>> you're watching al jazeera live from london with 1934, david foster. we'll have the latest from baghdad where there have been serious car explosion there is. survivors from wednesday's explosion in china continues while there are fears of air contamination. marking the end of the second world war 70 years ago.

>> in the gaza strip ten years after israel withdrew all of its settlers. we'll hear from palestinian and israelis about how the effects of the so-called disengagement is still being felt today. >> the yemeni president abd rabbuh mansur hadi loyalists have made gains on houthi rebels in the city taiz. loyalists say they control shabwa in the south of yemen which means that they exercise control over five provinces in the country. >> taking control. pro government fighters

recapture the main security buildings in the main city of taiz. is another victory for president abd rabbuh mansur hadi's fighters. they have been able to defeat houthi rebels and soldiers loyal to former president ali abdullah saleh in several other citizen across yemen in recent days. on saturday they announced that they managed to expel the houthis and their allies from shbwa earlier this week. these fighters, however, are not content. they say that they will continue their fight until they're in full control of yemen. >> we're in constant contact with the other resistence fighters in aden. we're all working together in cleanse taiz and will focus our attention on liberating the government of ibb. >> at least 18 houthi rebels were killed and 30 others from injured.

the destruction caused by the fighting is clear. almost every building appears to be damaged. momentum has been on the side of pro government forces since they managed to recapture yemen's port city of yemen. the saudi arabian coalition has offered armor personnel carrier, weapons, and logistical support to the forces. but with all this destruction and the extreme poverty faced by most people here it is still not clear who will help to rewhether the homes and lives of yemenis when all of this is over. al jazeera. >> ththey spoke of pro government gains and said today it was part of a tactical withdraw. >> this withdraw, everything is under control. we pulled out of shabwa and aden

provinces. this is a tactical withdrawal with the purpose of redeployment in the army forces and popular forces. 24 was designated by the conditions on the ground. the people say to realize that when they headed south they went to communicate the community from al-qaeda. now who is responsible for maintaining the security also the society itself and southern mobility movement. we fear that isis and al qaeda will gain control of areas that we've pulled out of.

>> chinese media say that toxic chemicals have been found in the port city of tianjin. explosions so powerful they knocked over hundreds of heavy shipping containers in the port. it's been reported that the warehouse nor the blast side stored 700 tons of sodium cyanide. much more than officially allowed. people near the side have been moved to nuclear and bio chemical specialist where they have been sent to the scene. authorities deny reports of makeshift camps where they're forced to make face masks and there are worries of air contamination. >> today i have information that people within two kilometers of where the event happened would be evacuated. we immediately found out the situation with the emergency teams at the scene. there are no plans to evacuate people.

at plenty there are no plans to evacuate people. >> they're amazed they're still pulling survivors from the scene. this man was found amid the shipping containers, as you saw. he had respiratory problems and internal injuries but is said to be in stable condition. turning our attention to iraq, 21 people have been killed in roadside bombings. 12 were killed when a car bomb went off in a car dealership in in a bomb that killed three. tell us when these happened, what happened and where? >> yes, david, these explosions all happened within the last 90 minutes and under scores how fragile the security situation

remains here. even in the capital of iraq iowa led the rest country. the first two attacks one in predominantly shia nake shia neighborhood where 12 were killed. and three other attacks to speak of. one southeast of baghdad. another on, one, a roadside car bomb. at a time when many are insisting they have the upper hand in the fight against isil. it was just a couple of days ago when they announced phase two where they're going after isil in anbar province in western iraq. they say they're cutting off the

supply lines. one more thing to add, no one has claimed responsibility for these attacks. but there have been a string of attacks in parts of baghdad and other parts of the country in the last few days. all claimed by isil, and i can tell you having been on the streets of the capital a lot the last few days everyone we've come across is afraid there will be more such attacks in the days to come. >> thank you very much. >> more commemorations have been taking place around the world. at the end of world war ii, 70 years after japan's surrender. in tokyo japan's emperor expressed his deep remorse.

>> they didn't find out about cease-fire until two days afterwards. it made little difference for him and comrades. he said his naive nationalism had long given away to the reality of war. he saw soldiers fight and kill chinese civilians. he would serve as a soviet prisoner in siberia. >> i myself did not kill an enemy or participate in a combative act. but the military i joined invaded other countries, abused and humiliated their people. >> 70 years on japan is in debate of how long that shadow still cast. he was an 11-year-old boy when his father sent a broadcast to the nation. today his message is of peace.

>> bearing on the mind of deep remorse over the last war i earnestly hope that the ravages of war will never be repeated. now i pay my heartfelt tribute to all of those who lost their lives. >> japan's prime minister alleged that his nation would never repeat the horse of war, but shinzo b abe used this occasion to speak of damage done to its neighbors. he endorsed apologies made by previous governments, but didn't restate them personally. in south korea, bringing to an end 35 years of the japanese colonial rule, that did not go unnoticed. abe's statement included more than a few regrettable points and called on japan to show it's up holding of previous apologies through its actions. china's foreign ministry said that abe has been evasive and should have made sincere apolo

apologies to neighboring countries. neither beijing nor seoul would have been impressed with the donations made to the shrine where war criminals were honored. >> he said he wants to give japan the right to defend itself and allies as a naturalized nation in the 21st nation. he the problem is the past he wants to move beyond is hugely divisive. >> the prime minister's personal poll numbers have plunged. and to free up pacifist restrictions remains at 60%. but recasting the post-war mindset scenes to be his cause and he's determined to press on.

al jazeera, tokyo. >> u.k.'s british and royal families paying tribute to those lost in the conflict. >> the day began with the queen attending a religious service with veterans the fighting and prime minister minister david cameron. later what is known as horse guard's parade there was the usual pomp and ceremony at an outside service led by prince charles. air force planes, old and new, flew over head to start. this was a chance to remember the 70,000 british soldiers who died fighting the japanese and paid tribute to those who survived. >> grow not old as we that are left grow old.

age shall not weary them nor the years condemn. >> the british soldiers who fought the war in the far east were often referred to as the forgotten army. the legacy of their sacrifice was far more complex than that of their colleagues. and this being the 70th anniversary of victory in the far east it will be the last chance for many of them to tell their own stories. >> supporting british troops running a can taken near the front line. and now her husband, peter, now dead, was a prisoner of war. >> it does bring back a lot of memories that's were tucked away. >> i'm really glad to be here. i just--just the last time, i shall do anything like this.

>> the british fighting against japan seems remote to many. it was fought in far off colon colonial outposts. it had little impact on the home front. today the resentment of japanese behavior in the war has largely been overcome. this was a chance for those still alive to take the public for the bitter struggle some believe never received the recognition that it deserved. >> from the conflict to what is happening this very day. coming up, the islands of greek given to syria. stay with us if you can.

>> "inside story" takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the sound bites. we're giving you a deeper dive

into the stories that are making our world what it is. >> ray suarez hosts "inside story". only on al jazeera america. >> well, these are the top stories. forces of the exiled president abd rabbuh mansur hadi has made significant gains in yemen taking control of the city of taiz. >> survivors from the republic in tianjin seeing multiple explosions on wednesday that so far have killed more than 100.

the italian navy has managed to rescue 300 people from the boat trying to cross the mediterranean from libya. 40 are thought to have been trapped and suffocated in the hole. a brawl has broken out where thousands of refugees an other migrants are waiting to be allowed into mainland europe. there were claims that syrian refugees are getting preferential treatment. >> it is unclear who started it, but there was no holding back. anger, frustration and suspicion boiled over under the intensity of the summer sun.

many have come hoping to get papers to go to the mainland. but disappointment and desperation turned into chants of freedom. some hearsay they're getting preferential treatment. >> please, please, can you help. >> the situation on kos has become increasingly urgent. even a loaf of bread is precious. some people have found shelter and even a shower but the facilities are being criticized. >> they are not giving us food. >> hundreds of migrants are being moved on. this boat left for athens on friday. another ship to be used only by

syrian refugees are yet to operate. but still others wait hoping despite their nationality they will be allowed on board. every day there are more arrivals, many crossing the short distance of turkey. greece was not prepared for this, and athens has called for help from the outside world. it is, though, still waiting. al jazeera. >> in syria the cease-fire has been violated with more fighting there. rebels fired mortars into the shia muslim town and in idlib province and the government retaliated. >> well, germany is going to pull out from turkey and 250 attorney general's office. they were sent to protect fellow nato members from attacks. germany, u.s. and spain deployed

the anti-missiles weapons in turkey in 2003. but they were intended to protect turkey in missiles and syrian government military aircraft. the decision was made because the threats of missiles attacks have diminished. saturday marks ten years since israel would begin it's withdraw from the west bank. israel dismantled 21 jewish settlements from gaza strip on the west bank. 9,000 israelis were relocated and in some case by force. israel continues to control every aspect in the light of territory deciding who can go in, who can come out, and is in control of gaza's air space and coastal waters as well. this is what they said.

>> there is no shortage of work to do in these fields. every day dozens of palestinians farmers cultivate this planned growing fruit and vegetable it's. they said up until ten years ago he never believed he would be able to grow his own crops here. back then this was a large australi israeli settlement home to israelis and a large israeli military presence. it was also off limits to most palestinians. all that is left are a few disused buildings, and while he says he's happy the satellit settlers have left, he's angry at how things are now. >> we live in a big prison. the occupation is the reason for all of our suffering as israelis control everything.

palestinians. >> although israelis withdrew from the gaza strip, israel's government never managed to truly disengage without a political settlement with the palestinians it would exert economic siege and repeated rounds of military violence. the so-called disengagement of gaza sharply divided the society. when the deadline to leave expired august 15, 2005, the remaining settlers were removed by force. originally from france she lived in the area for 20 years for what she describes as ideological reasons. she said many of the settlers forced to leave still have not been able to rebuild their lives. >> i'm angry at my government who did not know how to cope with the hardships of the people.

still people are living here in temporary housing ten years after. >> that anger is overshadowed by what followed the so-called gaza disengagement. [ gunfire ] after israel pulled out, hamas won a landslide victory in the 2006 general election and diseased power shortly afterwards. since then hamas has fought three major wars with israel and that killed thousands of palestinians. it has also made reconstruction almost impossible. while palestinians say they don't know how much more destruction they can endure, they go on. >> only two days now for south sudan's warring parties to reach a peace deal. in ethiopia, a group of sudanese

exiles in mass hunger strike in protest to what is going on in the conflict. >> look what they know. >> the day after pakistan celebrated it's indians day india has been marking it's own national day. thermodi said there was no corruption in his government in response to leaders who want him to resign. homes in journal japan evacuated as a nearby volcano becomes increasingly active. it has just been restarted. people living nearby begin to

leave after the threat alert rises to unprecedented level. and ecuador's president said that he will declare a state of emergency after increased activity of a volcano. a number of villages around the volcano have been evacuated as a precaution. there has been concern of landslides. the number of corruptio eruptions have been recorded and many have been given surgical masks to keep them from inhaling volcanic dust. in the u.s.tate of washington wildfires have surrounded the state. people have been ordered out of their homes as firefighters take on the fire fronts and battling blazes in idaho, montana and

california. >> in the philippines activist are calling on the government to do more to preserve historic buildings. >> home to the most famous monument in the country. the resolved shrine marks an area where hundreds of filipinos were killed during the spanish period. it is where roman catholic popes gathered to me their congregation. but the monument is one of the world's threatened heritage sites and it's all because of this. a commercial building that many hearsay has disrespected what many consider to be an important part of the nation's identity. there are many heritage sites like this one, which are across the capital of manila.

>> manila has rich architectural legacy, unfortunately, a lot of it was lost in the war. but even that, that loss is tempered by the fact that there are clustered of buildings that are still here. >> many dilapidated many demolished to make way for development. >> it was called the grand dame of philippine theater. it was built in the 1920s at a time when the country was slowly carving it's own cultural identity. now the metropolitan theater has been a symbol of manila's decay. it's restoration is to happen soon thanks to a breakthrough after decades of legal battle between government agencies. it has been abandoned for decades, and what we see now is a shell of what the theater used to be. >> there are so many people connected to the met for so many generations. but older generation artists,

the younger generation artists, and those who watch the artists. >> those looking to protect sites like the met say that it is more than just fighting for dilapidated buildings. >> the appreciation has lasting effect. it an appreciation of the culture that allows us to become a country. it creates an awareness of the filipino genius and it's about the genius that holds us together. >> manila was once called the pearl of the orient but no longer. the middle class has left for safer parts of the city, but restoration promises to bring back some of the lost glory. >> well tune in for part four of preserving heritage tomorrow. we're looking at senegal's national park. some of africa's biggest lands

and target for mass poaching. that tomorrow on al jazeera. we have more on our website as well. www.aljazeera.com for headlines stories. and the blogs in the background, too, www.aljazeera.com. afghanistan's future grows increasingly uncertain, as years of foreign aid and intervention come to an end. in the jostling for money and power, competing forces are fighting for the wealth buried deep in the hindu kush mountains. that wealth is precious rubies, which fetch a handsome sum, especially when smuggled across the border. i'm steve chow. on this edition of 101 east, we look at the lives of afghan ruby miners who are risking it all chasing crystal dreams.