yemen's pro-government forces close in a strategic town that's been held by houthi rebels for months. ♪ ♪ you are watching al jazerra live from our head quarters in doha. also coming up. libya's prime minister announce he's stepping down but then his spokesman says he isn't. plus. >> if this is europe we are goin r migrants in greece turns to chaos. plus a mexican neighborhood explodes with color in an effort to combat say lens and crimes.

pro-post gores i gores in ee gaining more ground from houthi rebels. most of the south is held by forces loyal to the exiled president. they are backed by saudi airstrikes, joanna blundell reports. >> translator: our message is the houthi is his the following, you have 48 hours to withdraw from ib or you will be killed. >> reporter: soldiers backing the i can side president hadi and al good groups have made a series of gains not south support ed by saudi-led airstrikes and recently took

delivery of new weapons and vehicles from the saudis and the uae. they now control other areas, if they intakeism b it will pave the way for a an advance a sana. can you feel country ripa cues of iran of did he available >> it's also held to the thedes. destruction of any kind of normal life for most yemenis. the u.n. says 80% are in need of humanitarian assistance and around 1.3 million have been forced to flee their homes. the u.n.'s humanitarian affairs chief visited a damp for displaced people near the capital sanaa. >> the best slings for the

country of generally. people of yemen for the future of yemen is for all the parties to realize there is no military solution. there has to be a political dialogue in order to resolve the differences and to maintain a durable piece. >> reporter: but any peace seems far off. these pro had of government forces are celebrating the gains made in taiz. if the houthis lose here it seems they will have no option but to ban done the south and dig in to their to additional strong hold in the north. >> covering events in yemen joining us now in the studio to discuss. what these gains mean by the pro-happened i loyalists and what could the loss of areas in the south mean for the houthis? >> doreen, what you see are preparations for what could be

the final push to recapture sanaa. the moment of the area in the south loyalists backed by saudi-led coalition are now launching an offensive in two major provinces. ib and al bad a. why? al bada is a province, if you control it you have fighters coming all the way from maric towards is than sanaa. basically you can see the strategy is quite clear, a push toward the center the moment you control the center you go for the final push to capture sanaa. i think hadi loyalists are now keen to get closer to sanaa. of houthis have two options surrender the areas you control and happened over weapons for the government otherwise we'll go after you and defeat you. >> when you say pull out from the areas they control. where would they pull out to?

>> they have according to the government says that the two -- the resolution 2216 which was the unites nations resolution says they have to pull out to their strong hold which is sadder, they have to hand over all the weapons they seized they that took in sanaa and they have to recognize hadi as yemen's legitimate liter the rational now has changed hadi and his supporters see that they are making for the first time significant gains in fact, they are reversing most of the military gains made by the houthis and forces loyal to former president saleh. we are getting reports now from our sources on the ground, particularly in ib. they think it will fall today. >> what does this mean when it comes to a political settlement who is more willing to make concessions? >> we are talk to the united

nations these are secret talks but we know from our source that his they are trying to revive those talks at that falter ed in geneva where they pull out from sanaa, happene hadi comes back n and then moves to sanaa for the national unity government. as i said for the time being hadi is in a new position, his forces now are moving towards the capital is tha sanaa and hew more attract today the idea of deciding the war with his own fighters closing in to sanaa instead of going to political settlement. >> thank you very much for that update. libya's prime minister says he's stepping down. the leader the country's internationally recognized government in tobruk made that shaka announcement in a television interview but within minutes his spokesman was saying it was a mistake. rob matheson with the details.

>> reporter: this is the moment he says he will resign. during an interview with a private libyan tv station, he is asked what he would do if people from all over the country come out to demand his resignation. he replies people don't need to protest because if he is an obstacle to the progress in lib yeah, he resigns. that's likely to have an impact here in geneva. where libya's two rival parliament are face-to-face again. the u.n. wants both sides to merge in to a single government. the deadline is only two weeks away. there have been positive signs. >> translator: for a peaceful solution for the crisis in libya, we are now heading to geneva in on order to achieve a literal solution that will be reflected in the political and economic situation. >> translator: the continuation of this situation will only lead to more disasters.

libyans, neighboring countries and the international community will not tolerate this security and political vacuum that exists now. >> reporter: he has stepped down before in april 2014, only to stay on as a caretaker prime minister. four months later he's dismissed by the rival general national congress based in trib lee. he's reinstated by tobruk lawmakers and order today form a crisis government. his internationally recognized government has been accused of having little influence, it's already trying to play down the prime minister's announcement but this latest resignation could have a big impact on effort to bring peace to battle weary libyans,. at least 47 people have been difficult in a suspected boko haram attack in northeastern nigeria. a bomb explode ed in a market in the village about a hundred 35-kilometers west of the borno state capital. ahmad idris has the latest.

>> reporter: the attacker want today cause maximum damage and that's exactly what happened. she targeted a very busy, rural market on a market day. and hospital sources are saying that the fatalities could rise because of severity of the injuries after that attack. now, this incident happened just as nigerian troops alongside troops from neighboring countries of nyjer, chad, cameroon are stepping up operations. over the last two months we have seen how boko haram and that tht return and completed did he braid graded by the ache you tilactivity ofthe neighbor coune changed tactics from taking the military head onto targeting soft targets like markets, churches and mosques, killing as many as they can. now, this also is coming at a time when nigh year vinnies were hopeful that they have seen the last of such attacks it's been

more than a week since there was an attack of this nature in the northeast of nigeria. 40 people are listening china after a land slide swept through a mining town the fire department says 15 dormitories were buried along with three homes. four people have been rescued from the debris, a search for the missing is still under way. five of the 14 men arrested in child sexual abuse in pakistan will remain in custody for up to 20 a days, they are accused of blackmailing children in to making sex tapes, families of victims say the police ignored their complaints as any stole johnston reports. >> reporter: less than an hour's drive is the village of -- it's a quiet place, but for years many people here have kept a terrible secret. children under the age of 14 were allegedly sexually abused by a dang gang of men.

filmfilmed and then blackmailed. the mohamed family is us inning their young son. for years he had been stealing from them. including the entire contents of their small shop. it left them broke so they told him to leave. now they have discovered what really happened. >> translator: now that we know afterred video was leased we are very upset that my son was sexually abused. i want my son to come home and the culprits hangs. >> reporter: parents say it started nine years ago, some are accusing the police of brushal g off their complaints this the police deny. >> the local police officer was not cooperating with them they must going to the higher one if they are not there, go to the other one, one parents was under fear, the second under fear, third under fear and for a long

time for the years and years and years. >> reporter: so far 14 people have been arrested in relation to the pedophile ring. rather than being tried in a regular court, they'll appear if an anti terrorism court. this lawyer says part of the problem is pakistan's legal system. >> is not that strong. the police -- that is the part of the police. the police is very much corrupt. they are nonprofessionals,. [ inaudible ] political bases it is very big. [ inaudible ] police system. there is no accountability for the policeman who is not working honestly. >> reporter: the state of punjab asked the high court for a judicial inquiry in to the case. the court refused. saying a police investigation was enough. so the state is forming a separate committee to investigate. this case is putting the spotlight on the issue of child sexual abuse in pakistan, activists are staggered by the number, possibly hundreds of

children abuse today years and any say it's rife across the country. activists hope public outrage will force the government to finally get serious about stopping it. nicole johnston, al jazerra. russia is officially in recession and the figures are bars than predicted. in march analysts had said the economy passed through the worst of its troubles but they were wrong as rory challands reports. >> reporter: the economic front in russia's confrontation with the west is throwing up some increasingly bizarre spectacles. dutch flowers going enough flames detroit we are told because of pest contamination. >> translator: these are freshly cut flowers from the next lander infested with western trips. >> reporter: russia is inspecting all for such beasts. though the netherlands suspects it's retaliation yags for their investigation in to the shooting down of flight mh17 over ukraine

last year. in response to western sanctions, leveed for the annexation of crimea and the war in ukraine, russia bans the import of many european foods. in recent days it's been destroydestroying embargoed food at eights he boards. what is happening to its economy. official figures just released show there was a 4.6% contraction in the second quarter of 2015. compared to the same quarter of last year. now that follows the 2.2% contraction? the first three months of this year. there is no doubt about it, russia is in recession. of course this was widely pictured. what has come as a bit of a shock is that the cop traction was slightly worse than analysts were predoubling. >> in the second quarter we saw that the real wages of the population continues to decline. also the tail end was struggling and in my view this was con

strange consumption 78 the measure of more than a year of western sank is playing a part in this. so too is the renewed slide and the price of oil. it's pulling the ruble back down to a dollar value not seen since february. the government here is been saying for several months now the worst is over. it doesn't seem to be yet. rory challands, al jazerra, moscow. here is what's coming up on al jazerra. >> castro didn't just confiscate our properties but took the hopes, dreams that our parents had for our future. >> americans mikey motional pleas for cuba to return property taken from their parents. plus. >> reporter: i am natasha ghoneim in south sudan, women are walking here in the bush to collect firewood and coming back out beaten and raped.

♪ ♪ the top stories a al jazerra pro-government forces in yemen are graining more ground from houthis. traps are now in the city of ib. most of the south is now held by the pro-government forces. libya's prime minister has announced his resignation but his spokesman later says he will not step down. the united nation is his trying to get libya's rival faction to his form a unity lost. all suicide bomb attack on a village market in northeastern nigeria has killed at least 47 people. more than 50 injured in that

attack. attempts to register hundreds of migrants on the greek island of kos has resulted in day as the u.n. says 124,000 people have arrived in grease just this year. >> reporter: it's a scene of panic and desperation. 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 thin here too. only a 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 on kos 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 for know whether they can stay in europe or have to leave. >> i don't have money, please, help me. i don't want to go. i don't want to stay in greece, i want to be to europe. >> 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 10 days. what can i say. is this europe? if this is europe, we are going back to syria. >> reporter: the greek government charity groups and local people are struggling to help the migrants.

every day more arrive in bolt loads from nearby turkey. for many migrants escaping war in syria and afghanistan, arriving in kos was meant to be the start i've new life. [ cheering ] >> reporter: for many europe's doors remain closed. neave bark he should al jazerra. the u.n. saying it will investigate claims that its peacekeepers committed rape and murder in the central african republic. am necessary this international says troops have been linked to the alleged rape i've 12-year-old girl and the killing of a 16-year-old boy and his father earlier this month. they have interviewed 15 witnesses and one of the alleged victims. aid groups in south sudan say sexual violence against women is increasing as natasha ga than reports where there has been intense fighting women are more vulnerable to attacks since the

civil war began two years ago. >> reporter: each day the displaced women walk in to the bush to collect firewood. they'll spend half a day trying to collect enough to sale. some say they are returning beaten and raped. >> they pointed a gun at us and told to us drop the firewood and follow them. >> reporter: this woman we'll call mary to protect her identity says she and a group of women were gang raped by south sudanese soldiers at gun point. >> translator: after they do a bad deed and leave you like that, you are almost as good as dead. you are useless. all that's left is that they shoot us. >> reporter: these women are faced with a choice. trying to earn money when food is scarce or staying inside this camp where they are protected by u.n. peacekeepers remember the international rescue committee says it's helped thousands of

women who have been victims of sexual violence. women here told us they were beat edge and raped here in the bush by government soldiers. who viewed them as sympathetic opposition fighters. but aid groups say all parties in this conflict are guilty of sexually assaulting women. the government launched a campaign to encourage more women to report rape and seek treatment. but some are accusing it of doing nothing to stop soldiers from using rape as a weapon of war. an accusation the government denies. >> we will not allow them to to do that. we have dispatched a team to investment. you will find things that will shock you simply because the people whom you are actually interviewing don't want to say the truth. it's a smear campaign against the government.

>> reporter: mary now worries that she's contract ailed disease. she says she's too terrified to return to the bush. other women we poke to say they are afraid of being attacked to, but they are still collecting firewood. and taking the risk to survive. natasha ghoneim, al jazerra, south sudan. now that cuba and the united states have restored diplomatic relations attention turning to whether the crippling economic embargo can be lifted. a major stumbling block is the fight for compensation both sides claiming billions of dollars. u.s. citizens lost homes and businesses in the communist revolution. and some fear they'll never be repaid. kimberly halkett reports. >> reporter: she was just a baby when her u.s. parents land in cuba was taken at gun point by fidel castro's soldiers. still it haunts her. >> it wasn't just the, you know, monetary stuff, it was the personal things that, you know,

were taken as well. >> reporter: wedding photos, jewelry, everything her father had worked decades for was gone in a single night. the family fled back to the united states but she says her father never recovered from the economic orie motional loss. her parents died in financial rue glynn castro didn't just cop if i skate our properties but also took the hopes, dreams that our parents once had for our future. >> reporter: that's why carolyn and other property heirs we want to testify before u.s. congress. amy's family farm was also seized by soldiers in 1960. her family is among thousands fighting for compensation. >> when my father filed the claims it was in good faith that they would be honor asked settled fairly. >> reporter: more than a half century later, the obama white house restores full diplomatic ties with cuba, there is fear that more than $6 billion in property claims will be

forgotten. as the administration push to his increase commerce and trade. >> i have called on congress to take steps to lift the embargo that prevents americans from traveling or doing business in cuba. >> at some point the congress needs to become involved. >> reporter: the former head of the u.s. foreign claims settlement commission says that would abb ab be a mistake. >> we have one thing that cuba wants access through the u.s. market through lifting the embargo. if congress gives that away without getting these claims paid the congress will have failed to stand up for these american families and companies. >> reporter: carolyn chester lamb agrees, that's why she won't give up fight to go reclaim what her parents lost. >> they died heart broken. i think that probably hurts me more than, you know, anything else. is knowing that they didn't -- they didn't ever see justice. >> reporter: so these families must continue their struggle for that justice. and compensation for the largest ever sees ou seizure the u.s. py

by a foreign government. well, cuba's government is also asking the u.s. for billions of dollars in compensation. we'll have that story for you later on wednesday right here on al jazerra. the head of the u.s. environmental protection agency has apologized for a toxic spill in to two rivers in colorado. epa workers accidentally released more than 11 million liters of toxic sludge from a disused gold mine in to the local stream. swimming and recreational sports are banned in the animus and san juan rivers until neck monday. the states of colorado, and new mexico have both declared state of emergencies over that spill. former drugs gang members in mexico have put down their weapons and picked up paint brushebrushes instead. they are giving their neighborhood a multi-color makeover as part after a government regeneral indication scheme, john hulman reports. >> reporter: it's the biggest mural in mexico. a rainbow-colored makeover for a

poor barrio in the city. graffiti artists have spent more than a year planning and painting 200 houses. together with young locals like francisco, better known as monkey. inevitably he's the one climbing up the ladder. >> translator: i feel good. proud problem part of this. in the future my children are going to see this and how the neighborhood looks good now. >> reporter: the mexican government funneledded the scheme to turn around a neighborhood known for crime and violence. it's all about putting the youth to work and giving them a positive environment says enrique gomez. ex-gang member and now project leader. >> translator: art with social programs can change people's lives. empower neighbors and generate social unity. uimurals wake up bore yows and get us working for a better mexico.

>> reporter: great artists like diego rivera used to expose the social and political problems of their time in this case they are looking to protect harmony and unity. it's a brave color scheme and some locals aren't too impress impressed. others see it as a multi-colored game changer. >> translator: we are all surprised by the new colors this was a rough neighborhood and now it's camed down. who knows how they have done it. the painters talk to the youngsters because they have come from difficult neighbors too so they understand them. >> reporter: 20,000 liters of paint later, and the new-look neighborhood monkey sees it is a did toyota his three young children is almost finished. job hulman, al jazerra, mexico. hindu devotos are celebrating the. [ inaudible ] it falls on the

14th night of the new moon they visit the temple to make offerings like milk honey as well asshole i water. lord shoas holy water. more details on our website aljazerra.com. >> this week on "talk to al jazeera" - john lydon, lead singer of "the sex pistols" - the band that ignited a punk rock revolution. >> pain, suffering, the disenfranchised, unnecessary poverty, class warfare, all of these issues bother me greatly. >> he was a man who generated headlines and controversy. famous, of course, for his hit "god save the queen". >> [singing] god save the queen, the fascist regime. >> taking aim at the british monarchy. >> they're an accident of birth, they were born in a birdcage and