yemen advance, forces loyal to the exiled president gain grounds in the south of the country. ♪ hello there, this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up. angry scenes on the greek island as officials struggle to deal with growing numbers of refugees and migrants. nuclear reaction. protests in japan as the two-year shutdown following the fukushima disaster comes toen an end. plus orange river. we'll report from colorado where a chemical spill from an

abandoned mine is poisoning water supplies. ♪ but we're going to begin this program with some breaking news out of nigeria, because in the last few minutes we have heard at that least 47 people have been killed in a blast in the country's northeast. apparently the explosion happened in borno state according to both military and witnesses to the attack. al jazeera's correspondent joins us on the phone live from the capitol. what more do you know about this attack? >> reporter: well the attack happened close to a cattle market which is on the way to [ inaudible ] in borno state. i have been through that area, and that area is completely overrun by boko haram before they were chased out by the military a few months ago. so there has been some military

activity around the area, and this attack according to sources in that particular area is carried out by a female suicide bomber who detonated her device and killed as many as 47 people and injured more than 50 other people in the market. >> a horrific attack. what is security like in that area, bearing in mind that boko haram are very prominent there. >> reporter: well, security is very high at the moment, because an operation is ongoing by the international joint task force. and there's military activity in that particular area. we haven't seen much of boko haram attacks in terms of attacking the military formation, or attacking formations there, security forces and other government installations, but we have seen a rise in suicide bombings in borno state, and [ inaudible ]

state over the last two months, and hundreds have been killed in that particular area. according to military sources, the boko haram military has been seriously degraded, what they can do is only [ inaudible ] what we're hearing about now in borno state. >> achmed, thanks for joining us. and just a reminder if you are joining us, the breaking new out of nigeria, we are hearing that at least 47 people have been killed in this attack in borno state in the north of nigeria. and of course we'll keep you up to date with anymore developments on that story if and when we get it. pro-government forces in yemen are making major gains against houthi rebels, they have be pushed from the last province still under houthi control. when you add to the other places recently taken, it means most of the south is now held by forces loyal to the exiled president. care line malone has the latest.

>> reporter: watching over the province now entirely in control of pro-government forces. local resistance groups backed by a coalition of countries lead by saudi arabia, are recapturing parts of yemen. they fought houthi rebels and forces loyal to former president saleh, and say they are now in full control. >> translator: we managed to clean the city of militia supporting the houthis and saleh. we have achieved the victory. the popular resistance has saved the country of going deep into the unknown. >> reporter: the fighters are looking ahead. they say they are on their way to the capitol. they are fighting on behalf of the exiled president. >> translator: it's necessary and if the leaders think it's appropriate, we need to go further because the aim is to reach mar ib and even sana'a.

>> reporter: the president of the international red cross says it is a catastrophic humanitarian situation. >> reporter: the population are in dire need of food and water. aaron alexis -- and it's not just the direct impact, but also the indirect impact of this violence going on, health systems crumbling, social and economic systems crumbling. so more than 20 million yemeni today, certainly are in dire need of -- of support of humanitarian support. >> reporter: back in yemen land mines have been left behind by the houthi fighters. security has not returned. fighting may have ended in some parts of yemen, but the suffering continues.

caroline malone, al jazeera. ♪ iraq's parliament has approved a raft of reforms proposed by the prime minister to eradicate corruption and cut spending. among the measures the abboll ligs of key positions. al jazeera's mohammed jamjoom reports. >> reporter: a rare show of unity in a chamber notorious for bitter debate and long delays. it took less than an hour to unanimously approve the prime minister's reform proposals aimed at fighting corruption and spending. the session was televised and once the announcement was made parliamentarians even applauded. some felt it was a big step forward. >> translator: we hope this is a

good omen for the iraqi people and we hope with this step all of those corrupt people will be held accountable for their previous re -- actions. >> reporter: in the past week the number of protesters has only increased in various cities nationwide. huge rallies where demonstrators called for the return of electricity, air conditioning, and clean water. now with citizens embole enned furthermore demonstrations are being called for. >> translator: we have to start fresh and serve once and for all the iraqi people. a government that doesn't enjoy the support of its people is a zero government. >> reporter: not everyone is satisfied. some politicians say despite the extraordinary actions taken by parliament so far, the hard work has yet to truly begin, and they are beginning to be pessimistic. >> but these are just princip

principles. and wide titles. to enter the details, details of these principles, i think will create a problem. >> reporter: important constitutional matters will now arise, such as how exactly the country will move forward now that mp's has decided iraq is better off without three vice presidents and three deputy prime ministers. many question whether that may disrupt a fragile sectarian balance. whatever happens next, analysts don't expect less pressure on parliament. and as iraqis feel their voices are finally being heard, they are not expected to quiet down. it's politicians who should expect to feel the heat the most. the turkish military says it has launched attacks on 17 kurdish fighter targets in the southeast. they began targeting the pkk

last month. these latest strikes follow an attack on a police station in istanbul on monday which the pkk says it carried out >> russia says draft ideas are being discussed on united international efforts to fight isil. the foreign minister made the comments in moscow. saudi arabia says syria's president who is supported by russia has no place in the country's future. >> translator: we have discussed the crisis in syria. we have underlined the importance of resolving the syrian crisis by political means, and underlines that the position of the kingdom of saudi arabia on syria has not changed. and that the syrian president has no place in the future of syria. we believe that the main source, the main reason behind the creation of isil was the behavior of bashar al-assad because he directed his weapons not against isil but against his

own people. that's why we do not see a place for bashar al-assad in syria's future. dutch prosecutors investigating the downing of mh17 last year, say some of the debris may belong to a russian-made missile system. they say it is a possibly from a buk surface to air missile. the plane was brought down over territory held by pro-russian separatists in the country's east, killing all 298 on board. peace talks between libya's warring parliaments are getting underway in geneva. the u.n. is sponsoring the negotiations. the talks have been going on for months and a partial deal was reached in july, but more work is needed to lay the foundation for a unity government. violence broke out in libya, when two parliaments began fighting for power after gadhafi

was ousted in 2011. japan has restarted the nuclear reactor at one power station. it is the first to begin operating under new safety rules following the fukushima disaster in 2011. but the decision has been highly criticized. >> reporter: inside the control room at the power station a crucial moment for japan's nuclear industry. just after 10:30 am, an engineer confirms that the control rods have been removed, nuclear fission has begun. nearly two years since the last reactor became idol, everyone in this room is aware they are a focus of national attention, much of it critical. protests were lead by the man who japan's prime minister at the time of the disaster. >> you cannot predict accidents. and here all of the necessary precautions to prevent an accident have not been taken.

>> reporter: fukushima suffered a meltdown in three reactors after the power station was hit by the tsunami of march 2011 japan's new nuclear regulator say toughened standards approaching anything of that scale would be impossible, but one designer says restarting a long-idol facility is fraught with difficulty. >> translator: more elements would have been stopped, so it is harder. if you have tweaked something that part needs more inspection. and it is already more than 30 years old. they need to have reviewed its safety on that basis too. >> reporter: japan's prime minister, this is an important part of his economic recovery plan. household electricity costs have jumped by a quarter since the fukushima disaster. and yet the majority of the electorate still opposes a return to nuclear energy. the government says the restart was a decision for the power

company, but for protesters here there's no question that this process is being driven by the prime minister. the numbers outside of his office may be relatively small, but polls consistently suggest that around 60% of japanese people are against the plan. residents living here the plant are divided in their opinion. their are concerns about the emergency evacuation plan. others say the local economy needs its main industry to get going again. by friday it is tu to start providing electricity to the national power grid, by september it's expected to be running at full capacity. still ahead on the program, no war, no famine, so why are thousands of eritreans risking their lives to leave the country. and the billion dollars drug hall seized by the u.s. coast

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president. and japan has restarted the nuclear reactor at its power station. it's the first reactor to begin operating under new safety rules following the fukushima disaster in 2011. fighting has broken out among hundreds of frustrated migrants on a greek island. police sprayed the crowd with fire extinguishers as they demanded food and protests delays in getting registered. neave barker reports. >> reporter: it's a scene of panic and desperation. [ shouting ] >> 1500 migrants were gathered in long queues to be processed. but after a long wait in the heat, scuffles started.

a man collapses on the ground. this woman begins to lose consciousness. there are children here too. only handful of police were on duty to carry out the registration and keep control. they were quickly overwhelmed. give us papers, they chant. many migrants have been camping in the main town's parks and squares. they are frustrated at how long it's taking to process their documents. it's an anxious wait to know whether they can stay in europe or have to leave. >> i don't have money, please help me! i want to go! i don't want to stay in greek! i want to go in europa!

>> i can't say we are in europe. i say we are in third-world country. no toilets no water. people have been waiting for more than ten days. what can i say. is this europe? if this is europe? we're going back to syria. >> reporter: the government, charity groups and local people are struggling to help the migrants. every day more arrive in boat loads from nearby turkey. for many migrants escaping war in syria and afghanistan arriving here was meant to be the start of a new life. [ cheers ] >> reporter: for many europe's doors remain closed. neave barker, al jazeera. most of the migrants arriving in europe are escaping the war in syria, but the second largest group are eritreans, despite there being no war or humanitarian disaster in that country. yet thousands are risking their

lives to seek refuge in ethiopia. >> reporter: there is no let upin the steady stream of eritreans who flee from their country. this heavily disputed border is becoming a favorite route for them. we found this family at one of 20 crossings on the northern border ethiopia has with eritrea. they say they had to walk for three days to get here. >> translator: life has become unbearable. i never wanted to leave my country. i'm sample sheperd, but the government officials kept harassing me. >> reporter: the u.n. says at least 300 arrive every day. most of those flees eritrea are young people who say they want to avoid conscription, a come

pulse air exercise for both men and women who finish school. it is supposed to last just 18 months, many are forced to suffer decades. thomas is 21. he has been trying to get south after eritrea since he was 14. >> the conscription has no age limit. as long as you can carry a gun, you belong in the military. even my father who is partially blind is in the army. i don't want to live that kind of life. >> reporter: thousands as young as six and seven have made it to ethiopia unaccompanied. this is their section of the camp in ethiopia. this man is chairman of the refugee community. >> translator: children are as affected by government policies as the rest of society. they are forced to flee when their parents are conscripted or

arrested when refusing to join the army. >> after having reached as far as even egypt in a bid cross over into europe. >> reporter: the eritrean government recently asked the undersecurity council to help bring human traffickers to justice. it says it is smuggling groups, not human rights abuses that are forcing eritreans to leave. many here will disagree. resident theres the u.s. city of ferguson have been waking up to a state of emergency. it follows a fourth night of protests, marking a year since the unarmed black teenager, michael brown, was shot dead by a white police officer. more thoon 100 people were arrested across the country on monday. police say demonstrations were calmer than sunday night when a teenager was shot and seriously hurt by police. well, kristen saloomey joins

us from ferguson, missouri. the anniversary has come and gone now, but those demonstrations don't show any sign of letting up. >> reporter: that's right. and demonstrators are vowing to continue their fight until the reforms to policing are enacted that they want here in ferguson, but residents are taking a breath after another night of tension demonstrations right on the street here behind me. this is the business district of ferguson where there was rioting and looting last year. last night, demonstrators again took to the streets. some were throwing frozen water bottles and rocks at police officers. and about 22 people were arrested right here. but no major violence reported, and that's a big relief after what happened on sunday evening when shots were being exchanged on the street. at first between two groups of young men, police say, and then

between police and a young man. they said they pursued someone who had a gun. he shot at the police, and police shot back. in that young man is 18 year old tyrone harris and he remains in critical condition charged with assaulting police officers. again, the demonstrators do say that they are going to keep up this fight. and we saw those other arrests take place during the daylight hours, with peaceful demonstrations that took place at the courthouse in st. louis and demonstrators also shut down a major highway here in the st. louis county area as well, and that resulted in another 80-plus people being arrested, and so police have their hands full. the demonstrations do continue. >> yeah, so the protesters say they are happy to carry on with the demonstrations, but is there any sign that what they are doing is having any effect, and are people now simply getting tired of them?

>> reporter: well, it depends on who you ask. i think certain a lot of people here in ferguson are very tired of what has been going on. it's very costly for the town. businesses on this strip say their business hasn't return since the unrest that started last year, and that's a big concern for the local authorities, protecting the businesses here on the streets. two nights ago there were also robberies taking place at two of the businesses that you see behind me. so that's an ongoing concern. there have been changes, though, there's no doubt that the movement has caused some reforms here in ferguson to the local police department, but demonstrators say a lot of the changes so far are just superficial. they are concerned that there has been some push back against the changes that the federal justice department has recommended here in ferguson, and that's why they keep coming out to protest, and to whether or not it is having an effect, you can also look to bernie

sanders who had a rally over the weekend where black lives matters protesters stormed the stage and demanded to be heard. the very next day he came out with his plan for racial justice in the country. so i think it's safe to say that politicians locally and nationally are listening. >> kristen in ferguson. thank you. now a state of emergency has been declared in the u.s. state of colorado. more than 11 million liters of toxic sludge was released from a disused gold mine into local streams last week. that is three times more than previously thought. our correspondent is in durango. >> reporter: this is what the river looks like as it flows through durango in the state of colorado on tuesday. pretty idyllic, frankly. that's part of the problem. we saw the neon toxic plume that

flowed here last week, with heavy metals. we also know it left - -- sediment behind. we don't know what long-term effects that is going to have. it may not have that weird yellow color anymore, but that of course -- that was the iron, which is perhaps one of the least frightening metals. the plume has moved inside has moved into new mexico into utah towards the colorado river heading into lake powell and perhaps on to the grand canyon itself. as it moves it will get less neon, less toxic, but still no definitive answer as to what all of this pollution is doing to such a key ecosystem here in the southwest. the u.n. has called on thailand to free two people given lengthy jail sentences for

insulting the monarchy on saturday. one was sentenced to 30 years for posting comments about the royal family on social media, and a woman was handed a 28-year sentence for posting negative comments on line. the u.s. coast guard is celebrating its biggest hall of illegal drugs. >> reporter: at first glance the pellets look like the many millions of others shipped legitimately into the u.s. every year. take a closer look and this cargo is pure, uncut and illegal. 32 tons of cocaine, and two tons of heroin. for the u.s. coast guard, it marks its greatest triumph on a single mission to crack down on drug smuggling. >> the wholesale value alone expeeded $1 billion. trust me on the street it would sell for much more.

>> reporter: more because u.s. drug enforcement estimates the 32 tons of uncut cone cane alone could be converted into around 33 million lines that drug users would snort. the special operation ran for four months and involved three coast guard ships. they were targeting drug smugglers like these, operating off of the pacific coast to smuggle the contraband up from south and central america, and employing ever-more soft us indicated techniques. coast guard video taking in july shows the arrest of traffickers on board a submarine, that produced 6 tons of cocaine. it has been a good year so far for the u.s. coast guard with almost 60 tons seized so far, more than the previous three years combined. this record hall has been moved

to a location where it will be analyzed and destroyed. that location is being kept a closely guarded secret. you can find much more on many of our stories over on our website. that is what the front page looks like at the moment. the address is aljazeera.com. after 3 million gallons of toxic waste leak into a river. as demonstrators resume acts of civil disobedience today, and we take a look at the race riots 50 years later, how they define the view of ot