♪ ♪ amazing grace. ♪ how sweet the sound. ♪ hundreds mourn those killed in a mass shooting in the u.s. state of oregon. president obama calls for a review of gun laws. ♪ hello. the world news from al jazeera. russia says it's going after isil and other armed groups amid accusations of civilian casualties. new efforts to keep the peace in ukraine as select world leaders prepare for a meeting in paris, plus .

>> i am on mexico's south passic where turtles arrive each year but the majority of their eggs are being spoenl. u.s. president barack obama is surging the american public to help stop violence. his me for common sense on gun safety follows another mass shooting. a candlelight vigil after a gunman opens fire in oregon. .10 were killed. seven others were wounded. >> reporter: police responded to shots fired by the gunman at a classroom at the cam pus in rosberg. >> officers engaged that suspect. there was an exchange of

gunfire. >> a witnesses told a local newspaper after firing his first shot at a teacher, the gunman told stud he wants to lie down and asked them to state their religi religion. >> we have confirmation that the shooter is deceased. he is a .20-year-old male. >> after being searched, students were put on buses and evacuated while police searched for booby traps. >> investigators is looking into reports regarding a.

>> pass countless laws and devote entire agencies to preventing terrorist attacks on our soil, and rightfully so. and yet, we have a congress that explicitly blocks us from even selects collecting data on how we could potentially reduce gun deaths. >> yet despite support for expanded background checks on purchasers, polls show for the first time, more americans say protecting gun rights is more important than controlling gun ownership. tom ackerman, al jazeera, washington. executive director of new yorkers against gun violence says gun lobbies are far too powerful. >> the n.r.a. has bought members of congress. we have the best congress money can buy and they are more beholden to the n.r.a. which representences the gun manufacturers here in america. don't forget they are only --

their only motivation is to sell more guns. they don't care to whom they sell those guns, clearly. so unless we have a congress that starts representing the american people and not the gun industry, which is soaked in blood at this point, then we are going to continue to have these mass shootings. by the way, .88 americans die every single day from gun violence. nearly 34,000 a year and over 80,000 are injured. this is a yearly, daily occurrence in the united states unless people start to make this an issue and they vote, the members of congress out who refuse to take action, you know, we are not going to see change. states like new york are making positive change. we have the third lowest gun death in the nation. we haven't had shootings in schools for many, many years because strong, smart gun laws work. congress needs to get the same message. >> airstrikes in egypt have

dominated talks. russian's foreign min sister has denied reports civilians were killed. sergei lavrov said they had targeted isil and armed groups. james bays reports from the u.n. >> for over a week, worlds leaders have been in new york and all of the key figures have all saet their priorities. what's changed? the answer is this: whether the they were in time to co -- timed, russian airstrikes in syria are a game changer. the u.s. says they add gasoline to the fire of the war already four and a half years old. russia says it's a positive step aimed at those they label terrorists. begin that the russians were invited in, does that mean his enemies. i tried to get clarity from the russian foreign minister.

>> in addition to isil, which specific groups in syria do you believe to be terrorists? >> well, if it looks like a terrorist f it acts like a te terrorist, if it fights like a terrorist, it's terrorist, it's a terrorist. right? the representatives of the coalition command have always been saying their targets are isil, nusra and other terrorist groups. this is our position as well. we see eye to eye with the coalition on this one. >> on the biggest issue of all, president assad's future role, there is no agreement. to explain the reasons for russia's policy ol this, mr. lavrov used the recent history of the arab world. >> saddam hussein. is iraq a better place, a safer place? gadaffi, murdered in, you know,

in front of of the the viewers. is libya a better place? can we try to draw lessons. >> in my view neither of these stop the blood shed. one is a new draft resolution russia is putting forward to the u.n. security council on countering isil. the other is the idea of a contact group on syria involving key international and regional players. aat told me one is usually agreed to assed vance a plan. there is very little the u.s. and russia agree on and despite over 250,000 death did, there is no real international strategy. james bays, al jazeera, at the united nations. >> israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has rejected

abbas's allegations that israel breached the oslo peace acords. he said he was really for dialogue with the palestinians. >> i am prepared to immediately -- immediately resume direct peace negotiations with the palestinian authority without any preconditions whatsoever [applause.] unfortunately, president abbas said yesterday that he is not prepared to do this. well, i hope he changes his mind because i remain committed to a vision of two states for two peoples in which a demilitarized pal stunian state recognizes the jay issue issue state. >> an israeli couple have been shot and killed while driving through the occupied west bank. four children were troofling in the car were likely injured. the shooting comes as tensions

continue between israeli and palestinians more from jerusalem. >> reporter: israeli security forces confirmed to al jazeera that two israeli citizens were found shot dead in what they described as a drive-by shooting in the occupied west bank. the shooting took place just before 9:00 p.m. local time near the legal israeli settlement of itimar and elanmora. according to israeli security forces, several shots were fired at the car. when first responders arrived on the scene, they declared the two adults described as a man and al woman in their 30s dead on the scene. however, four children all under the age of 10 were unharmed and taken into custody. they were pounds in that

vehicle. now, drive-by shootings like this in the occupied west bank aren't entirely uncommon. the last time we saw something like this was in june of this year when a 25-year-old israeli citizen was shot in the occupied west bank near an illegal settlement as well. but the timing of this shooting, of course, comes at a particularly tension time. we have seen repeated confrontations between israeli security forces and palestinian worshippers at the mosque. it has led to extreme tension, not just in occupied east jerusalem but also felt in the occupied west bank. but as we have been saying, a imagine security operation is underway in the occupied west bank as israeli security forces try to find the perpetrators of this drive-by shooting. >> time for a short break here on al jazeera when we come back. the saudi i-led coalition in yemen is making major gains.

we will have the latest on that and niger has the highest rate of chide brides in the world. we will look at new efforts to stop the practice. more on that. stay with us. >> mdma helps with the therapeutic connection. >> exclusive access to the experimental tests. >> our fears are dancing between us. >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> this is what innovation looks like. >> can affect and surprise us. >> i feel like we're making an impact. >> awesome! >> techknow - where technology meets humanity.

>> 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

netanyahu has pledged to move forward with peace talks with the palestinians. on wednesday, president abbas said israel breached the oslo acords agreed to back in 1993. and russian airstrikes in syria dominated talks on the sidelines of the u.n. general assembly in new york. russia's prime minister denied reports civilians were killed in the operations. sergei lavrov said they had targeted isil and other armed groups. in afghanistan, 10 people have been killed after an american c-130 cargo plane crashed. 5 are u.s. military personnel. the others are civilians. an investigation into the cause of the crash is underway. also in after gagstan, the battle for the city of kunduz is intensifying. u.s. special forces supporting afghan troops as add advisories exchanged gunfire with taliban fighters on thursday. >> on wednesday, afghan forces

stormed kunduz but the armed group says that's not the case. >> reporter: the battle for the city of kunduz has been tough. the afghan armies say they have retaken the strategic northern city. the taliban says they have withdrawn to other neighborhoods before a countser attack and say right now they don't want anything except security. >> we want the government. the situation wasn't good in the city. i managed to escape. some of my family are trapped there. we don't want anything else from the government. we just want to secure kunduz. >> reporter: the interior ministry says afghan forces will not stop fighting until the whole province is back in their control and they are being supported by nato and u.s. special forces. and those forces could be getting some unexpected help. am former mujahdean commander is trying to rally support and

called on all afghans to join the fight against the taliban. >> there are security issues around the country. i urge the people of afghanistan, especially the former majahadin. >> reporter: removing the taliban along with making security. >> the group's strength was proven when they managed to take the city earlier this week. it was the biggest victory since the government was ousted in 2001. al jazeera attained these pictures of members of the taliban. wh when. >> when they border central asia, that asia, that path is where america got rec reconnaissance.

without that being corrupted could be an impediment for then. >> afghan president has vowed to remove the taliban. >> we praise the security officials for tireless efforts leading the war from 10:00 p.m. wednesday until the early morning and during the rest of the day, they managed to successfully launch operations. the good news is we didn't have anyone martyred. >> reporter: doctors without borders has been treating hundreds of injured people including dozens of children since the fighting began on monday. people living in the capitol have been making their stamps clear waving banners and showing support for government forces. with reports of fighting spreading to other provinces, the question is how strong and how capable is the afghan national army as it takes on the taliban. yemeni government forces say they have recertain control of the strait between the arabian

peninsula and the horn of africa. it is a vital trade route between asia and europe. houthi fighters expanded into western yemen last year around this important sea corridor. collision forces have taken control of yemen's dam, the biggest gain in several weeks. it was the last stronghold. mohammed jamjoon reports. >> reporter: as the war grinds on yemen, the terrain gets more complicated and the toll more severe. here, in yemen's central province, popular resistance forces and army troops are claiming what they call a strategic victory. backed by saudi-led coalition air support and after days of heavy fighting, they took control of the dam. their am is to cut houthi supply routes. their celebratory mood is

clearly on display. >> we are now at the dam and we will advance god willing. in sanaa, despite the increase in air raids in the past several days, the houthis are still in control and there is anger against attacks by the sawed 0-led coalition. >> where is my house? i know longer have a house. i no longer have any furniture. no more home. no more anything. >> near the red sea city, residences are furious after a reported airstrike on a yemeni wedding party that killed 131 people. while the saudi-led coalition has formally denied any involvement call the reports completely faults, many villagers blame the arab coalition. >> what are the strategic targets that you have been hitting exactly? you hit a wedding party. a wedding tent. women and children.

you killed women and children. are these your strategic targets? >> while local residents and witnesses say coalition aircraft carried out intention raids against houthi positions in the moka area in recent days, a saudi official said his country is abiding by international law in its military campaign. with more than 2,000 killed in 6 months offieding, more and more aide agencies worry about the impact this war is taking okay a country whose population, the most impoverished in the region was already suffering even before this conflict began. mohammed jamjoon,ays. >> the saudi foreign minister spoke earlier at the united nations. he explained saudi arabia's involvement in yemen. >> we recognize that the houthis are part and parcel of the social fabric in yemen. >> does not give them pr prerogative to own malitias

outside the framework of the state of yemen or at the expense of the rest of the yemeni people. there are parties that are trying to worsen and escalate the process in yemen through the smuggling of arms. the kingdom and the partners are intensifying efforts in order to provide humanitarian assistance to yemen. bahrain said it recalled its ambassador and given the diplomat they said they discovered a bomb making factory. a number of suspects were arrested. it's believed they have links to iran's revolutionary guards but iran has denied any involvement. iran state media says the number of iranian nationals killed in a hajj stampede has nearly do you believed. it has reached 464.

officials say measures are underway to transfer the bodies home as soon as possible. soug saudi arabia's death toll says the death toll is 769. several say the numbers are higher. >> leaders of russia, ukraine, france and germany will meet in paris later on friday in a bid to end the conflict in eastern ukraine. the group known as the normal andy 4 will attempt to restore a deal originally broken in belarus in february. a report from the french capitol. >> the latest cease-fire. >> almost immediately amid further fighting. last month, both sides agreed to

try again offering thousands of people trapped by the conflict the hope of a return to normal life. so far, the seats fire appears to be holding. for now, the normandy 4 has a chance to give the protocol another call. 13 points, including the withdrawal of heavy weaponrk. the control of the russia ukrainian border and regional elections in parts of the country credit by the separatists. with tensions as they securities are, the road ahead is challenging. >> the key issue here is the control room of the ukrainian/chard border. crain believes once they have control over this border, really they are controlling what's going in and out and they are controlling supply lines from russian into the rebel-held regions. >> in return for signing up to the minsk agreement, russia is expected to ask for an easing of

international sanctions that have hit the country's economy hard. since the conflict in eastern ukraine began last april, 8,000 soldiers and civilians have been killed. tongues and villages have been laid waste by indiscriminant shelling. the fact that neither sides w t wants to continue fighting is an important first step. lasting recovery and rec ol sination may be hard story reach. al jazeera, paris. >> now, more and more children in niger are being 40sed into early marriage. wealthyy nigerian sometimes offer big do youri dowerys. ♪ >> a traditional wedding in the saharan city. the women here are known for

their stunning beauty, but behind the celebrations signs of abuse. poor and uneducated, most of these women have been forced today marry while still children. many are promised to rich nigerians. hamad married a nigerian but she couldn't get used to life in nigeria. she returned home poor, a single mother of a daughter. >> the reason why i got married was to financially help my poor father and improve our living conditions but marriage collapsed. i have a daughter that i need to raise and care for. >> child marriages are common practice in this part of the world. parents can't resist the big dowries but child brides often end up suffering mistreatment.

there is abuse and stigma when they return home divorced and humiliated. >> niger has the highest rate of child marriage in the world. 25% of girls mary before the age of 15. and 75% before the age of 18. unicef has sought to the dye log within the local communities. we are telling them child marriage has a huge negative impact on society. we are educating girls to put an end to the practice. >> but end, the practice in niger, one of the world's poorest countries has a long way to go. this woman has defied her family who wanted to her to marry a wealthy man. many others cannot, especially in the face, of overwhelming poverty. al jazeera. hurricane joachin has pit the bahamas. the storm with winds of 210

kilometers an hour brought flooding to the central part of the island nation. residents in the capitol are making preparations before the storm hits. the system is moving towards the united states east coast. no casualties have been reported so far. now, mexico's pacific coach beaches are prime nesting sites for hundreds of thousands of sea turtles. they return every year to lay their eggs in the sand but they face an ongoing threat from poachers who steal up to 70% of the eggs to sell as a local delicacy. john hollmann has more. >> reporter: they arrive one by one, lit only by a sliver of moonlight. they clambor on to the beaches of wahaka, southwest mexico each year, one of only two species to stage this mass invasion in nesting season. they lay they are eggs. it's their only protection against the dangers of the night.

like these men known as cabelleros or horsemen, they scour those looking to steal egg. the caballeros say he have it little chose. >> i am here because i need this work. we all have families. we don't have education or the papers to get the regular jobs. >> over 70% of the eggs were recently taken and the number of of those is hard the last 50 years. >> the eggs these turtles are laying are up against it. they are at risk from animals and birds and less than 1% of them are going to make it to adulthood. >> men middle sell the eggs for more than 10 times what they pain the caballeros where they

have been part of traditional cuisine. the trade flourishes in full sight of the mayor's. the navy used to guard these beaches year 'round but was pulled off to battle mexico's car tells returning when massive number of turtles arrive. now the government is stepping up protection efforts again. >> we have just signed agreements with the navy, federal police and the army to support us and we are also using drones to protect the turtle. >> the government offers objection al work programs but while full-time jobs are scarce and eggs seemingly shirkiful it's hard to resist temptation. john hollmann, al jazeera, mexico. >> now an art work called donkey documents buy banksy has sold

for $250,000 in california. it was created in bethlehem. it shows a donkey having id papers checked by annisitsi soldier. our website on the screen, the address, aljazeera.com. i'm ali velshi, on target - solving syria. vladimir putin takes decisive action as president obama takes a back seat. it's america versus russia in a cold war-style struggle for influence in the middle east. russian fighter jets are dropping bombs in syria. they are upping the ante in the 4.5 year war. russia's moves are laying bear how many the united states is losing the initiative in syria, and by extension in the broader middle e