the unesco world heritage site in danger. isil destroys islamic shrines around the sane she wants syrian city of palmyra. hello there, i am laura kyle from doha. also ahead hospitals and the d the death toll from a heat wave keeps rising. striking port workers cause chaos in calais with migrants sizing the opportunity to cross -- seizing the opportunity to cross the channel. amazon and google are the latest

retailers to pull confederate flag merchandise from their sites. isil has destroyed two islamic shrines. close to palma palmyra. these photographs show the shrines being blown up. smoke could be seen rising from the too many of a companion of the prophet mohammed cousin, mines had been laid in the ancient city raising fear that his might artifacts will be lost. isil has vowed to destroy statues that it regards as idol would be shippingas eyeor chiming. earlier he told me why isil chose to destroy the islamic shrines.

>> from an archeological perspective. they don't have any archeological value the value is more in he remembers it of religious and historic connection. with islamic would be ship worship and the profess. but in he remembers it was actual city of palmyra itself the ruins listed on the world -- as a world heritage site by unesco they are not part that have complex, they are not part that have ruin as such. so we need to separate the two issues apart. >> okay, we have seen what are supposed to be, or reported to be pictures of isil planting mines around ancient ruins in palmyra, how much of a threat do you think is posed to that ain't then city? >> i think -- look, i think even those pictures and i believe it's only one photograph of what looked like a couple of jars i think two or he through three jars -- pickle jars almost containing a

brownish liquid and i think they were part of the original set associated with the blog up of the shrines. i have not yet seen any substantiated evidence, any photos real photos that show mines being laid around the actual arc logical ruins themselves. and i fail to -- it's not to say this has not happened but i i have not seen any evidence that yet. that's no to say that isis won't do something like that, but i think it's important for us not to get ahead of ourselves here. a car bomb has killed at least 10 people near the syrian capital damascus. this video is said to show the scene just moments after the explosion. activists a say a mosque was targeted during ramadan prayers. you nighted nations says civilians in syria be being killed and injured by all sides in the war. caroline malone explains people

not fighting are suffering at the hands of the military rebel groups and ice immaterial i warn you may find some of the images in her report upsetting. >> reporter: there is no doubt that millions of people have been acted by the war in syria. some of them hit by barrel bomb attacks launched by the government. a recent u.n. report says there as been such an attack on aleppo nearly every day this year. rebel groups have used other weapons in residential area that his also kill people in indiscriminately. the report also says the military and rebel groups have put people under siege by blocking off their access to food and other essential surprise. the u.n. gathered evidence from 4,000 witnesses and has compiled a confident shall list of perpetrators. >> in this very devastating conflict we advocate the need to stop use of various weapons particularly barrel bombs being dropped particularly by government authorities. on the other front, of course, the nonstage or nongovernment

armed groups are also using weapons illegally and indiscriminately in terms of attack civilians with mortars or bombs made from gas begans. >> reporter: according to a report issued by the u.n. med train year human rights institute, women are increasingly being targeted. the group interviewed some who had been arrested by the government between 2012 and last year. they recorded cases of women subject today abuse and sexual violence while in detention. the report says many conventions made by the women in jail were extracted under torture. the syrian human rights network says nearly 3,000 women are still in government detention centers. at least 120 of them are under 18. and there are other cases of child abuse. this video recently seen online appears to show a 15-year-old begging for mercy as he's beat bine pro-government forces. another side of a war that's

affected all parts of society. whether male or female, young or old. caroline malone, al jazerra. more than 700 people have now dialed from an intense heat wave in pakistan, the medical workers fear that death toll will continue to decline has patients are rushed to hospital, soldiers are handing out water but people people aren't drinking during the debuts of their ramadan fast. jarel tan has the latest. >> reporter: pakistan's commercial hub is at a state of emergency. a searing heat wave as stretched medical services in karachi to their limit. morgues are filled to capacity. and hospitals are overwhelmed had wajahat heat stroke patients. >> translator: karachi has never seen this type of weather. it's date situation people get fever, followed by headaches and fits and fall unconscious. >> reporter: the army pair

paramilitary and rangers have set up camp as cross the city to help treat people and deliver dehydration salts. >> translator: when we heard the name of the pakistan army we left everything and rushed here because we were sure that the treatment and care would be better than anywhere else. >> reporter: the electricity grid collapsed when the heat has at it's worst fans and air-conditioning were not operational. people are going without food and water from sun is up up to sundown for the ramadan fast. opposition parties criticizing the federal government's slow response to the crisis. >> the federal water and power has given a fantastic statement saying karachi is not his mandate. karachi is part of the pakistan federation and the minister's responsibility is the whole of pakistan, no part of the country sectionexempt. >> reporter: that frustration

was echoed on the streets on tuesday night people on one karachi neighborhood burnt ties to protest against another power out i believe. gnarled tan, al jazerra. kamal hider joins from us islambad. kamal it's a massive crisis what is the government doing about it? >> reporter: the government never moves when it is supposed to move. browse what is happening here today is a debate is going on in parliament. the opposition is accusing the government the government, of course, there is a shooting match going okay the government accusing the opposition, but the realistic thing is that the government does have the national disaster management authority it's a big name, whatever when there is a disaster these people are never to be seen. they don't have the necessary qualifications or a history of doing anything about a crisis. so this is a total failure. not just of the federal government, which has to take some of the blame but

particularly the provincial government in the last few days, hundreds of people are tying in karachi. however not a single minister from the government has visited a single hospital to show at least a support for the people. they may not have control over the weather but at least they are suppose to the deliver when there is a crisis. >> so no relief then from the politicians. will the people at least be able to look forward to some relief from the weather from the heat? >> reporter: absolutely. how the meet logical department has? some good news natural southwesterly wins are now picking up. this is the time of the year when the southwestern monsoon actual nine south pakistan area. so there is some good news. the winds are now beginning to blow from the sea towards the land and that of course is likely to cool down temperatures

and offer some relief to the poor people of karachi. >> indeed, kamal thanks very much for bringing us that update there from islambad. at least 18 people have been killed in an attack on a police check points in china's western region. that's according to local media. regional broadcast of radio free asha says muslim attacked police with knives and bombs. the government has yet to confirm the incidents the tensions between the week a have led to violence clashes in cents years. police in hong kong have removed the last protest camp that his have occupied the streets for nine months, 10s of thousands of people have been demonstrated against the electoral roar forms giving them a chance to choose their leaders but candidates have to be approved by a pro beijing committee. they voted against that motion earlier this month. the tunnel under the english channel is open again with

thousands of people able to catch the euro star train between the u.k. and france. it was closed after striking ferry workers in calais set fire to the train tracks on tuesday. migrants then tried to take advantage of that situation by jumping onto trucks headed in to britain. andrew potter reports. >> reporter: a blaze blocking the tracks of one of europe's most important railway links. the euro star between london and paris halt ed in calais by striking french ferry workers. >> this the main road out. >> reporter: the strike led to a traffic jam of trucks heading for calais with dozens of migrants keen to take advantage. some manage to go jump on board. here a driver chase a group away. after noticing them try to break in to the back of his truck. >> you are back to your homes. this is europe. this is my home. >> reporter: elsewhere, french police tried in vain to keep them away from roads.

workers from ferry company ply ferry link have been blockading both the port and the channel tunnel. >> translator: we went to blockade the tunnel until 11:00 a.m. when we were summarily moved by security people. one of our colleagues has been quiet seriously wounded on his head, it's a shame. >> reporter: this was the guard in paris passengers expect to go ride the euro star train left stranded. >> we arrived here very excited to actually find it to get up there and only to find that all the steps are closed and we read on the sign that everything is been postponed. >> reporter: back in calais, police eventually cleared the striking ferry workers from the tracks. but stopping migrants from boarding trucks is an increasingly difficult problem. drivers have been advice today stick together. and make sure all of their doors are locked. there are thought to be around 3,000 migrants living rough in calais waiting for their chance to make it a is contract english

channel. andrew potter, al jazerra. still to come here on the program. anger over electricity price hikes lead to the biggest protests in armenia in years. plus how a plan to help japanese women return to work is raising questions about the country's traditional values. >> some say that it was discrimination... >> revealing the long painful fight, to recognize some of america's bravest... >> he say.. be cool...be cool... >> ...proudest moment in my life.. >> hon

♪ ♪ hello again. >> the top stories this hour here on on al jazerra. isil fighters in syria have

destroyed two ancient islamic shrines near the city of palmyra which is a unesco world heritage site. a severe heat wave in pakistan that is killed more than 700 people. people in karachi are struggling to cope with mostly elderly patient suffering from sun stroke and dehydration. trains are running through the channel it up after striking french ferry workers shut it down. migrant workers trying to take advantage of the chaos by jump on the ground to vehicles headed to the u.k. army forces loyal to yemen's exiled president have taken a border crossing from houthi rebels. thousands of yemenis gathered at the border after the crossing in the eastern province changed hands. in the southern province of aden, there has been more violence between the houthis and forces loyal to hadi. remembers are forced to retreat towards the desert. fight in this southern

philippines has affected generations of tip pianos. more than 100 -- filipinos. more than 150,000 killed and million more are homeless, many women caught up in the fighting are afraid of being kidnapped by rival clans. >> reporter: her world is one torn apart by shame n2013, she was abducted along with other female members of her family. they were taken at gun point inside their house and held hostage by their captors for almost a week. the details of their capture too painful for share. >> translator: where do we go for our situation? the military? the police. we fear for our lives because we are kidnap victim says. we are women in the middle of the war, this is part of our culture. >> reporter: it was a dispute between warring clans here, a

centuries old practice. this is an island in the southern most part of the philippines long held back by war and poverty. family squabbles overlapped or politics here can easily escalate in to armed conflict and can last for generations. women and children are at the partheart of it. abduction of women is one of the war's biggest shame. women are used agents ire are a bargaining chip, forced in marriages or used as payment for doweries. very few welcome forward and file cases against their abductors it here. the process in the courts are slow and women find themselves even more polarized. their abduction considered taboo and difficult to discuss openly. instead, families choose violence as a means to solve disputes. blood money is often exchanged and women are left to cope with

a trauma on their own. >> we need to make institutions to work in communities, one way of course is as we said educating them really informing them about their rights and how to protect and promote these rights. >> reporter: there are organizations helping to assist women caught in armed conflict. they are willing to provide counseling. women must not be seen as a commodity here they say. and educating men is just as important too. but changes may not happen any time soon. and until then, women are bound to suffer silently. al jazerra sound philippines. hundreds of frost is have spent a second night on the streets of the armenian capital. they are refusing to go home

until the power prices are put back. the power company owned by a russian firm. >> reporter: the water cannon knocks him straight off his feet. and he comes back for more. again. and again. protesters stage a sit-in on monday night. angry over the government's decision to allow a russia-owned power company to increase electricity prices by as much as 22%. tuesday more than, riot police move in. they arrest more than 250 people. more than a dozen are hurt in the skirmish. the demonstrators regroup joined by thousands more in the freedom square. >> translator: we cannot be stopped by beating. it's not the first time we are beaten in the street by our lovely police officers, but this time they were especially brutal. i do not know why. >> translator: today i wouldn't allow them to touch these young

men everybody with one finger that's why i came here even though i am not that healthy. >> reporter: earlier in the the day, the opposition walked out of parliament over the actions of the police. they demanded the release of all of those detained. reel the crowds move on. this time about 7,000 strong towards the residents of the president. once again, they are stopped by riot police. but this time not confrontation but negotiation a support for the protesters grows. the sun goes down, the authorities invite protesters to send a delegation to see the president. the offer is considered, and turned down. the sit-in continues in to a second night. those who have been arrested are released from custody. but there is no sign of a solution to the most serious civil unrest in armenia in years. rob matheson, al jazerra.

the united states will send 250 tanks armored vehicles and other military equipment to their nato allies in eastern europe. u.s. defense secretary ash carter announced the move at a meeting of defense chiefs in acetone i can't remember it's seen as a reassurance against possible russian threats after it annexed crimea in ukraine last year. it's the first such deployment since the end of the cold war. greece's prime minister is in brussels for more talks european leaders have been optimistic about the latest proposal as john reports from athens people there are not convinced. >> reporter: they have heard the latest news from brussels and don't like it. after five months of tense negotiations leaked documents suggest that the government is proposalling to take $8 billion more from a shrinking economy this year and next.

pensioners are no longer convinced they are safe from further cuts. workers face higher taxes. and that makes the politics of a greek deal very complicated a home. the latest proposals have divided the lawmakers. they do not want to bring down the government after just five months in office. but they have also promised never to pass more austerity measures. greece's choice may ultimately rest between a bad deal and no deal. he is the leader back bencher likely to scuttle party unity in he gets a whiff of austerity in whatever deal the government brings back to par par lamb. for him the fight is as much about ideology as it is about numbers. >> europe is a new liberal our i it feeds and cultivates inequality and stagnation. we need fund think fundamental change, greece is fight this is battle to break this liberal cabal in

the european union. >> reporter: they could pass the measures with the opposition hem but the government woo likely would likely have to hold new elections. with more uncertainty. and there are divisions and conflicts elsewhere beyond. only a day earlier in downtown agent lens pro compromise greeks clashed with left i was their frig fridays strags with the government obvious in the laugh days of the talks. >> they promised our lives would clang for the better and for five months we are living on the edge of our seats, we can no plan for the future or even feel hopeful. >> reporter: the approval ratings are high it, might well risk an election without a deal. and no financing from its partners. but that would likely lead to default on the last day of the month followed by capital controls on banks. a broadened victory would dawn on a devastated economic landscape. and an exodus from the euro

might then be closer than ever. john, al jazerra athens. now, big retail stores and websites in the u.s. are continue to go pull items carrying the con federal flag. going and amazon are the latest big company to his join the boycott think it's a sign that the flag once a symbol of the slave-holding south has become toxic after the killing of nine african americans in a church last week. alan fisher has this report. >> reporter: just 24 hours ago you could buy flags mugs, even t-shirts with the con federal flag from of america's biggest retailers, not anymore. sears joined wal-mart in banning the sale of anything with the flag auction site ebay also took action, people will no longer be able to buy or sell items with the flag. in a statement the retailer said said:

>> reporter: this drove traffic to amazon in 24 hours sales of items with the flag shot up by more than 3,000%. but now it has joined the boycott and visitors get this message remember the decision comes after dillon roof brandished the flag before shooting. people in a church. opponents claiming it was a sign of racism and inning tolerance as it was the flag used by states opposing the abolition of slavery in the u.s. the white house welcomed the decision from retailers. >> obviously this is a decision for individual businesses to make. but the announcements from wal-mart and sears are certainly consistent with the kind of position that the president has taken when it comes to the con federal flag. >> reporter: for all the retailers con federal theme items are a tiny percentage of their sales but their action adds to the growing sentimentality about the flag,

the senator called for the flags to be removed. >> it's time to remove the flag from the capital ground, 150 years after the end of the civil war, the time has come. >> reporter: the u.s.' biggest flag maker valley forge in united states is going to stop making the flag, other retailers are deciding if they too will drop con federal-themed merchandise, making the historic relic a thing of the past rather than the presents. alan fish, he al jazerra. now, the japanese government wants more women to return to the workforce after they have children. it's hoped the policy dubbed women nomics will boost the economy, but many say it goes against conservative japanese culture. rob mcbride reports from tokyo. >> reporter: running a nail salon from her living room, she is lucky enough to have found a work life solution. she can everyone a living while raising her son her customers many of them working mothers as well can also bring along their

children. >> translator: i wanted to work. and i also wanted to raise my children. so running my salon from my home was the best way. >> reporter: other working mothers are looking for their own solutions. on a sunday afternoon women who left work to have children attend a catch-up course trying to return to the same positions in the companies they left. >> translator: japan has the worst income disparity between men and women of any of the developed countries and women who leave to have children are the worst off. >> reporter: faced with an aging population, bringing more women in to the workforce is seen as an obvious way of revival the economy in doing so the government is trying to overturn a culture of discrimination. >> it is wonderful that no one is going to ask you why are you working? it used to be a japanese tradition women are supposed to

stay at home and taking care of kids that, has changed. the situation and conditions not catching up. that's the problem. >> reporter: the policy of so-called women nomics sounds good in therapy but hampered by a lack of childcare facilities, their scarcity and cost combined with the lower wages received by women compared to men means it doesn't make financial sense to a woman to return to work. he is a pioneer in the field of childcare. his nonprofit organization now has 13 day-care centers in tokyo, and he has become advisor to the government. as it looks for ways for provide more. >> translator: the first prime minister to do something about working conditions for well, many have spoken about it before, but he is actually taking practical action. >> reporter: working mothers are waiting to see if that action will finally translate in to a

real change in their position in today's japan. rob mcbride, al jazerra tokyo. and a reminder that you can always keep up to date with all the very latest news on our website, there it is on your screen aljazerra.com. >> this week on talk to al jazeera actor and comedian richard lewis >> my goal is to make people laugh. first of all i'm not entirely-- not depressed a lot of the time, either by the w-- lemme just-- i don't wanna paint this rosy picture. >> often described as neurotic and angst ridded lewis reflects on his rise from early stand up comedian, to becoming a household name. >> i was broke for a long time. but i was still-- felt like a