>> a deadly day for iraq, soldiers in their fight against i.s.i.l. in anbar eight suicide car bombs are used in a single attack. hello there i'm julie ann mcdonald. al jazeera live from london. coming up. millions of farmers are starving. one in syria homes to win the fight against hunger. african union calls for calm and

for presidential elections to be postponed. more migrants arrive in italy. we meet one woman whose three year desperate journey could soon be over. hello there. fighters from the islamic state of iraq and the levant have launched a number of attacks on iraqi military targets in anbar province. i.s.i.l. fighters detonated eight car bombs near the army's headquarters in fallujah killing at least 20 soldiers. in a separate assault another 13 soldiers died on a rocket attack on the heavy air base east of rah ma la. ramallah. >> iraqi military analysts say

the security forces don't have the kind of reconnaissance and intelligence to be able to stop these car bombs. some of the weapons they are using are ineffective against car bombs. i.s.i.l. is becoming very very good at, splitting forces in half and able to attack military basebases. habanea air base are is where the majority of iraqi security forces are based, that is not to say they haven't had some successes, they are using those staging posts after they clear them of i.s.i.l. fighters for this push into ramadi. it docks look like we've seen an

escalation in the violence in the last 24 hours. >> i.s.i.l. also claims to have taken control of key villages in northern province of aleppo. strategically important situated on the road to the opposition forces. 16 have also been all righted to be killed in government shelling in idlib. syrian activists say mostly women and children, 25 have been killed. barrels of fuel apparent caught fire in the syrian city, it happened while families were waiting to have their children vaccinated. 220,000 people have died in the four years of syria's war. 10 million are still going hungry. lack of security access means

it's lard to feed everyone. but a new scheme aims to help syrians help themselves. >> reporter: providing food for the hungry people of syria it was set up in the opposition part of the country eight months ago. some have the option of buying into a cooperative that make a living off the farm. >> the aim of the project is to provide food security in aleppo. >> it's founded by the koran society, a u.s. based charity. >> it creates food security for syrians. it creates the kind of food security and also general life security for the people that we serve. and that's why we are so passionate about giving this kind of smart aid.

>> reporter: people without food in war zones are vulnerable not just to malnutrition but to malnutrition but to exploitation. the world food program also can't gets into eastern and western gutta including duma and yarmouk. some people are so desperate to find food they resort to eating whatever's available. like in yarmouk refusing camp one of the places that has been blocked off from food supplies and aid. >> in syria what we are seeing is two tactics using food as a weapon of war. they are confiscating the farm

production, including farms and markets. the second is that they are impeding access to humanitarian aid. >> the farmers in aleppo with the help of international donors have created something more sustainable. there are more than 4,000 people who need more food in this neighborhood alone. and at least with this project a growing number of people know where their next few meals are coming from. caroline malone, al jazeera. >> well, there's been more heavy fighting between houthi rebels and progovernment forces in the southern yemen city of ta'izz. on the border with saudi arabia, saudi border guard was killed and seven others wounded in saudi shelling by the rebels. speaking at a outpress

conference withspeaking at a pressconference. >> we look forward to the day we can have normal relations with iran. this depends how iran will behave and depends how iran will stop supporting terrorism and stop interfering in other countries' international affairs. >> mohamed sultan has arrived back in the u.s. the egyptianian american was arrested in 2013 and sentenced to life in prison. he had been on hunger strike for over a year. now this past week has seen the largest number of migrants crossing the mediterranean so far this year with more than 4200 people rescued from boats

at sea. the sicilian boat of augusta 17 people died making the crossing and they were rescued off the libyan coast on friday. our hoda abdel hamid was there. >> some dna samples will be taken, in case some relatives come looking for them. none of them had i.d.s so it was difficult for authorities to contact families back home. eventually they will be buried in cemeteries around sicily. authorities will question the other migrants on that rubber dinghy. as sad as the story is it's the story of hundreds of survivors 400 alone on the ship that inspired so many migrants to take their chance across the mediterranean.

we met one young lady, from air trea it took her three years before she set foot in southern italy. her namely is salam and this is her story. >> this is the moment she has been looking for a chance for a good life apart from the life she was born into. it took salam years to reach. salam is the girl in the back in white and orange, tense and silence. there were no smite at the time. >> translator: the prison was awful, we knew nothing where we were for how long. i was thinking all the time, what will i do? where will i go? how? i thought it was the end. the day you came to visit we

were happy we were hoping you could get us out but the next day they took us to tripoli they put us in a building and were not allowed out no. we paid. we paid the sea smuggler $2,000 and he paid the guys at the prison and we left. first, we walked in the sea. the water was up to my chest. then we got on a small boat and then we reached the big boat. >> reporter: on her third day in italy by coincidence or perhaps by fate we meet again. on the sidewalk outside a reception center for newly arrived migrants. beside her were other girls travel companions, meeting on the trip through sahara desert.

salamm's pregnant. soon she will be on the move again. she wants to reach her cousin who's already in denmark. >> i found europe just like i dreamt of it. my country is nice. if there was no war i would have stayed there but there is no work. i still don't know h will travel. there are other people i might travel with them then i will study, first learn the language then work. any job. whatever will give me some money. i have nothing now brut i am happy, i'm out of libya. >> here i can walk around, even sleep in the streets. no one attacks you. here there is peace and safety.

>> at the moment her most prized possession is this piece of paper filled with phone numbers along with lots of hope that her dream of a new life could finally come true. now her story is one common to most of the migrants. they do arrive here exhausted. we saw some young men so afraid they had to be carried off the ship. they are safe but visible they are still illegal immigrant no money. they will go first north where they know someone where they believe their most jawboned, on their last leg of the join and then once they arrive there they will have to adapt to a whole new world a whole new way of life, they will have to learn the language, find jobs and as most of them say they will have

to do that quickly because their families back home are completely indebt end. >> that was hoda abdel hamid with that amazing story. ahead on al jazeera why the united states intelligence agency is racing against time to keep a key spy tool which is illegal. nepal opposite its action a month after it suffers an earthquake.

>> reminder now of those tomstories here on al jazeera.

13 soldiers have died in a rocket attack by i.s.i.l. fighters, near ramadi. car bombs were set off killing nearly 20 soldiers. armed group has taken control of key villages in syria's northern province of aleppo, situated on the road towards two opposition strongholds. and the past week has seen the largest number of migrants crossing the mediterranean so far this year with more than 4200 people rescued from boats at sea. most recentness rifles were brought into the sicilian port of augusta. supporting the be idea of a

palestinian state when campaigning this march. innocent said israel had to recognize palestine as an independent state in order for those talks to continue. >> if the conditions change and an important part of those conditions is a willingness of the palestinians to stop the attempt to isolate and to delegitimize israel, come back to the table and negotiate the real peace then that is possible. >> meanwhile more than 2,000 couples have taken part in a mass wedding in gaza, sponsored by the turkish government. the event was to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the deadly attack by the israeli navy when it was part of a flotilla trying to braing break the gaza blockade.

turkey is constructing 20 tower blocks in gaza to replace housing destroyed in israeli attacks. burundi's month of violent protests after pierre nkurunziza' decision to you run for president. haru mutasa has more from the capital bujumbura. >> reporter: african leaders chose their words very carefully. some svelte they weren't tough enough on nkurunziza, urging him to delay elections at least a month and a half, young people have been accused by opposition

members. peaceful solution out of this crisis. how has the opposition reacted? some are saying they are not happy, delaying the polls is not the issue. the african leaders is just prolonging a crisis. they didn't want nkurunziza to run for a third term because it violates the constitution. they are still going to go back on the streets and protest because they are un.happy, despite a heavy security presence on the ground. >> politician he in the u.s. are planning to have a last ditch effort in the senate, some parts of the controversial patriot act expiring. that would put an end to the u.s. thoarts being able authorities being able to collect business records and telephone calls.

shihab rattanzi is here. hello shihab. >> they expect section 215 to expire along with a couple of other provisions in the operate rot and and another act. let's be clear, this is not if about the u.s.'s ability to surveil data of americans, this is one provision that we're focusing on section 215 which has been used by the government to basically hoover-up all the metadata, the duration of the calls the call numbers and that has caused outcry, there's constitutional prohibitions

against be be mining of privacy. senator rand paul says he will not give his consent on the freedom act a way to do away with some of the egregious problems with section 215 and how it has been used by the government. senator rand paul says it hasn't done enough, all the ways the u.s. government is failing their own people, without cause unconstitutionally. the sense this law will expire at midnight and we may have a vote on the u.s.a. freedom act later in the week so it's so controversial in the u.s. >> what kind of happens to thee programs do they lapse if i can use that word?

>> yes actually, we've heard that the obama administration didn't even ask for permission from the courts, they have been dialing this back for some time. we heard in march that the nsa was already thinking of scaling back their bulk collection of telephone data, in recent no sir they have said that no counterterrorism operations have benefited from this mass collection of data. if it goes it kc reinstated in the next couple of days, there is the freedom act that would begin easy give the government the able to search through records. but what rand paul was saying rather than lose this opportunity to have a real debate about surveillance, without discussing what's going on now.

>> shihab rattanzi, thank you. the secretary of state of state of the u.s. has broken his leg. john kerry was bicycling in the swiss alps. european union leaders have reacted angryily to russia's attempt to impose travel bans. simon mcgregor wood has the story. >> reporter: the eu is calling it arbitrary and unjustified. 89 are from a dozen eu countries. like the soon to be foreign minister to gecialg angela merkel. >> at a time when we are trying to defuse a dangerous conflict in europe this does not

controvert that. >> guy verhostet. and from sweden, member of a of the european parliament. >> we are on this list because we express our mind. it is expression of freedom and democracy. their list is not moderated at all. russia has not contacted me at all. >> russia's ban on these citizens is a cold war style ban. some have noticed the russian list concentrates on eu states that have been be especially harsh on their bans. >> by looking at this list you

could draw a map the map of russia's friends and russia's opponents, inside european union, so it's very selective actually. >> reporter: tensions in eastern ukraine remain high. there's sporadic shelling and russia is conducting exercises on ukraine's border again. the minsk agreement is still not implementand both ukrainian and western officials fear russia and its allies are gearing up for another round of fighting. russia admits there is another list of banned u.s. officials but that has yet to be published. simon mcgregor wood, al jazeera, london. >> china has reacted angrily to u.s. criticism of reclaims land in the south china sea. the ongoing diplomatic row has dominated a meeting on regional

security in singapore. jerald tan explains in more detail. >> the south china sea rich in marine resource he and minerals. a third of the world's shipping passes through he here. the shore line is shared by eight countries each with claims to the sea many of which overlap. china's claims are by far the most extensive around include the vast majority of the sea but these two sets of islands are the main focus of territorial spats and china's ambitious land reclaimation program. be surveillance shows construction, to the south in the are splealts, spratleys.

>> they are justified letting and reasonable. they do not aim to appear as a threat to another country or affect navigation. >> chinese aircraft recently challenged a u.s. surveillance plane, over the spratleys. that was addis this would mean all aircraft military or sifn wouldcivilian would have to ask permission to enter the area. >> schoolchildren have gone back to school in nepal. as harry fawcett reports teachers are working hard to make lessons as normal as possible. >> it's a big day after 40 days

it's time to take out uniforms, pack school bags, remember how to tie a tie. >> i want to play board games and hide and seek with my friends. i want to hang out and find out what happened to the houses. >> reporter: finishing touches come from their mother, along with reminders not to panic if there's another earthquake. >> i know they will be safe at school but i'm still worried. my mind is not at ease here today. >> his home was one of many to crumble in kathmandu. school staff assure that their building has been declared safe. even this a welcome chance for a laugh with friends. across nepal schools were marking an important day. here at pattan haya, the principal welcomed students far more than he expected.

they were safe in the open, if the ground shook it would be just like dancing. >> translator: their minds are full of fear but when they're in school they become engaged in activities such as this and our objective is to get them imr acting. >> all of this is happening pretty much in the shadow of the original school building, which is just over here. it was damaged in the quake. the cracks are visible but worse inside. that red sticker means it's condemned. the principal wants the government to act as quickly as possible to bring it down to prevent any further threat to the children. 8500 schools across the country have been damaged beyond repair. many are not in a position to put on lessons and games but all are being asked to do something today to show the earthquake only interrupted and didn't destroy the education that their

children deserve. harry fawcett, al jazeera nepal. >> you can find out much more on our website. you can see our headline about what's happening in syria. the address for that is www.aljazeera.com. i'm "ali velshi on target" tonight - hard choices for the world's soul superpower. three competing visions of american foreign policy, and a battle for breathing room in the bronx, targetting trucks to fight pollution in a poor neighbourhood in less than a year and a half the american people will elect a new president. that man or woman will play a critical role in d