>> syria's president admits his troops are tired after four years of war bur says defeat is not in his dictionary. >> >> this is al jazeera live from doha. also coming up on the program: >> a humanitarian ceasefire is due in yemen but airstrikes continue. >> and of course, i'm the first kenyan american to be president of the united states. >> a national address from barack obama as he ends his trip to his father's homeland. plus: >> on patrol in el salvador,

police are increasingly under attack as the country experiences a historic wave of violence. >> palestinian bashar al assad vowed to win the war in syria but admits his troops be struggling to hold territory due to a lack of man power. >> president bashar al assad admits his forces are abandoning some areas. >> we do have new recruits every day. the military is carrying out this mission but the syrian army is sometimes required to give up areas in order to hold on into more important areas. we are in a fateful period, and there are no compromised solutions.

>> assad is trying to put on a brave face. >> in order to win everybody gets tired. it is quite normal that the state, the army get tired but the word defeat does not exist in our dictionary or in the language of the syrian armed forces. >> for four years he relied on the military back having iran and fighters from the shia muslim group hezbollah in lebanon. he enjoys the backing of russia and china but the syrian army is under huge pressure. it once had 300,000 members, but according to estimates it has been ruffle halved in size by deaths defections, and the rise in draft dodging a fact that assad publicly acknowledged. >> we have everything wee need, but there's a lack of human resources. >> isil fighters in a position rebel groups have seized more toreatory. they took control of idlib in the north and pushed toward the

stronghold on the coast. various areas close to the capitol damascus are battle grounds. >> damascus is the center power and he's trying, he wants to control the lattica and also to protect the main highway. they are very important to him. overall, he's losing ground. he lost sovereignty in the north and south, even in the center of syria. he is in trouble. possibly no fly zone, buffer zone might bring him to negotiation table in the future. mosh fighting is reported in different parents of syria. barrel bombs were dropped in northwestern syria killing a number of people. syria has turned into a proxy war for local regional and international powers, which could prolong the war. the u.n. says more than 230,000 people have been killed and millions more displaced.

al jazeera. >> >> a bomb exploded close to mogadishu's airport. ten have been killed. gunfire can be heard at the gates of the hotel in the same area that is popular with diplomats and politicians and home to several embassies. >> two soldiers have been killed by a car bomb in turkey. turkish airstrikes targeted the p.k.k. in northern iraq. fighter jets have attacked isil fighters in syria. the white house reaffirmed that turkey has the right to defend itself but urges restraint when it comes to the p.k.k. >> the leader of yemen's houthi rebels is rejecting a humanitarian pause. the saudi-led coalition said it will stop aerial strikes and shelling from mid night sunday to allow aid to be delivered. according to a post on what appears to be the houthi twitter

account, it says the battle will go on and the war isn't over. reinforcements, he says are still on the way. he accuses what he calls saudi aggressors of wanting to buy time to mobilize isil and al-qaeda in aden. president be a had is meeting the u.n. envoy to yemen to discuss the supply of aid during the truce. earlier bombings happened at an army camp close to sanna. a pro-houthi activist said the timing of the ceasefire is significant. >> president sawed i think want to use the ceasefire to position their troops in aden and they will use the ceasefire to bring more troops in the name of

humanitarian aid to aden. at the end of ramadan there was a ceasefire that has been -- that the u.n. has been working for two month to have it and saudis have reviewed that and they used it to start the operation in aden. the u.n. must be involved in any ceasefire. they must watch and bring aid. they should be the one to coordinate the ceasefire not only one side, which the aggression, the ones that started the war i think they will be started by parties inside yemen because they do want this ceasefire to end and the advantage of the sawed troops, all the parties in yemen always welcome any ceasefire but the saudi's have violated. >> 33 fighters from the combined iraqi forces have been killed during fighting in ramadi, part of the on going anbar offensive. >> barack obama is flying to

ethiopia now on his three day trip to kenya. he made an address and urged kenyans to root out corruption, address regional security and to empower women and girls. >> here in kenya it's time to change habits and decisively break that cycle because corruption holds back every aspect of economic and civil life. it's an anchor that weighs you down and prevents you achieving what you could. >> still to come here on al jazeera: >> i want a home just like everybody else. it's among the basic things in life. >> making it easier to own property in nigeria new row forms encourage banks to lend more money. plus: >> i'm in gaza, where palestinians wounded during last years war with israel are still struggling to find proper health care.

>> many of the thousands seriously injured are losing hope. >> spending time with his 2-year-old daughter i also the

happiest part of his day. he struggles with depression after he lost his legs in an israeli strike on the united nations school he and his family were sheltering in during last year's war. his brother and father were killed in that strike and she has bits of shrapnel in her skull. >> i've lost my legs, i've lost my job. i can't leave gaza. we are under siege on all sides. i want an artificial limb to feel like a normal person again. >> once a week, he travels to this clinic in gaza city. it's where he receives physio therapy and is taught ways to manage his pain, but like many of the thousands of palestinians who were wounded during last year's war, he either can't afford to buy medicine he needs or the treatments are not available. >> aid agencies say the continuing impact of last year's war on gaza's wounded is nothing short of catastrophic. 17 hospitals, 56 primary health care facilities and 45 ambulances were either damaged or completely destroyed, costing the health care system here an

estimated $50 million. >> according to the united nations, 2,251 palestinians were killed in the fighting, mostly civilians. of the more than 11,000 wounded, at least 10% now have permanent disabilities, but there could have been many more survivors. an investigation by gaza's ministry of health found 500 killed during the conflict should have lived, but obstacles israeli check points and lack of coordination mean these individuals reported alive by ambulance services either died before the paramedics got to them or before they reached hospital.

a physio therapist at a rehabilitation center for amputees in gaza says the health care system was already stretched after the two previous conflicts with israel. >> because, you know, there is a siege from israel or a closed border from egypt, because of that, we can't bring medication or bring the medical teams from abroad to make a treatment here in the gaza strip. >> which means the thousands of palestinians like this man seriously wounded will continue to suffer. al jazeera, gaza. >> firefighters in california are trying to get a wildfire under control. it's sweeping across napa county. large parts -- large tracts of land have already been burned. it's said to have been started by a vehicle crash on a nearby highway. hikers and visitors at a local camp ground are warned to stay away. >> the world health organization believes that a popular we'd killer could cause cancer. monsanto, which makes round up said it needs more evidence that it's not just a killer of weeds. the french government is sufficiently worried that it's

banning the public from buying it. >> farmers and gardeners face similar challenges from weeds and insects. many products are on the market promising help in the struggle against nature. one of the most widely used weedkillers in roundup. the key ingredient was discovered by the multi-national corporation monsanto in the 1970's. a recent report from the w.h.o. said this chemical probably causes cancer, a finding that monsanto rejects. >> we at monsanto consider that are opinion to be absolutely invalid. there is no new information to say that the product is carcinogenic.

this farmer said farmers are trained to use the product responsibly. >> the farmer has a toolbox at its disposal. it will use the right product at the right time in the correct quantity. the amount you you use depends on season, the crop and the weed you want to destroy. >> the w.h.o. reports the french government is introducing new rules on the sale of roundup. as of january, garden centers will have to remove the product from display. people will still be able to buy it, but it will be kept behind the counter. the restrictions won't affect farmers. environmental activists say the government measures don't go far enough. >> we want them to completely take it off the market and stop selling to amateur gardeners. these products that are dangerous to the health or the environment, the government shouldn't take half measures like this. >> consumers in the west expect their food to be high quality and cheap.

industrial chemicals enable farmers to deliver that. if you want to be sure your food hasn't come in contact with chemicals, you can buy organic, but of course that's more expensive. it's a dilemma that affects governments, big corporations and ordinary people, how to balance the advantages of today against possible risks for the future. there are no easy answers. jacky rowland, al jazeera, in normandy. >> a blast in nigeria killed 18 people. more than 60 others were washed in the explosion in the capitol of the state. no one's claimed responded but local reports say that the explosion had all the hallmarks of boko haram. >> gauge's president plans to divide the state-owned oil company into two, wanting an independent monitoring body set up and a separate one to focus on investment.

the oil industry provides the government with 70% of its revenue. >> very few banks in nigeria offer mortgages so many people don't own their own home. government reforms though, are trying to change that. >> he wants to buy this four bedroom house. it's on sale for $250,000, but he can't afford or meet the terms of a bank loan that pay for it. the developer here is allowing installments and if he can't afford to finish paying, he can get his money back. this kind of deal is rare. most people in nigeria who want to by publicly have to have the money in cash and in full. >> my desire to own a home is just like anybody else. it's among the basic things of life. you need to have a roof over your head, and it's a natural thing to own a home, to own a shelter, it gives you that security.

>> in nigeria, there is no culture of long-term lending. banks want borrows to pay back home loans within two to three years where borrowers in other nations get 30 years. there are only 13,000 existing home loans in a country of over 170 million people. >> property developers say banks think there's a high chance borrowers will default and there are other factors. >> government and housing finance executives recently met to discuss reforms needed to increase homeownership. they include making landowner ship easier, improving the quality of construction, and creating the policies of foreclosure, which will make banks feel they are taking less risks.

>> land is way too expensive because of the long process of getting the assurances for land. construction is the other key challenge, where there's numbers and politics, and part of the drive for the villages is the house price itself. >> banks also charge up to 28% interest on home loans, which makes homes even more expensive. many nigerians will spend their lives renting their place. youssef has a deal. for most people, the dream of owning a home is likely to remain elusive. al jazeera, nigeria. >> aplite aircraft crashed in japan, setting homes and cars on fire. three were killed, including the pilot, passenger and a woman on the ground. three other people were rescued from the wreckage in a suburb of the capitol tokyo. people there described how there

was a massive explosion as the plane came down shortly after takeoff. >> nepal's government introduced a new policy to protect its migrant workers. it reduces the fees that recruiting agents can charge for access to foreign jobs. it also requires the countries where mike grants work to provide them with free visas and tickets. as we explain the agents aren't happy. these workers are waiting for permits to work in the gulf countries an malaysia. there was a massive strike called by recruiting agents. this office was forced to close as none of the officials could walk in. they were saying that the government's decision to charge only $100 per worker was not enough. the government had also made the decision that all workers would not have to pay for their

tickets and their visas a decision that would impact the lives of millions of workers around 500,000 go to work in the gulf countries and malaysia every year, and an estimated 2 million nepalese work in that he is countries. they support 30% of the g.d.p. >> the free visa and ticket is a good thing. i've been once before and paid 1,000 u.s. dollars. >> the recruiting agent were saying that the government's decision was made in haste and has to be revised. >> every unemployed person wants to go. shouldn't he be allowed to go? we have a free border with incident i can't. we have 20% of work e going. the 80% can be to india and apply from there. >> these are the risks the government is willing to take.

late saturday night the government and the protesting recruiting agents struck a deal. now all workers for the next three months won't have to pay for visas and tickets and the maximum they'll have to pay is $100. the other part of the deal is that the government and the agents will also form a delegation and that delegation is going into the destination countries in the gulf and malaysia and deal with countries recruiting these people and ensure that they also agree to the free buys and free tickets. for the workers this decision of the government could be the best government decision ever. >> hong kong isn't actually known for iteration fields, but the territories rural areas are home to many traditional villages. mostly are run down and neglected. as rob mcbride reports, there is a man on a mission to restore his boy hood home there. >> leaving behind the high rises of hong kong, these volunteers

are bound for one of its forgotten corners. and a day of work in a rice paddy. i should with gear and given a lesson, then straight to work. overseeing the harvest, this villager last saw rice cultivation as a boy. >> the village schools, long since closed, he was part of the exodus during the 1970's and 1980's. now he's moved back and trying to reverse the fortunes of his village. >> i was the first to own a house after 30 to 40 years. now everybody sees my house and they want to come back and make their house livable. >> in his restored home, an

aerial photo from the 1960's shows the extent of the rice terraces. now as then, rice could hold the key to the village's future, if this pilot project succeeds. >> of course, we can provide for it, but at the same time, it's a very good education materials. kids nowadays don't know where their food comes from. they all think it comes from super markets. >> more terraces are being cleared. >> villages like this one could be found throughout the more remote parts of hong kong. although there are a few elderly individuals remaining, it is hoped lessons learned here could breathe new life into them. >> this trip has been a lesson in a by gone way of life. >> it's fantastic, because you have to learn where the rice come from. >> the hong kong people learn more and go more to the

countryside. >> experiences and memories to savor at the end of a weary day. al jazeera, hong kong. >> there is much more real news from al jazeera along with analysis comment and loads of video. just take a look at aljazeera.com. super power, where the old wrestles with the new. communism clashes with capitalism and a new global economy is born, swallowing all in its past. but one thing about its people never changes...