>> the death toll rises in china from a series of explosions in tianjin. 112 people are now dead. i'm darren jordan in doha. 40 migrants die trying to cross the mediterranean, many suffercated below decks. pro government forces make gains in yep's third largest city. and can you be too connected? we look at the downside of technology that tracks what you do on-line.

chinese officials say the death toll from the tianjin explosions is 112. there are fears that toxic chemicals are leaking into the area of wednesday's huge explosions. adriane brown joins us from tianjin. we understand a wider evacuation order has been issued. how worried are the authorities about a broader toxic chemical leak? >> well, darren, i'm about 1.8 kilometers away from the core of the explosions and traffic here is moving freely. so i think there is a bit of a confusion about just how strictly this exclusion zone is enforced. people mingling around here. it's not safe to go any further. the authorities were insitting as a news conference that the

air quality is safe based on extensive monitoring that has taken place. they have confirmed that part of the stockic pool hanging over the industrial zone contains particles of cyanide. up to 700 tons of sodium cyanide was store in warehouses that were destroyed in those explosions. today, the government officials were unable to say exactly how many tons of chemicals were there. we do know that the owner, the operate egoperator of that warea license to store ten tons of sodium cyanide. corners have been cut when it comes to safety. it's shaping up to be one of china's worst industrial

accidents. 21 confirmed dead are firemen. the youngest was just 17 years old. atlanta there are uand there ary ill in hospital. the grief is turning to anger. there were many families and many people who have been forced from their homes. they were demanding more help from the government. they have been abandoned. the only assistance is from volunteer groups. they want the government to do more and they want government leaders to come to tianjin. so far no one has done that. >> there seems to be a lack of reliable information coming from the government. >> yeah. there is no reliable narrative. and there hasn't been since day one. and there is a growing feeling, a growing sense that officials here are covering up the true

extent of this disaster. tianjin is an important financial disaster. it's the busiest port in northeast china. vessels are on their way to dock at this port. are the crews necessarily come forrable in doing that. the other thing worth mentioning and the authorities are concerned about, in a few days time beijing will play host fror a major supporting event. >> thank you. now at least 40 migrants have died trying to cross the mid terraimediterranean being sd to death. the boat was trying to get to an italian island. a group of syrian refugees

has boarded a ship. thousands of migrants are awaiting to be allowed into mainland europe. on saturday fights broke out. they claim that syrian refugees are getting preferential treatment. >> the system is not good. my friend is 20. no food, no water, no other. this is very dangerous situation. in iraq 21 people have been killed in a series of bombings in and around baghdad. a parked car blew up at a popular dealership in the east of the capital. the attacks have injured more than a hundred people. in yemen forces are making

progress against houthi rebels. they have taken control of the security headquarters. pro government sources say they are in full control of the province which has substantial oil reserves. they are being backed by saudi led coalition air strikes. that means five provinces are held by pro government forces. >> reporter: taking control, pro government fighters recapture the main security building in the city. it's yet another victory for president hadi's fighters. they have been able to defeat houthi rebels and soldiers loyal to them and several other cities in recent days. on saturday they announced they had managed to expel the houthis after similar victories earlier

this week. these fighters, however, are not content. they say they will continue their fight until they are in full control of yemen. >> we are in constant contact. we are all working together to cleanse ties and will focus our attention on liberating the government. >> according to pro government forces, at least 18 rebels were killed in the battle for the center and 30 others were 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 the port city. the saudi arabia-led coalition has provided armored weapons to the forces. with all the destruction and the extreme poverty faced by most people here, it's still not clear who will help rebuild the

homes and lives when all of this is over. >> a cease fire on two front lines in syria has ended. talks between rebel forces and the syrian army and hezbollah has collapsed. they were trying to provide safe passage. we have been monitoring events from across the border in lobe non. >> reporter: the main rebel movement involved in these negotiations say it will no longer abide by the cease fire and that negotiations are now over. a few days ago a cease fire was reached on two frontlines in syria, one in the north and one in the damascus countryside, they were involved in negotiations that would have seen rebel fighters get safe passage to leave the town in the

damascus countryside. these are two shia villages, they would be evacuated. from what we understand, the government had another demand, and that was not just the fighters would have to leave, but the civilians as well. for the opposition that means depopulating an area. and they are saying that they will not accept this. so these negotiations were about a population swap which would be really unprecedented. yes, we have seen people being displaced from one area to another. we have seen the different parties trying to carve out different zones. but this would be a deliberate agreement to swap populations, allow the shias, they have been holding out even though much of the province is with the rebels, they would leave and the sunni

population would leave to the rebel controlled north. so now the rebels are saying that these negotiations, they are now over and what we are expecting really over the next few days is more battles in both these areas. the former head of pakistan military intelligence has died. he suffered a brain hemorrhage. he served as the head of asia. he continued working in the spy agency after the soviet afghan war and retired in 1992. professor says he had considerable influence at the top of isi. >> he was very tough. this is when the pakistaniings are feeling the lash on their backs and the number two man,

the most powerful man is the head of the intelligence. he goes back long into his career. he served when he was a much more junior officer and rose with him. he is a patron. he had this vision. he opened up both fronts, the western front with afghanistan, and for pakistan, the one on the eastern front, that is india. so you see a lost activity, a lot of uprisings, a lot of resistance against the indian army in the late 1980s. you can correlate it to the time he was in charge of intelligence. >> time for a short break. when we come back, less than a year after she was re-elected, brazil's president is facing calls to step down. plus, struggling to avoid

disease, we look at the struggle to find clean drinking water.

>> we're here to fully get into the nuances of everything that's going on, not just in this country, but around the world. getting the news from the people who are affected. >> people need to demand reform... >> ali velshi on target weeknights 10:30p et >> welcome back. a quick recap of the top stories here. fears are growing that toxic chemicals are leaking into the area of huge explosions in tianjin, china. the death toll is 112. people have died trying to cross the mediterranean. in yemen, pro government forces

are making significant progress against houthi rebels. they are advancing on the third largest city. that means five of the yemen's provinces in the south are held by pro government forces. sri lankans will head to the polls. but most of the focus has been on the former president, trying to make a comeback after losing january's vote. well, let's get more. why are these elections so important for sri lanka? >> reporter: crucial for this country because it will decide a way forward in terms of the direction it goes in the next few years. now, the current government that was pointed by the new president has promised change. in the first six months that they have been in power, they

have introduced change, they brought constitutional amendments. essentially what they are asking is for a mandate to continue this change, a change essentially the way things have been done in sri lanka. that is crucial for the new government. they need essentially control and essentially power in the building behind me, the parliament, 225 seats in this election. it's very much about his political survival, having lost the presidency in january. a shock result. he's trying to make it back into the political mainstream through this election. very much after such a long time, major issues facing the country after the end of a war, but personalitiesties dominating the election. let's take a look. parliamentary elections are about national issues and who can best deal with them. there is nothing unusual about

this one. >> translator: when you see what's happening in the country, we are unable to stay away from politics. you should question whether the actions followed by them are people-friendly. >> reporter: seven months after being voted out, he is attempting to come back. this time as prime minister. his main driver is the current premier. after years in the political shadows, he developed an opposition. >> translator: we decided the future of this country on january 8. now must decide your family's and your own future. >> reporter: he has urged people to carry forward the change that began in january. he has made it clear that he wants to support the return. the new government has brought change. analysts say a level playing field for this election is one example. and new rules have empowered the

election chief. >> if anyone tries to chase polling agents from the polling station or try to influence. >> reporter: analysts say stability will be an important factor. >> the majority of the people did make the point that they wanted a single party to be able to have sufficient seats in order to be able to govern with stability. that's a concern as far as they are concerned. look, we have to give a decisive result. we have to get on with the business of government with governance. >> reporter: many say the root causes of war, the economy and foreign policy are among a number of areas that must be addressed. >> talk us through the possible outcomes for this vote? >> reporter: darren, the first

time that sri lankans have seen even the day before, they are not sure what the outcome will be. now, essentially the front led by the prime minister with the united states national party has garnered the vote. from what we are hearing, the youth seems to have moved towards this new front that had been created, essentially in january as a challenge to the president at the time and defeated him. in terms of that sort of vote, it seems to be weighted in the prime minister's favor. however, the former president cannot be discounted. he commands a very faithful following especially in the rural areas where he's credited with ending the war, the sort of traditional hard line buddhist

majority is with him. however, the man who defeated him commands a sizable vote. so pretty much open at the opinion polls, suggesting that it will be a pretty closely fought race. >> thank you. >> huge protests are planned across brazil to call for the impeachment of the president. her approval rating has nose-dived. >> it's a message that resonates among many brazilians, calls for the ousting of the president and her workers party. less than a year after she was re-elected, her approval rate is at 8% only. >> it's because of the corruption of the government, of this government. it's not only that. look at our economy, how it's weakened in the last, i don't

know, last couple of years. >> reporter: brazil is marred by corruption scandals. at the same time, its economy began to shrink. and so far this year its currency, the real, has lost 30% of its value. prices of even basic goods have gone up. and with them, popular discontent. >> translator: in the past i used to fill a whole cart with 100 real. now i barely fill up a bag. everything is expensive. i look for the cheapest products. >> reporter: ask anyone here, and they will tell you the same story. >> it's the private sector that's suffering from this crisis here in downtown rio, this is the scene you see more and more often. shops that had to close down over the past 12 months and many blame the president for this or, in this case, her political ally

calling on them to leave the government. an estimated 1,200 shops, about 30%, have closed down since the beginning of 2015. allison owned two bookstores for over two years. he had to close one of them a month ago. >> translator: when a country is in crisis, people tend to consume only basic things. it's not only books that are considered extra. there are many other products that are affected, even restaurants. >> reporter: brazilians are used to the backgrandniece o backgrof corruption. the u.s. presidential election is still over a year away, but the frontrunners are working hard on the campaign trail. leading republican candidate donald trump and hillary clinton

were in iowa on saturday. they took the opportunity to attack one of their rivals. there were the comments of jeb bush on president obama's policy of withdrawing from iraq that drew a moment of unity. >> i find it curious that jeb bush is doubling down on defending his brother's actions in iraq. if he's going to do that, he should present the entire picture. the entire picture includes the agreement that george w. bush made with the government in iraq that set the end of 2011 as the today it's to withdraw american troops. that was done under george w. bush. >> he made statements over the last couple of days that are incredible trying to justify the war in iraq can't be justified. i don't know if you saw his

statement, the united states has to prove to iraq we have skin in the game. we have wounded warriors who i love all over the place. we have to prove that we have skin in the game. i think it may be one of the dumb he was statements i have ever heard. skin in the game. we don't have to prove anything. south sudan's government will continue peace talks to end the 20 month civil war, but without the president. mediators have been expecting the president to meet with the rebel leader. the government and the rebels are facing growing international pressure to strike a deal before a monday deadline or risk possible sanctions. while the talks continue, back in south sudan the government is struggling to provide clean water to the population. it has led to a chollora

outbreak. >> this is called the donkey in south sudan. it's the neighborhood hole and primary source of water in a country where 45% of the population doesn't have access to clean drinking water. the family of 12 can't afford to buy pureed drinking water or chlorine tablets to treat the water. >> translator: for we can afford to get water from a tanker, we will. otherwise, we have to get it from the bore hole. yes, we get sick. >> reporter: tankers pump water from the river, then drive to neighborhoods where people bring their jugs and pay to fill up. the government also can't afford to treat the water with chlorine or ensure private delivery companies are providing safe

applies. they are providing less water and aren't making deliveries as often. they say they now only seawater tankers once a week. the lack of access to clean water is causing outbreaks. doctors without borders says during the most recent outbreak, 1400 people were infected, 41 died. her nephew was on the verge of dieing when a neighbor told her about this clinic. by that time her daughter was also sick. sometimes the whole family has to drink untreated water. >> the problem is the government, the government knows how much we are suffering. we are living in a bad situation. >> reporter: aid groups say ending the civil war and building essential services must go hand in hand with better education. >> lack of clean water and latrines and hygiene, it's

endless. this has to improve. >> reporter: for now the families will have to rely on the neighborhood donkey and risk getting ill. the collection of on-line data from hundreds of millions of people globally has proven valuable to all kinds of businesses. but it's also raised concerned about privacy. we look at how people are finding ways to protect their on-line activity. >> reporter: a wearable fitness monitor like this one from nike provides lots of personal information. not only for its users. >> you can see much more of what your friends are doing, compare with them and share your progress with them. >> that's one example of how enter connect would we have become. and how the personal data have

proven valuable to all kinds of businesses. >> wahines are creating single universal identifiers to track consumers across multiple devices, to connect on-line e-mail and digital interactions. >> reporter: the monitoring can help consumers make smarter buying choices. but many observers see a downside. >> we have no idea about what's going on, what control we have and down the line what the implications are going to be. >> reporter: when it comes to their on-line activity, three in every four american adults say they are not too confident or not at all confident that website advertisers will keep their browsing activity private and secure. that concern is drawing millions of people like companies like this. it let's consumers track the

trackers, identify who's been watching their on-line searches and then if they choose to block that data. >> it doesn't block anything by default. it enables consumers to see how they are being tracked and make their own decisions. >> reporter: the u.s. national security agency said he uses it to prevent anyone from tracking his own on-line activity. they depend on ad clicks for much of their income. some are websites are using software to block readers who try to block their ads. >> for those who believe they should watch this, that would be a bad idea. >> privacy is subjective and dependent on the situation. what anyone would say is a dangerous, someone else could find not to be a big deal.

>> it's bound to make its treatment of privacy an issue for anyone who touches the internet. a quick reminder, you can keep up to date with all of the news on our website, there it is on your screen, the address, www.aljazeera.com. good evening. this neighborhood in south los angeles was once referred to as a cattle ranch and then a major railroad junction. at one point nicknamed mud town for the many dirt roads that remained unpaveed. but after 1965, very few would