>>. >> yemen's pro-government forces close in on a strategic city that has been held by houthi rebels for months. here from doha - also coming up, libya's prime minister announces he's stepping down. his spokesman says he is not. we report from colorado, where the agency responsible for protecting the environment has poisoned the pristine river system. >> some of the poorest people

say the land distribution scheme has failed them houthi rebels are strengthening defense in the yemeni capital sanaa, after suffering major losses in the south. troops loyal to the president abd-rabbu mansour hadi have gained more ground are in the city of ibb. they've been backed by air strikes, as we report. >> government troops are on the offensive, closing in on the city of ibb, setting up checkpoints around it. houthi rebels held the city since may, when they swept across the area, held by those loyal to president ali abdullah saleh. >> translation: our message to the houthis are the following - you have 48 hours to withdraw or you will be killed. >> reporter: soldiers backing president abd-rabbu mansour hadi and other groupsmade a series of gains in the south.

they took delivery of new weapons and vehicles from the saudis and the u.a.e., they control aiden, and other areas. if they take ibb, it will pay the way for advance on the capital sanaa. it's controlled by houthis who stage said an anti-muqtada al-sadr rally on tuesday. gulf countries accuse them of using it as a proxy. on the ground a desire for the violence to end. we condemn the atrocities against us. the attacks led to the destruction of infrastructure and economy. it's also led to the destruction of any kind of normal life. the u.n. says 80% are in need of humanitary assistance. and around 1.3 million have been forced to flee their phone. the u.n. affairs chief visited

the capital of sanaa. >> the best solution for the people of yemen, for the future of yemen, is for all the parties to realise that there is no military solution, there has to be a political dialogue in order to resolve the differences and to maintain at durable peace. >> that any peace is far off, the pro-government forces are celebrating gains made in tiaz. the third-largest city is a crucial battle ground. if the houthis lose here, it seems they'll have no option but to abandon the south and dig in to the strongholds in the north libya's prime minister says he's stepping down. abdullah the leader of the country is internationally recognised government made the announcement in an interview. but within minutes a spokesman was trying to say it was all a mistake. rob matheson has the details.

>> reporter: this is the moment abdullah says he'll resign. during an interview with a private libyan station he's asked what he'd do if people over the country come out to demand the resignation. he applies that people do not need to protest. if he is an obstacle to the progress of libya, he resigns. it's likely to have an impact in geneva. where libya's rival parliaments are face to face. the u.n. wants both sides to emerge into a single government the the deadline is two weeks away, there has been positive signs. for a peace. solution to the crisis in libya, we are heading to geneva, in order to achieve a political solution reflected in the situation. >> the continuation of the situation will only lead to more disasters. libyans, neighbouring countries

and the international community will not tolerate the security and political vacuum that exists now. many have stepped down before, only to stay on as a caretaker prime minister. four months later he's dismissed by the rival based in tripoli. he's reinstated by lawmakers in order to form a crisis government. the internationally recognised government in tobruk is accused of having little influence, it's trying to play down the announcement. the latest resignation could have a big impact on efforts to bring peace. >> in syria, at least five people have been killed, and 55 wounded by mortar attacks on several central districts of the capital. the syrian observatory for human rights said more than 50 missiles were fired at the area.

>> a 48 hour ceasefire has begun in the syrian town close to the border. rebels and government forces backed by the fighters agreed to the pause after days of fighting. it applies to two villages in idlib province. >> iranian foreign minister is expected to hold talks with syrian president and his foreign minister. the visit to damascus is a stop in beirut, where he met the hezbollah leader, and they discussed developments in lebanon and the region, and the iran nuclear deal. at least 47 people have been killed in a suspected boko haram attack in north-east nigeria, a bomb exploded in the market in the village. about 135km south of the borno state capital. we have the latest. >> the attacker wanted to cause damage, and that is what

happened. she touted a busy market day, and hospital sources are saying the fatality could rise because of this sum of injuries after the attack. this incident happened as nigerian troops and troops from countries on the niger side are stepping up the operations against boko haram. over the last two months, we saw boko haram, and its capability to attack and retain territories in nigeria and other countries have been degrade the activity and reaction from the neighbouring countries. we see how they changed tactics by taking the military head on. to targetting areas like mosques, killing as many as they can. >> this also is coming at a time when nigerians are hopeful when they see the last of attacks. it's mon a week when there was

an attack. the head of the u.s. environmental protection agency apologised for a toxic spill into the rivers. the e.p.a. worker accidentally released 11 million litres of sludge from a disused goldmine into streams. the agency says the rivers will remain closed until monday. u.s. and colorado declared a state of emergency over the spill. it is tragic and unfortunate, and e.p.a. is taking responsibility to ensure that it is cleaned up. the most important thing is ensuring the residents and the villages near the river. and we are committed to those that rely on the drinking water, water and recreation because we know how important it's for them. >> we have more from the town of silverton. >> i'm at the confluence of the

river. it was here last week in the hills over there, where millions of litres of toxic slun emerged. they flooded down the creek into the river, the amazing plume of neotoxic merely. it's still moving downstream, through colorado, new mexico and is heading to the grand canyon. it is heavily diluted. there's questions as to how toxic it is, and what the long-term affects are. interestingly, here in colorado, from the governor downwards, they were upbeat. it suggested ph levels, acidity levels have returned to normal. there's no discernible effect on the wildlife. it's un likely to pose such a threat in the future. they need to wait for the environmental protection agency, for them to be given the all

clear to allow people into the river. that is not likely to come for another week or so. >> thousands of people across the indian state are expected to protest over an unsuccessful land redistribution scheme. the zero learnedless initiative was launched in 2013 to provide land for poor households. once the application is approved. the family would be given 121 square meters of land. so far, 110 are given deeds with fewer. we have this report from the district with the least amount of land allotted. prime minister >> reporter: this person never imagined being given a piece of government land would cause so much despair, with her low income and blind husband, they were prime candidates for the government scheme. >> translation: for 12 years we tried hard to get the land.

we finally did. it's not in this area, we can't move. we don't have money to build a house, and the landlord wants to evict us. >> reporter: the land is in a fishing area, moving means she'd lose her job. they say they can't afford to move and the land is unlivable, many consider them unfortunate. 14,000 applied for the scheme, and so far only 100 received lands. the project was launched by the government two weeks ago, they were given papers confirming the application, they have not got the plot yet. >> if we don't, we will protest, commit suicide. that's the only way. we can't carry on like this, we are all very poor. >> in recent years, social unrest, ownership, has become common. in the state, a progressive land

rights bill was established in 1957 and promised fair distribution of land. about 70% of the households don't own land, the highest in india. the zero landless scheme is ineffective and gives the impression that the government is attacking the issue. >> it may be land, some other persons, sometimes the land may be useful. >> reporter: the district was one of the most densely populated country. with 1,500 people with every square kilometre. they are used in the scheme. it's limited. they give us some funds to purchase the land. they have been asking for help from the government.

they had no response. life was better before she got the land still to come on the show... >> i'm in south sudan, women are walking here into the bush to collect firewood, and coming back out, beaten and raped and scientists find that our own bodies may be the worst enemies when it comes to fighting the flag.

welcome back, let's recap the headlines here now. pro-government forces - yemen, are gaining more ground from houthi rebels, troops loyal to the president are now in the city of ibb. most of the area is held by pro-government forces. >> talks with syrian bt and his foreign minister on wednesday. he visited damascus following a stop in beirut libya's prime minister announced his resignation of and a spokesman said he will not step down. the united nations is trying to get libya's factions to form a unit yit government attempts to register hundreds of migrants resulted in chaos. 124,000 people have arrived on greece's eastern island since

the beginning of the year. neave barker reports. >> reporter: it's a scene of panic and desperation. 1500 migrants gathered in long queues to be processed. after a long wait in the heat, scuffles started. a man collapses on ground. >> this woman begins to lose consciousness. there are children here too. only a handful 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 the documents. it's an anxious wait to whether they can stay in europe, or have to leave. >> i want to go. i don't want to stay. i want to go. >> we can't stay in europe. i say we are in ha third world country - no toilets, no water. people have been waiting more than 10 days. if this is europe, we go back to syria. >> the greek government, charity groups and local people are struggling to help the migrants. every day more arrive in boat headlines from nearby turkey. for many, escaping war in syria

and afghanistan, arriving here was meant to be the start of a new life. for many, europe's doors are closed. >> an egyptian military court sentenced 263 people to life imprisonment in absentia. the newsagency says they were trying for violence in the niger delta, following a military coup in 2013. another 200 were given shorter sentences the u.n. says it will investigate claims u.n. peacekeepers committed rape and murder in the central african republic, troops have been linked to the rape of a 12-year-old girl, and the killing of a 16-year-old boy and his father. incidents are alleged to have

occurred in the capital this month. the group says it's interviewed 15 witnesses and one of the alleged victims. sexual violence against women in south sudan is on the rise, according to aid groups, since the civil war began in 2013. women have become more vulnerable to the attacks. we have this report from bentu, where there has been intense fighting. >> each day the displaced men in bentu walk into the bush to collect firewood. they'll spend half a day trying to collect enough to sell. some say they are returning beaten and raped. >> they point a gun at us and told us to drop the firewood and follow them. >> this woman we'll call mary says she and a group of women were gang raped by south sudan soldiers at gunpoint.

after they do a bad dead and leave you like that, you are almost as quick as dead. you are useless. all that is left is that they shoot us. the women are faced with a choice, trying to earn money when food is scarce and staying inside the camp when protected by u.n. peacekeepers. the u.n. international committee said it had met thousands who had been victims of sexual violence. >> women told us they were beaten and raped by government soldiers. aid groups say all parties in this conflict are guilty of sexually assaulting women. >> reporter: the government launched a campaign to encourage women to report rape and seek treatment. some accuse of it doing nothing but using rape as a weapon of war. an accusation that the government denies. we will not allow them to do

that. >> if we dispatch a team to investigate. you will find things that shocked you. simply because the people came in to view. >> mary worries that she contracted a disease, and said she's too terrified to return to the bush. other women spoke to say they are afraid of being attacked. but they are collecting firewood, and taking the risk to survive a man set himself on fire outside the japanese embassy in sole. it was part of a protest for forcing women into brothels during world war ii. saturday is the 70th anniversary

of the end of japan's rule over the korean peninsula. in 1993 china acknowledged the state role forcing chinese and korean woman into brothels. >> now that diplomatic relations have been restored. tension is turning to whether the embargo could be lifted. a stumbling block - both sides claiming millions of dollars. homes and businesses fear they'll never bere paid. kimberley halkett reports. >> she was a baby when her us parents land when they were taken at gunpoint by the soldiers. still, it haunts her. it wasn't just the monetary stuff, it was the personal things that, you know, were taken as well. >> wedding photos, jewellery, everything her father worked decades for was gone in a single

night. the family fled to the united states. she said her father never recovered from the economic or emotional loss. her parents died in financial ruin. >> they took the hopes, dreams that our parents had for our future. >> reporter: that is why caroline and other property heirs testified before the u.s. congress. amy's family farm was seized by soldiers in 1950. families were among thousand fighting for compensation. >> when my father filed a claim, it would be in faith that it was honoured and settled fairly. >> a century later. the obama house restored ties with cuba. it's feared the property claims will be forgotten as the administration pushes for commerce and trade.

>> it prevents americans travelling or doing business in cuba... >> at some point the congress needs to be involved. >> the u.s. claims settlement commission says it would be a mistake. >> there's one thing we want, access to the u.s. market through lifting the embargo, if the congress gives it away. the congress would have failed to stand up for the american families. she agrees. which is why she won't give up fighting to reclaim what the parents lost. that probably hurt me more than anything else knowing that they didn't see justice. the families must continue the struggle for justice, and compensation for the largest ever seizure of property by a foreign government so cuba's government is asking for billions in compensation. we'll have that story later on

wednesday here on al jazeera. in the battle against obesity. the latest ma was i knowed bodies. researchers in canada discovered a gene that could be linked to white fat. the fat claims volumes of weight, heart disease. scientists blocked the gene in miss, reducing fat content by half. james johnson is professor of medicine at the university of the british columbia, he's the author of the report. >> we think we discovered a team that is important for determining how many fat cells we are born with. in particular a type of white fat sell that is surrounding the internal organ. there's good and bad white fat. it's important for creating the bad white fact. >> we weren't looking at the

production of fat. it was an interesting protein. it was unrespected, and opened up an area of research in this era. so there's - we were trying to understand all the different proteins that this protein works with, and eventually understand the process required to make fat. because surprisingly we don't understand how fat it is, how the number of fat cells you end up with is determined, and we think this advance will help us understand this, and, of course, with a greater understanding of how fat is produced, we potentially have ways through the production of a drug, or dietary intervention or lifestyle intervention that could lower the levels of this protein, and that would have beneficial effects. >> former drugs gang members in mexico put down their weapons

and picked up their paint brushes. they are giving a makeover as part of a government regeneration scheme. john holman reports. >> reporter: it's the biggest mural in mexico, a makeover in a poor area. graffiti artists spend more than a year planning and painting 200 houses, for locals better known as monkey. he's the one climbing up the ladder. >> i feel good, proud to be part of this because in the future. my children are going to see this, how the neighbourhood looks good now. the mexican government funded the scheme to turn around the neighbourhood known for crime and violence, it's about putting the youth to work. >> art with social programs can change people's lives.

empower neighbours and jarnt social unity. it breaks up barriers like this one. mexico's well-known as the cradle of modern youralism, and great artists tuesday it to expose social and political problems. in this case the painters are looking to project harmony and unity. >> it's a brave seem, some locals are happy to progress. others see it as a game changer. >> we are all surprised by the new colours, this was a rough neighbourhood. who knows how they there done it. they talk to the youngsters, they come from a different neighbourhood. they understand it. >> reporter: 20,000 litres of paint later and the new-look neighbourhood, a gift to his children, is almost finished

as you can see, the website - plenty news to follow up from as well as all the stories around the world. aljazeera.com is the address. address. next. over the past two years pope francis and his words captured the attention of catholics worldwide, from inclusion of homosexual and global warming. it seems it's too controversial. now the u.s., pope francis saw 11 million african-americans have been on the outside of the church looking in.