the u.n. announces a the u.n. announces a week-long humanitarian ceasefire in yemen to help the delivery of vital aid. welcome to al jazeera, live from doha. i'm elizabeth puranam. also ahead - greece submits a new debt restructuring plan to lenders as demonstrators take to the streets. >> former saudi foreign minister saud al-faisal who held the post for 40 years has died.

and in china, concerns for food safety are getting people involved in a rather productive hobby. the united nations has brokered a week-long humanitarian truce in yemen. houthi rebels and the government in exile agreed to a ceasefire. until the end of the muslim holy month of ramadan. it allows aid agencies to deliver humanitarian assistance to 21 million in desperate need. we have this report. >> reporter: some humanitarian aid trickled in to yemen's capital, sanaa. it provides assistance to families forced to fully their -- flee their homes. in contested parts most the access is from the fighters. . >> during the humanitarian pause, humanitarian agencies and partners aim to meet people with med cane vaccination, food and

water. >> if they have access. aid agencies plan to stock up on supplies in yemen, including nutritional assistance, malnourished children, emergency shelters, water, sanitation, food and medical supplies for 2.2 million people, for a month. it took the u.n. envoy much negotiation to reach a brief humanitarian pause. statements make it clear that hostilities are far from over. >> translation: i would like to say this is the last opportunity for the houthis and saleh forces. here they have a chance. we have acted in order to send humanitarian aid to people.

>> reporter: ships like this laden with food and essential splays can finally make it to aden, and inland. >> small boats made it through, but the bulk is undelivered. despite the lifting of a blockade, un agencies attempting to bring ships to the field. >> one would hope that this ceasefire, lasting a little longer, if, indeed, it's honoured by all sides. >> the yemen people can hope people can honour the agreement and find ways to end the conflict. >> the u.n. security council is considering asking secretary-general ban ki-moon to launch an investigation into toxic gas attacks in syria, as part of a u.s. proposal due to be discussed by the security council members next week, it is going to destroy the weapons in 2015. the organization found that the

gas chlorine has been used as a weapon. >> four hezbollah fighters have been killed near the border of lebanon. there has been intense battles. medical forces say government air strikes have killed more than 10 civilians. they are trying to cut the last supply line form syrian rebels from the border with lebanon for the outskirts of the syrian capital damascus. greece parliament set to vote on friday for a bail out proposal from its government. greece submitted a plan which it hopes is enough to convince creditors to give them a bail out. the plan includes hikes in taxes and pension cuts. a proposal, and whether it's enough to restart negotiations. well, the plan includes ending attacks. defense spending will be cut by 332 million by 2016.

and the solidarity for pensioners will be phased out by 2019. jonah hull reports from athens. the greek government has met its midnight deadline for the submission of austerity proposals for the euro group, finance minister in brussels, which the government hopes will form the basis of negotiations for the next 2 or 3 days, for a third bail out deal to be decided by leaders in brussels. three days lie ahead to determine the future in the eurozone, determining whether greece gets the vital aid it needs to stave off the possibility of financial catastrophe. two key questions, whether the austerity, tack hikes and reforms are deemed adequate for the loans, by a skeptical set of lenders. we'll have to wait and see.

the second is vital. the question of trust badly eroded. can the greeks, they'll want to know, be taken at their word to implement and carry out promised reforms, which they haven't done in the past. can the greeks be taken at their word. there'll be a vote whether to pass the proposals and give alexis tsipras sa strong hand in negotiations in the vital days ahead. it's frustration on the streets of athens for many that want to remain in the eurozone. businesses have been hit hard by the crisis. simon mcgregor-wood sent this report. >> reporter: greeks that want to say in the euro are the majority. politicians stuck to their defiant tone.

>> after two failed bailouts we don't want to add a third. suffering, depravation of the greek people which will not give prospect in the country. >> reporter: some of greek hopes debts will be written off. a hair cut. more and more need one. angela merkel appears still to be taking a hard line. >> translation: i have said a classic hair tut-tut is without of the question for me. that has not changed from yesterday to today. away, the greek economy is grinding to a halt. weary lines of the atms are a reality. it goes deeper. take the olive business. one of the busiest, keeping the economy ticking over. greece is a third-largest producer. hard times have been made worse. >> this olive grove is typical

of tens of thousands of small-scale producers making up the heart of the olive oil industry. these peep are increasingly hard hit by the banking enclosure. many losing faith in the banking system and are demanding cash for the crops. >> reporter: chris runs a medium sized olive oil company. suspicion gives his business another month. after that who knows. >> i think they'll have a deal. not a good deal for us. not a good deal. it will be like an oxygen. if we don't have an oxygen it will be worse than monday. long gone is the reforia of the referendum's no vote. it has been placed with anxiety and a fear that the country is on the brink of collapse. the economic pain is likely to

get worse before it gets better u.s. president obama expressed condolences to the saudi royal family over the death of the former foreign minister of saudi arabia. obama praised the efforts to advance peace. he served as the kingdom's senior diplomat for 40 years and was replaced in april of this year. we have more on his life and career. >> reporter: he was the world's. he was part of saudi arabia's effort to lessen iran's efforts in the region including the

conflict in syria, where several repel rebel groups were supported. as a foreign minister of an important ally he was reported to be well liked and respected. he was described as a charismatic leader willing to talk to reporters for the sense of humour. buts with age, he faced health problems. in the last few years, despite suffering back pain, faisal maintained a challenging role. it's rethreat that a palestinian state never took shape. faisal's submission was subordinate to the king. after the death in january, the prince became the new monarch. saud al-faisal was the foreign minister when a collision went to yemens.

he was replaced an ambassador to the united states bringing an end to an extraordinary career. >> hank kong's prove senior of history at the university of michigan. faisal was an accomplished diplomat. >> prince faisal had a number of important achievements played a role in ending the lebanese civil war in 1989 when lebanese leaders went to saudi arabia and made an accord with one another. clearly he disapproved of the bush's plans to raid iraq pointing out you could get rid of one problem and end up with five new problems in that way. also he played a role in offering israel a comprehensive peace in the arab world in 2002. if it had been adopted.

it would have saved us the subsequent wars. >> pope francis has apologised for crimes committed by the catholic church. the pontiff is on a tour of south america and arrived in paraguay. our latin american editor reports. >> pope francis chose bolivia, the most indigenous nation to issue an apology that many had been waiting for. >> i hummably ask forgiveness for the offenses of the church and crimes committed against the people during a conquest of america. >> the pope is hoping to feel wrists between the people and descent aned of his conquerers. but years of strained ties between the catholic church and libya's left wing government. it was not long ago that the president labelled catholicism.

the argentine's defense of the poor and repeated calls have brought church and state closer. roman catholics from over south america's poorest nation travelled to santa cruz. >> the pope's blessing is for all of us so that we are all united. so we are able to work according to the pope's messages. sanda cruz is a strong hold for opposition to the government. >> the expectation we have is to have a better world, a country with more social justice. for the meek so there's no political prosecution. they urged the world not to use prosperity as wealth. warning it breathe corruption and conflict. it's a message repeated throughout the tour. in meetings with the clergy and

grassroots organizations representing the poor, whose causes he is championing. coming up in this bulletin, we investigate the tribal allegiances to south sudan's 18 month conflict. meeting rural men ready to fight when called upon. and the u.s. army unveils cuts shifting towards smallest forces since inch.

good to have you with us i'm elizabeth puranam in doha.

these are the top stories. in yemen, houthi rebels and forces backing the exiled president abd-rabbu mansour hadi agreed to a humanitarian truce. the pause in fighting starts until friday allowing aid to reach civilians. the ceasefire will last for a week until the end of the holily month of ramadan the greek party to vote on a proposal who submitted a plan they hope will be enough to convince creditors to give it a third bail out. new taxes include tax hikes and pension cuts. >> and former foreign minister of saudi arabia decide saud al-faisal was only replaced in april this year u.s. secretary of state john kerry has threatened to walk away from nuclear talks with iran, if tough decisions are not made soon comments suggesting iran and major world powers have a way to go to reach a deal.

our diplomatic editor james bays has more from the talks in vienna. >> reporter: >> reporter: the six countries meeting to discuss iran, but after intense talks the secretary of state came out to brief the reporters. there were still points of disagreement, he said, and he'd stay for now in vienna. >> we are here, we believe we are making real progress towards a comprehensive deal. as i have said many times, and as i discussed with president obama last night, we are not going to sit at the negotiating table forever. we also recognise that we shouldn't get up and leave simply because the clock strikes midnight.

his iranian counterpart did not come down to meet the press, but when he appeared on the hotel balcony, i tried to get his comment. >> do you think you'll get a deal in the end. >> why would i be here if i didn't think that. >> why would i be here if i didn't think that. earlier optimism about the prospect of an imminent deal had come from russia, where iranian president hassan rouhani is a guest at a summit organised by vladimir putin. his foreign minister is there. one of the key players in the talks. not currently in vienna. >> based on the principle of taking consecutive and mutual decisions, we are now on the verge of reaching not an intermediate, but a final and comprehensive agreement. it is within reach. >> the reason the u.s. and some of its western partners were pushing hard for a deal was because of u.s. legislation. it says the u.s. congress gets 30 days to examine the deal. as long as it done by july the 9th.

that won't happen. so the time congress has to scrutinise a deal doubles to 60 days, another deadline missed as the intense meetings continue in this luxury hotel. to egypt. 20 soldiers have been injured in a roadside bomb attack in north sinai, egyptian security forces have been fighting rebels since mohamed mursi was deposed in 2013. libyan security forces guiding the oil ports say they'll seize tankers approaching without permission. u.n.'s recognised government says any attempt to make oil deals with a rival government in tripoli would be considered piracy. it has been hit by a power struggle between the two a vessel carrying asylum

seekers sank killing at least 12 on board. the italian coast guard said the bodies of the victims were found near libya. the coast guard managed it save six people. >> south sudan's militia, the white army has been involved in a conflict leaving thousands dead and 2 million displaced. the largely civilian force has fought government troops alongside the rebels. catherine wambua-soi met some of them gaining action to the upper nile state. >> reporter: in times of trouble, the young men are called to the frontline, and the -- and me call themselves the white army. this person was injured in may, fighting in the north. once he gets better he'll return.

>> translation: i'm not afraid to go back. when children, women an people like me are being killed, i'm not afraid. how can i be afraid. >> reporter: he told his wife others would not join the resistance army. >> what i like is when we are ready, we run to war. we are not like soldiers standing in military formations and waiting for orders. >> they mobilize by villages and community leaders. >> no one helps us when we go to war. we go with a gun. when we kill the enemy, we take their gun and go on taking their gun until we defeat them, or they us. >> what started out as a political quarrel in juba turned into a law between the two largest tribes. >> many people you talk to tell you they are fighting those they

claim are killing them. trying to protect their lives, they are tough, their property - they will not stop until everyone is safe. >> reporter: the militia has been accused of human rights abuses. they are trying to integrate civilian fighters into the army. >> when the incident happened in juba, local people organised themselves to defend themselves. they may follow people in the villages, and come and kill people. >> these men are clear, saying they are fighting their enemy, and will not stop until there's a winner on the battlefield. the u.s. government says hackers stole the private information of more than 21 million people in a recent data beach, larger than thought.

the hacking of u.s. government systems happened in 2014 and early 2015. some politicians blamed china, beijing denied involvement the u.s. army will cut the numbers of soldiers by 2018. officials say they'll try to save money, critics say it will weaken security. rosalind jordan has the details the core of the u.s. military is about to shrink. in three years time the number of u.s. army soldiers will drop from 490,000 to 450,000. that's what the pentagon is calling a necessary force reduction. >> the cuts will impact nearly every army installation in the continental united states and overseas. >> the cuts come as top generals are monitoring what they consider potent threats to the

u.s. >> my assessment is that russia presents the greatest threat to national security. [ clapping ] >> reporter: during the height of the u.s.-led wars in iraq and afghanistan, more than 5,070 soldiers were on the payroll. the army says it will save 7 billion with the cuts but the budget is sizeable. u.s. spends more on defense in a year than seven largest facilities. each though russia and china has more soldiers washington spends five times as much as they do and that means u.s. troops have better weapons and training. some in congress warn cutting troop levels is dangerous. even though the army is presenting deeper cuts. some say it's not the size of the military but how you use it. >> we ought to have an approach to security allowing us to have a smaller army which is not to

get into occupational warfare in countries like afghanistan. if we do that we have smaller area. the obama wants to make better use of defense dollars, and this is not a security gamble. >> the confederate flag is coming down in the u.s. state of south carolina. the state's governor signed a law to remove it from the capital building. many see it as a racial emblem. it follows the murder of nine people at a black church in charleston. >> volcanic ash in indonesia grounded flights. jetstar and virgin australia cancelled afternoon and evening flights on thursday they'll run flights later if conditions improve. in taiwan businesses offices

and schools are cleared. rains are expected across the island. people are advised to stay away from coastal areas. it's on a path towards mainland china, where the government issued highest weather alerts. china's ministry released reports that the country would be self sufficient in a decade. 13 babies died from contaminated powdered milk in 2004. it contained mela mean a chemical used in fertiliser and plastics. the scandal was repeated in twitt. six infants died. also in 2008, a pesticide was counselled in dump lippings. in 2013 the meat industry came under scrutiny. pork was mixed with chemicals.

>> a year later expired meat foundize way into food served by mcdonald's star bucks and burger king. last year taiwan uncovered the sale of oil. the philippines government is running tests on what is believed to be synthetic rife made in china from potatos and plastic. some are thicking matters into their own hands, we have a report from an organic farm in beijing. >> reporter: this group of visitors is not touring the usual beijing attractions. they have come to the little donkey farm on the outskirts of the city to learn about organic farming. there's 15 hectares growing vegetables without pesticides or herbicides. visitors are coming to see for themselves. >> translation: the real reason for the farm is food safety has become a problem in china.

>> reporter: so serious people are encouraged to do more that buy organic products. for lass than $300 usd, they can lease 30 square meters of land and grow vegetables. the farmers trade them. >> garment worker visits every week with her family. unless we know it's safer. at five times the cost of regular vegetables, it is not cheap. it has become all the rage among the middle classes. >> more and more organic markets like this are cropping up in cities across china. there are delivery services for those wanting convenience. it's becoming more commercial, with big businesses investing billions in ecological

agriculture, it's not about earning a profit for those tending forms like this one it's about sustainable farming, keeping people connected to the land reminding them to take responsibility for the world they live in and the one left behind you can keep up to date with all the news on the website. on target, i'm ali velshi, from high atop iran's capital city of tehran. >> the free world cannot allow iran to have a nuclear weapon. >> how much can the united states trust the iran. >> this morning the iranian accusations. solution. >> this will not change iran for the better. >> it's a difficult, long-lasting security problem that we have faced for a long time. >> reporter: another day,