the egyptian government vows to grabbing down on armed groups after a series of attacks against the military across the sinai peninsula hello there. welcome to al jazeera. also on the programme - 18 killed by rebel shelling in yemen as the u.n. warns the country is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. >> president obama announces renewed diplomatic ties with cuba urging congress to lift the trade embargo. >> and an own goal in injury

time sends england crashing out of the world cup. japan, and the u.s.a. will meet in the final egypt's cabinet approved new laws that it says will help security backle what it calls terrorist attacks. it follows a series of raids in sinai peninsula, leaving more than 100 dead. the military says it's back in control of region. around five checkpoints were attacked in simultaneous raids by fighters. gerald tan has this report. >> egypt's military hits back. the air force launches targets. the area is in lock down after

a series of coordinated attacks on egyptian security forces. after hours of combat the military leadership announced on state television the situation in the sinai was 100% under control. >> and the armed forces personnel in the north of sinai supported by air forces hunted down and destroyed those operatives killing not less than 100 terrorist operatives. >> groups have been carrying out numerous attacks on police and the military. last year the group became known as the province of sinai, swearing allegiance to the islamic state of iraq and levant. concern is high fighters are operating beyond the sinai and

in the capital cairo. on monday egypt's posterior general was assassinated in a car bomb bearing the hallmarks of the group. in response abdul fatah al-sisi ordered his cabinet to introduce tougher laws to tackle what he calls terrorism the the security situation. the interior ministry said the vic sims were fugitive leaders, thwarting attacks, something the group denies. they were assassinated in gold blood. the same members were supporting bereaved blood, or fan widows of victims. >> with attacks on the increase egypt's military finds itself on the offensive and defensive. wednesday's assault is a stark reminder of what challenges it is up against.

gerald tan, al jazeera abdullah is a former member of the freedom and justice party, affiliated with the muslim brotherhood, and blames the abdul fatah al-sisi government for the violence in the sinai. >> it is a tragic day in egypt. what happens is a sign of failure. i look at it as a symptom of a real terrorism, and that has been happening in egypt for two years, by the germ and the milt -- general and military that took over the power, killing thousands of egyptians, and imprisoning thousands, today killing 13 members, political leaders of the freedom and juz party, a crime in real terrorism, because it comes from the state. what happens with egypt reflects

itself in sinai and other places. state tourism. i'm worried about the future of egypt. i am so concerned because i condemn all forms of violence. >> to yemen. where shells fired by houthi rebels killed 18 people locals say it happened in the port of aden. the u.n. raised yemen to its highest level of humanitarian crisis basing it in emergencies in south sudan, iraq and syria. as mane 21 million need aid. >> reporter: this young girl is inconsolable. shocked by what happened to the homes in her neighbourhood, houses that hours ago were still standing. "why do they do this?"

she asks through her tears. >> in yemen devastation is the norm. >> the situation in yemen is critical, especially for children who are the most vulnerable groups. >> a collective trauma physical and emotional that grows by the day. >> we don't have protection environment to live in. they feel insecure. >> hundreds died since the start of the fighting. some from wounds treatable if only they had access to better health care. the crisis here says this nurse, is worse because of fuel shortage, because children do not have access to transportation and can't get to the hospital when they need. in this shelter for the displaced boys and girls recite the koran, praying for an end to

a war bringing more misery upon them. like the shortage of water in a country running out of the precious resource. and a spike in child malnutrition rates for a population already without enough food. a situation so dire the u.n. warps yemen could be on the verge of a famine. the misery is difficult to see, and hard to miss. the pain in their eyes is easy to recognise as the bruises and burns on their bodies. then there are the others. their youthful appearance hiding a suffering no one their aim should endure. >> europe initials slammed the door on any further debt negotiations with breeze before a national referendum setfor sunday. the language is bitter with

gemini accusing greece's prime minister of lying to his own people. as john psaropoulos reports from athens the greek government is stuck between a rock and a hard place. >> the government is in a difficult position. on the one hand its creditors shut the door on it. 24 hours after the government capitulated to the offer put on the table last saturday creditors have said all of that discussion is now off until the result of a sunday referendum. the implication being if the greeks vote in favour and with the encouragement of this government. they'll reconsider letting the greeks back into a financial assistance programme. but at home the situation remains equally difficult. banks are closed. liquidity is drying up. businesses are having difficulty supplying themselves and suppliers, consumption is falling as people make guarded

use of their money, and the 60 euros a day. this government has therefore been trapped in the strategy that it designed to confront creditors, if you like to force their hand by means of a referendum. they have now had all diplomatic avenues blocked off among their creditors and in the eurozone and even in the european union, the commission and had increasing anger and support falling away at home because of the situation with the banks and in the real economy. >> while the greek economy is heavily dependent on tourism, we were sent this update from the greek island of cost. >> tourism is about the only industry doing well it represents 60% of annual g.d.p. holiday makers have tape precautions. many tell you they have never carried so much funny.

banks are closed until next week and they fear they couldn't access any otherwise. cash machines are working. and foreigners of able to pull out more than the 60 euros. away from the tourist errors some cash points are empty. they count among their clients - the greek residents of the island and hotel and restaurants. these days he has about 15% left in stock because the demonstrate has gone down. he is worried about the referendum next sunday and thinks whether a yes or no vote wins, things about take a turp for the worse, and places like the island that relies on tourists and have been spared by the bulk of the crisis could feel it a bit more the united states and cuba are set to open embassies in

each other's capitals restoring diplomatic ties fulfilling a pledge that was made over 6 months ago. rosalind jordan reports. >> a public act of diplomacy. a representative in havana presenting a letter to the interim foreign minister. with that washington restores diplomatic ties with cuba after more than 50 years. >> on state television a presenter reads a letter from the president. raul castro, to u.s. president obama, confirming the same. on july 20th it's embassy in washington will be open for business. workers installed a flag pole outside what sa currently the cuban interest section. at the white house obama said all of this was long overdue. this is an historic check forward in efforts to normalize relations with the cuban government and people beginning

a new chapter with neighbours in the americas. >> in the short term there'll be increased business. the process of normalization will take longer. the u.s. says cuba has a poor human rights record and the trade embargo can't be lifted without an act of congress something the president will find difficult to achieve. the move to restore ties between havana and washington have been years in the making. senator marco rubio was threatening to block the nomination of any ambassador to the island. >> in the largest political enclave in the u.s. people were of two mind. >> i never thought i would see this. i don't know what i'm thinking - cuban people will benefit. right. give me a break. >> you cannot erase 55 years of

whatever has happened which is very real. just because you want the united states in america and cuba decided one day that they are going to open an embassy, that is not going to go away. but it is a good start for new beginnings. >> a turning point in diplomacy, and perhaps in the lives of millions on both sides of the streets of florida lots more ahead on al jazeera, including this - gunshots in burundi as the country waits for the results of the parliamentary election. we'll have more on that after the short break.

>> we've got the final agreement within our sites. >> many who think that the united states should not be sitting down with iran at all. >> there is possibilities of a conflict all around the region.

hello, once again, here is a look at the top stories on al jazeera. egypt's cabinet approved new security laws on the heels of violence in the sinai peninsula. a series of attacks on military checkpoints killed more than 100 people. shelling killed 18 people in the port city of aden the u.n. raised the country to its highest level of humanitarian crisis places it alongside south sudan, iraq and syria after half a century of hostility the u.s. and cuba are reopening their embass glis havana and washington d.c. making the announcement president obama said both sides

are ready to move forward, calling on congress to lift the trade embargo against cuba in syria kurdish forces control much of the border. rumours of a kurdish offensive against i.s.i.l. has ankara worried about the prospects of further kurdish advances along the syrian border. hoda abdel-hamid reports. >> reporter: the flagsle turkey and i.s.i.l. meters apart. this is the last border crossing along the border under the control of the islamic state of iraq and levant. it has been a quiet frontier turkish officials that that doesn't mean there's peace. >> we don't have confrontation with them. i.s.i.l. is on the syrian side and we protect our own borders. i.s.i.l. is preparing for war - planting explosives and digging trenches. fears that could be a planned

offensive from syrian kurdish fighters. >> many believe it's a matter of time before the syrian town becomes a battle ground, and that will be decisive. it could change the front lines and the balance of power in territories outside the control of the government in northern syria. the kurds now control 400 of the 900km border between syria and turkey, from iraq to the town of kobane, further west. they want to link the territory to the kurdish enclave. that means they'd have to push west towards jer ab lose. the kurds would have to capture i.s.i.l. controlled villages and advance beyond mada to where syrian opposition groups are strong. if they succeed, they control the syrian border with turkey and the main supply routes used by opposition forces. turkey would see it as a threat. not just because it supports the

syrian rebel groups but the y.p.g. the kurdish group has been an issue in turkey. the military is considering a cross-border operation to approach kurds gaping ground. -- gaining ground. reinforcements have been sent to the board, and the kurds issued a warning. >> translation: if turkey wins in syria, y.p.g. will confront them. >> reporter: for now the turkish military build up is not on a scale required. officials say the option is on the table more and more of the world minority groups are living in urban areas. a new report from the minority rights organization found that while cities offer greater freedoms they can mean greater consideration and insecurity. it means the end of centuries of co-existence. as jane arraf reports from a

city hosting numerous minority groups baghdad. >> reporter: on the riverbank in modern day baghdad, an ain chept ritual. these are members of iraq's minority. flowing water is sacred to them. about 75,000 were in iraq before the war. now there are fewer than 25,000. >> during 2006 and 2006 a lot were forced to leave because of random killings we couldn't worship or go to work. sometimes on the basis of identity cards they'd kill us. >> hamad was one of the last of what was once hundreds of silver smiths in baghdad. he plans to leave the country. >> minorities are afraid. they have no tribes to protect them. they are always considered an easy tart. 90% of immigration is due to the security situation. >> baghdad, the second biggest

city in the arab world, for centuries was a magnet for minorities, bringing skills and fostering tolerance. >> that was and is known for its multicultural identity. and by tracking baghdad you track the heart of the new iraq. and the new iraq cannot survive without diversity. >> this is one of baghdad's oldest churches built in 1843. the neighbourhood is part of a commercial district known as the arab market. the church next to it is crumbling. these are traditional neighbourhoods, where you can make a living selling cold water. this person grew up here and remembers the jewish and christian families by name. >> some muslims married jewish women. in this neighbourhood there were

muslims, jews and there was no difference between us. most left for another neighbour hoot -- and left the country down the street is an entrance to a jewish school. it was especially abandoned, used by the jewish community up to the 1970s. at one point baghdad was a third jewish. that has essentially disappeared. the number of christians is dwindling. it's the same with iraq's other minorities. their role here in danger of becoming a memory held by fewer and fewer iraqis. a second new case of ebola has been recorded in liberia. the first recorded on tuesday. four people at high risk of the disease have been taken to the capital monrovia. it's been nearly two months

since the west african country was declared ebola free. liberia was worst hit, more than 11,200 died from ebola ongoing street battles in burundi's capital killed five civilians and a policeman, the violence the latest in weeks of unrest after monday's election was condemned internationally and boycotted at home. we have this report from the capital, bujumbura. >> reporter: street battles in the capital of burundi, mainly between soldiers and police. people have been told to move to a safer place. they could be hit by a stray bullet. when there's a few minutes of silence, someone makes a run for it. this man says he's lucky to be alive. angry that he was shot at. >> police came to my house.

why do they meet me with a gun. i started running away. he shot me. >> in the opposition stronghold there was an attempt to run for a third term in the presidential election, slowly coming back on to the streets. they seem defiant. they are afraid of being seep talking to journalists. >> i hide my face. when i make my face publicly they don't want to see someone speaking the truth. if you speak the truth, they take you in prison. maybe they may kill you. >> one police officer and several civilians were killed on wednesday. the police and a lot of soldiers are in the neighbourhood. they have closed it off, going house to house, door to door asking questions. they are looking for weapons, because gunfire was heard overnight. there is death, fear and panic

in some parts of the capital. the president celebrates independents day. the stadium is not full. the atmosphere is a contrast to the tension a few kilometres away. >> supporters say boourpd's problems are -- burundi's problems are not bad. >> we are happy. we love our president. everything will be fine soon. not far away a woman out buying bread is distraught. she left her children home she doesn't know if they were safe sir niklas winton who organised the res u of children deft ined for nazi concentration camps died at the age 96. they died when sir niklas aged 29 arranged for trains to carry them out of prague. the children were brought to britain, sir niklas didn't tell

anyone he did. he was knighted by queen elizabeth in 2003. the executive director of national centre for jewish film explained more about his life. >> it was a fascinating story of a man who on his own, at age 29 went to prague, sort of on a whim. a friend invited him. he saw the need for helping especially children who either were orphaned or were trying to get out right before the war in 1938/"39. it was an unknown story until his wife i understand went into the attic and was cleaning found a big trunk, opened it up and in the trunk was a scrap book where they had kept a meticulous record and photographed, even of the chin

that they had saved in the rescue operation. and it came to light. so it's an extraordinary story of a man who did a fantastic deed and it really was unknown torso many years. >> classic films such as breakfast at tiffany's and my fair lady made audrey help burp a star. london's national portrait gallery is paying tribute to her with an exhibition looking back at her life. jessica bald win took a look. >> there's imitators, but on one audrey hepburn, the star that invented a style remaining fable more than 60 years on. her hive in photographs is on -- life in photographs is on show in london until october. >> there's wonderful photographs of audrey hepburn. more than 80 photographs, with her as a young child on to the

london stage and hollywood star dom. the show combines the intimate with the iconic images reproduced in so many mosters and photographs. >> it's touching. she would be honoured to be at the gallery. >> audrey hepburn left the netherlands for the bright lights of london's west end when she was 19. a chorus girl and dancer, stood out from the rest even before having a smart haircut and significant style. it wasn't long before hollywood beckoned. a holiday ensured help burp's status as a -- hepburn's status of a star. advance ticket sales for the show have been brisk the the magic continues. >> so many bloggers and they are all aged 16-22. they are all discovering her.

all the generation that i'm from who remembers when they came down. despite her fame hepburn never succumbed to becoming a diva was never late and was polite to one and call. she folk focused the same professionalism. she visited sick and needy children in 25 countries, giving up only when he found she had inoperable cologne cancer. she died at the age of 63. more than any before her, she endures. the dimminive abbing res in the little black dress. now, some sports news in the women's world cup - japan beat england 2-1 in the sim finals. laura bassett scored into her

own net, sending the defending champions japan to meet the u.s. the game in vancouver on sunday will be a rematch of the 2011 final in germany - that japan won. remember all the latest news sports, of course, and more on the website. >> on maintain, baby steps and big leaps. u.s. and cuba. sometimes. if you are referring to an under cover agent yes i was. >> also ahead, home grown hate and the early warning from the expert who saw a pattern of trouble brewing.