come back, we'll have more of "america tonight" >> u.n.e.s.c.o. world heritage site in danger. i.s.i.l. blows up shrines around the syrian city of palmyra. from al jazeera's headquarters in doha - coming up, striking port workers cause chaos in calais. migrants seize on the opportunity. hospitals and malls in pakistan struggle to cope as the death toll from a heatwave keeps boosting japan's company, a

. >> i'm nicole johnson, reporting on afghanistan's highly prized landfill ends up in finland. i.s.i.l. destroyed two ancient shrines, close to the syrian city of palmyra, a u.n.e.s.c.o. world heritage site. amateurs photographs show the shrines being blown up. smoke can be seen rising from the hilltop tomb of mohammed bin there were reports that mines prophet muhammad's cousin. there were reports that mine s were laid in the ancient city, raising fears that more art factors would be lost. i.s.i.l. vowed to destroy statues and shrines, which it regard as idol worshipping. our next guest wrote about the shrines, saying it's likely i.s.i.l. will target religious sites. >> it's entirely possible that the organization will destroy

all of the historical remnants of palmyra. they started with shrines that had islamic references. a shrine to the companion of prophet muhammad. mediaeval, and few such shrines, memorabilia as a form of idol worship. they have a severe kind of pure tan religion, were there should be nothing between the human and god. the world is waiting to see if the roman ruins at palmyra will survive. it was an important roman city, it's surviving - ruins are among extensive than in rome. it is from there that the great queen zenobia launched a revolt against rome and concurred

egypt. this could distri it a car bomb reportedly killed 10 near the syrian city of damascus. this film is said to show the scene moments after. activists say a a mosque was targeted during the ramadan prayers. the u.n. says civilians in syria are being hurt by all side in the war. people who are not involved in the fighting are being devastated by seizures imposed by the military, rebel groups and i.s.i.l. >> reporter: there's no doubt that millions of people have been affected by the war in syria. some of them hit by barrel bomb attacks launched by the government. a recent u.n. report says there has been such an attack on aleppo nearly every day this year. rebel groups used weapons in residential areas that killed people indiscriminately.

the report said military groups and rebel groups have been put under siege by blocking off access to food and other supplies. the u.n. gathered evidence from 4,000 witnesses and compiled a confidential list of perpetrators. >> in this very devastating prospect we advocate the need to stop the use of various weapons, particularly barrel bombs, dropped by government authorities, on the other front, the nongovernment group is using weapon illegally and indiscriminately in terms of attacking civilians, such is mortars or bombs made from gas cannisters. according to a report by the women's institute, women are targeted. the group interviewed some arrested by the government in 2012 and last year, recording cases of women subjected to

abuse and sexual violence. the syrian human rights network says nearly 3,000 women are in government detention centers. 120 were under 18. there are other cases of child abuse. this video online appears to show a 15-year-old begging for mercy as he's beaten by pro-government forces. another side of a war that's affect all parts of society, whether male or female, young or old. a strike by port workers in france let to chaos in calais. train services linking brit yin and france were cancelled after workers set fire it the tracks. as andrew potter reports, migrants that tried to cross into britain seized on the

opportunity. >> reporter: a blaze blocking the tracks of an important rail link. the euro star halted. >> this is the main yard heading out of calais to the eurotunnel entrance. the strike led to a traffic jam of trucks, with dozens of migrants keen to take advantage, some jumping on board.

11:00am, when we were removed. one of our colleagues was seriously wounded on his head. passengers expect to ride the train left stranded. >> we arrived here excited to find it, to get up there, only to find the steps are closed and we read on the sign everything is postponed. the french cleared the ferry workers on the tracks. stopping migrants from boarding drugs is difficult. drivers have been advised to stick together and make sure all the doors are locked. they are thought to be around 3,000 migrants living rough. waiting for a chance to make it across the english channel. >> a girl thought to be 12 years old blew herself up at a market in north-east nigeria. at least 10 have been killed, more injured. the attack coming hours after a female suicide bomber killed 20 people, when she targeted a market in maiduguri

the death toll in pakistan from an intense heatwave has risen to more than 700. morgues are overflowing and hospitals struggling. soldiers are giving out water. many are not drinking during the day because of ramadan. >> reporter: southern pakistan is sweltering. three days of high temperatures caused widespread heat stroke in the largest city karachi, hundreds of patients are being treated for dehydration and exhaustion. >> translation: her blood pressure shot up because of the intense heat. the stroke affected her hand and leg. >> most of the victims have been the elderly. this is the muslim fasting month of ramadan, and many people in pakistan abstain from food and water during the daylight hours. to complicate matters, the local electricity grid collapsed

over the weekend because of increased demand. in the city used to power cuts, many are criticizing the government. >> i'm really worried that i have no water or power in the home. i have been wandering here and there for an hour to find ice. after trying hard, i finally got little ice. >> the government is responsible for this whole crisis. the houses are deprived of power. there's no ice available in the market. the heat is unbearable. people, especially elderly, are dying in the heat. >> reporter: the army and paramilitary rangers set up heat stroke treatment centers around karachi, while schools and public offices are closed. many are hoping for relief from the clouds, with rain predicted in the coming days. the u.s. intelligence agency, the n.s.a. spied on three french presidenting. wiki leeks names france's current leader francis hollande

as one of them. according to one leak francis hollande leaked information about an exit from the eurozone. nar cosy and jacque shir abbing were also spied on it's thought greece has not offered enough reforms. many greeks think the government made too many concessions. >> they have heard the latest news from brussels, and they don't like it. after five months of tense negotiations. leaked documents suggest that the government is proposing to take 8 million more from a shrinking economy this year and next. pensioners are no longer convinced they are safe from cuts. workers face higher taxes, making the consequences difficult. they do not want to bring down

the government after 5 months in office, but promised not to pass austerity measure, greece's choice is between a bad deal and no deal. syriza's leading backbencher is likely to scuttle unity if there's a whiff of austerity, for him the fight is about ideology and numbers. >> europe is a liberal europe. it surrendered to markets. it feeds and cultivates quality and stagnation. this europe needs a change. people need hope for the future. greece is fighting this battle to bring the liberal cabal. if greece succeeds, all of europe succeeds. syriza could pass the measures. with the opposition help. divided, the government is likely to usher in new measures. and political uncertainty that

stopped the government in its tracks this year. there are decisions and conflicts elsewhere. a day earlier, in downtown athens, greeks clashed with leftists, frustration with the government increasingly obvious in the last days of talks. >> they promised our lives would change for the better. for five months we are living on the edge of our seats. we cannot plan for the future or feel hopeful. >> syriza's approval ratings are high. it might well risk an election without a deal and no nonning from its partners, that would likely lead to default on the last day of the month the followed by capital controls. an exodus from the euro may be closer than ever still to come on al jazeera - a rwandan general is arrested in the u.k. on spain's behalf testing diplomatic

relations. anger over price hikes after police unleashed water canons on protesters in armenia.

let's do a recap on the top stories on al jazeera. i.s.i.l. destroyed two ancient syrian shrines. a world u.n.e.s.c.o. site destroying shrines migrants trying to get to england from northern france are taking advantage of a strike.

many are stowing away on trucks. port workers cut off access to the tunnel setting fire to the tracks. a girl thought to be 12 has blown herself up at a market in north-east nigeria. 10 people have been killed. australia is trying to clampdown on people travelling to syria and iraq to join i.s.i.l. it's introducing a new law allowing it to block fighters. this includes anyone that joins an armed group overseas that the government defines as a terrorist organization. any person convicted of advocating extreme acts of violence. peter chen is a political science lecturer at the university of sydney and says the bill will have little effect on those the government hopes to target. >> the impact of that i think,

will be small, given that there are only a small number several hundred, it's estimated, of australian citizens who are overseas fighting in syria. a small proportion of those have dual citizenship. and a small proportion will survive the conflict or seek to return to australia. this is largely a political message from the government which came into power in 2013 with a strong national security agenda. proposals to strip citizenship are popular amongst the public well over 80% of australians support the proposal. and about three-quarters of australian thing that terrorist threat within australia has interaed. increased. that is the political context driving the legislation, rather

than specific practical need. the afghan army says it has taken bag a key district from kunduz province but they control another district in the area. jennifer glasse is following developments. >> reporter: taliban fighters are at the gates of the city. people are worried that fighters could attack meaning business could be beside. >> we have to pay the rent from savings, no one buys anything from us. everyone has left. they have gone somewhere else. >> in a field they are harvesting the fields. this person fled once from the

district. >> translation: the taliban game after us destroyed everything we had. i was injured. they hit me we came here to life our lives in the city. we are farming here to survive. all we want is peace. >> the government sent thousands of soldiers and police to fight the taliban, and they have driven the armed group from the district. >> afghan forces are starting cleaning operations. the fighters are being chosed house to house by forces. we found 85 dead body including foreign fighters so far. >> the military's progress is no consolation for the civilians of kunduz. tens of thousands have been displaced from villages. many are leaving kunduz city carrying what they can hundreds of armenian protesters sent a second night in the streets of the capital. they are refusing to go moment until the government reverses a decision to raise electricity prices.

rob matheson reports. >> reporter: the water canon knocks him off his feet. and he comes back for more. again. and again. protesters statement a sit-in on monday night. angry over the government's decision to allow a russian owned power company to increase prices by as much as 22%. tuesday morning, riot police move in. they arrest more than 250 people. more than a dozen are hurt in the skirmish. demonstrators regroup, joined by thousands more in freedom square. we cannot be stopped. it's not the first time we are beaten in the street by a lovely police officers. this time they were brutal. i do not know why. >> today i would not allow them to touch the young men, even with a finger that's why i came

here, even though i'm not that healthy. >> earlier in the day the opposition walked out of parliament over the actions of the police demanding the release of all those detained. crowds moved on this time 7,000 strong. once again they are stopped by riot police. confrontation, and support for the protesters grow. a delegation was invited to see the president. the offers were considered and turned down. the sit continues for a second night. those arrested have been released from custody, there's no solution to the upleft in armenia for years. the u.s. will send 250 tanks

and armoured vehicles and other military equipment to the n.a.t.o. allies in eastern europe. u.s. deputy secretary ash carter announced the moffatt a meeting of the -- move at a meeting of the defense chief. it's been seen as a move against russian threats. it's set to be the first deployment in communist countries since the end of the cold war 15 have been arrested in raids in bosnia and france accused of forcing young people to pick pockets. the traffickers made 2 million, and spent the cash on luxury its. >> reporter: big retail stores and websites in the u.s. continue to pull its carrying the confederate flag. google and amazon are the late tows join the boycott. the -- latest to join the boycott. it comes a day after the south

carolina governor asked lay makers to remove the flag from the state house grounds in response to the killing of nine african-americans from a church last week alan fisher reports. >> reporter: 24 hours ago you could buy flashings mugs and t-shirts with the confederate flag. not any more. ebay and others took action. people will no longer be able to buy or sell items with the flag. in a statement the retailer said: this trafficked to amazon, sales of its with the flag shot up by 3,000 per cent. it joined the boycott. visitors get this message. the decision coming after dylann roof brandished the flag after nine worshippers were shot dead.

in a church in south carolina. it led to the boycott of a flag, with opponents claiming it was a sign of racism and intolerance, and a flag used to abolish slavery in the u.s. the white house welcomed the decision from retailers. >> obviously it's a decision for individual businesses to make. the announcement from wal-mart and sears is consistent with the kind of position that they can take when it comes to the confederate flag. all the retailers confederate its >> all saw the confederate flags is a tiny percentage of sales. the carolina governor called for the flag to be removed. >> it's time to move the flag from the capital grounds. 150 years after the end of the civil war, the time has come. >> the u.s.'s biggest flagmaker was going to stop making the flag. others deciding if they, too, would drop the merchandise,

making the historic relic a thing of the past, rather than the present rwanda reacted angrily to news that its head of intelligence has been arrested in london. he is wanted in spain on suspicion of terrorism after the rwandan genocide in 1994. rwanda described the arrest as lunacy. barnaby phillips has more from london he is due to appear in the court on thursday where we'll hear the outcome of the extradition request from spain. spanish authorities indicted him for war crimes committed allegedly in the mid 90s, in the period where the rtf took power and the tutsi minority suffered a genocide. the allegation was retaliatory killings were undertaken and

that he was involved in this. he is wanted in the connection of three spanish aide workers whom it was said knew too much about the r tf's involvement in killing of hutu villages. he and the rwandan authorities deny the accusation but it's worth noting that this case puts the british authorities here in london in an awkward position. they have close ties with the rwandan government and tended to turn a blind eye to human rights abuses in that country, because they've been suppressed and see the president as an important strategic partner. the british authority will watch the outcome to this with trepidation and concern. >> the polish court found two british teenagers guilty of stealing artefacts from the auschwitz concentration camp the

it handed down a suspended sentence and allowed then to go free after they apologised. they spent monday night in gale. they could have faced up to 10 years in prison for the offense. the fall in price of afghan lamb skip is affecting the country's fur industry. some say exports are down to as much as 80%. nicole johnson reports from northern afghanistan on how sheep farmers there are coping. >> reporter: under the harsh midday sun, this man it trying to feed his sheep - without much success. >> translation: we don't have grazing land. this sheep is very thin. there's no grass. we don't have water. they drink at a garbage tip and get sick. >> reporter: these sheep are highly regarded for their meat wool and landskin, which has tight soft curls.

when times are tough and farmer canned afford to raise the lambs, they kill the new borns for their pelts. >> from the farm it is sold in the market to the export traders. a lot of bargaining goes on to secure a deal as well as checking the quality of skins to see if they are meeting export standard. he has brought some skips, but can't get the price he wants. neither can this man. he walked out in disgust. farmers say insecurity across the north made grain prices expensive. preventing them from taking sheep to the mountains to graze. exporters had problems too. business collapsed. exporters sold 10% of their stocks, at a loss. a skin we bought for $40, sold for $10. it is a crisis. thousands of people are employed

washing, drying and sorting the pelts. extinguish last year over half a million was solted. it sounds like a lot. but not when you consider that 30 years ago afghanistan was selling the over 1.5 million a year. regardless the largest exporter is optimistic. >> at any price, people who like fashion will buy it. even though we made a loss we'll pay the farmers for their skin. many farmers don't agree. the pelts pile up at a main auction house in helsinki finland, and traders talk about the good old days hoping someone discovers a new market for them. the question however, is where some stunning images out of the u.s. now. and this is a time lapse video

of the northern lights near minneapolis. a severe solar storm slammed earth, creating the shimmering pole polar site. more from the website, aljazeera.com. strait. plus up close and personal. how a documentary film can help change the conversation in america about gun violence. this week or next the united states supreme court is expected to deliver a potentially history-making decision on gay marriage. right now, as the map shows, gay marriage is legal in 37 states