelotti is the only to bring four trophies. it's believed, now this isn't an upgrade. benitez is not a better coach than ancelotti. >> extending the over all lead after in giro d'italia. he would finish third with landa taking the stage. pakistan's cricketers claiming the win over zimbabwe after tuesday's wins. smashed 375-3.

security concerns mean. bolt will have to do better than the 2008 olympics where he won three goals. the. >> one of the nba's highest rated players said he'll be ready to carry on. steph curry for the golden state warriors. he played no further part of the game but there was no serious

damage. golden state lead the western conference finals 3-1. >> i felt like i was in the air a long time and trying to ways yourself and once i hit the ground i heard voices from trainers and people telling me to take my time, and not rush it. i wanted to make sure to pass all the tests that they needed to do so i could get back on the floor. >> that is how sport is looking for now. >> andy, thank you. you can find much more on our website. why not take a look at that. the address for that is www.aljazeera.com. you can get all the latest on those multiple explosions that happened in an expensive area of kabul in an heavily fortified area. we'll be back with all of the

day's news.