the former head of the u.n. general assembly is charged with taking more than a million dollars in bribes. ♪ hello, everyone, i'm here in doha with the world news from al jazeera. isil has said it is responsible for two explosions in the yemeni city of aden, which killed 15 soldiers. violent clashes between israeli security forces and palestinians across the west bank. and a new warning about the growing number of child brides

around the world and what that means for their education. ♪ so developing news in just the last hour. where prosecutors in the united states have announced charges against united nations officials, and that includes the former head of the u.n. general assembly accused of being part of a bribery scheme. james bayes has been following this. talk us through it. >> yes, this is something that is going to be announced in just an hour's time by the attorney's office in the southern district of new york, but we know that the former president of the u.n. general assembly who presided over that body from

september 2013 to 2014 john ash is currently behind bars. the charges i think are going to be a real shock to the united nations, because it suggests, the allegation is that there was a major corruption scheme going on here at the u.n., alleging that john ash who was formally the ambassador of his country, antigua, took brides of more than $500,000, it is claimed. and when they looked at his tax records he underestimated his income by $1.2 billion. we understand some of the bribe money was used for family vacation, buying rolex watches, the lease of a bmw car, and constructing an basketball court at his home. when he held this very important role here at the united nations,

actually took money in order to attend events and -- and other official ceremonies, in various parts of the world. mostly the allegations center on chinese businessman who is another one of the defendants, and it is claimed that mr. ash when he was present to the general assembly made trips, for example, to macau on the advise of the chinese businessman, and made money as a result. mr. ash i saw just a few days ago, and he was being treated as one of the dignitaries, and now he's behind bars. >> just explain about this position. is it an elected position? one of the rotating ones, how does it work. >> one year they do in this post. it is a rotating position, the parliament has the job as president of the general assembly, but i think there will

be questions about how the whole role is carried out, in particular the financing of the role. reading through the indictment against john ash it suggests he was the person who had sole control of the bank accounts. i think lots of questions here that will need answers from the united nations, and we're hoping we'll get a response from them soon. >> thank you, james bayes, our diplomatic editor in new york. isil says it is responsible for two attacks in the yemeni city of aden. at least 15 people have been killed four of them soldiers from the uae. hashem ahelbarra has this report. >> reporter: this is the moment the palace hotel was hit. government and coalition forces lead my saudi arabia blame houthi fighters and troops loyal

to former president saleh, for two attacks in aden. the first target of the hotel where government leaders have faced their headquarters, the next struck a compound used by soldiers from the united arab emirates. >> i heard two explosions and rushed to the areas. there were explosions inside the compound. coalition troops say they will continue their campaign until the houthi rebels withdraw from areas they control and disband. last month dozens of soldiers were killed in a missile attack. it was the highest number of coalition forces killed in a single attack since the start of their military campaign in yemen several months ago.

many are worried the attacks will further inflame the war in yemen. palestinians in the occupied west bank are protesting against raids and arrests by israeli security forces. tensions have been rising after a series of attacks on both sides of the conflict. an update now from mike hannah. >> reporter: it was proclaimed a day of rage and protest against events of recent days, and indeed the ongoing occupation of palestinian territory. demonstrators gathered and were attacked by israeli forces, attempting to get to this crossing point. there were a series of skirmishes throughout the course of the afternoon, a number of soldiers injured, and sharp point ammunition was used on at least one occasion. clashes elsewhere on the west

bank, particularly around the town of bethlehem where a 13-year-old was shot and killed yesterday. but as palestinian pressure mounts so does political pressure on the palestinian leader. there have been questions from the leadership in gaza as to what is the nature of the security relationship between palestine and israel, and also questions from the plo factions, what exactly did he mean by saying he wanted to abandon the oslo accords? these are the very basic framework which gathers the relationship with israel. so certainly a situation in which there's no sign of an easing of the ongoing tension. >> mike mentioned abbas there. the palestinian president said he doesn't want an escalation with israel.

>> translator: when they attack a village, what do you expect our response to to be? israel has to stop, and we have reached out for a political solution in a peaceful way. >> the afghan city of kunduz is still contested. afghan government forces have taken territory but have not established control. afghan army sources have told our correspondent that the u.s. military called in air strikes on a hospital compound which killed 22 people. >> we could hear bullets, gunfire, artillery, almost every second. afghan security forces are struggling to get control of the city, they are fighting with taliban almost in every single seat of kunduz city. they are telling us the reason they are going so slow, because

they are facing lack of leadership, lack of coordination, and also they are complaining the taliban are hiding in the residential area, and for them it's hard to go after them because they are trying to avoid civilian casualty. afghan security officials here, they confirmed that the compound was used by some taliban fighter, but they also said that they were not the one who called for the air strike. they said that u.s. special forces on the ground were the ones who korbed nated the attack and called for the air strikes. so the afghan government is saying it is not them who called for the air strike. >> we have the top military officer appearing before a senate armed services committee on the situation in afghan. and rosiland jordan has been following what he was saying. how does what general john

campbell say, compared to what we heard the afghans say. >> reporter: it really comes down to the specificity of language. general john campbell confirmed on monday that it was the afghan national security forces who requested the air strikes. requested. however, in testimony just a few minutes ago, before the senate armed services committee, general campbell said there was a u.s. special operations unit in the area, talking with the crew of that ac 130 gun ship, which certainly sounds to my ears as if they were the ones who actually called in the air strikes, actually provided the targeting for that ac-130 gunship. so it really comes down to the language kamal. it sounds as if it were the u.s.

that did call in this information, but of course if this is in fact what did happen, and there are investigations underway, the organization. doctors without borders is convinced that some sort of war crime was committed, because the hospital that had been in that location since 2011 was hit, and 22 people, including 12 of the staffers were killed in that air strike on saturday morning. >> it was hit, but john campbell, and correct me if i'm wrong, early in his address was saying it would never have been an intention altar - -- intentional target. >> that's right. the three investigations that are already underway are being conducted by the pentagon, by nato, which is, of course, the

coalition that is supporting this mission inside afghanistan and by the afghan government itself, so this -- you know, you are going to have three different narratives even if they all agree, they are coming from three different sources with their own built in preferences with what they want to see coming out of the investigations, so calls for an independent investigation from a group that wouldn't have any particular truck with any of the groups involve in this incident, might be the way to sort out exactly what did happen. but it's small comfort right now, certainly for the families of those who were killed and injured on saturday. >> rosiland jordan thank you for that. rosland is in washington, d.c. there. quote, it doesn't look like an accident. those are the words of the u.n. who is rejecting russia's

explanation of what it was doing in this turkish air space. >> i call on the russians to avoid escalating tensions with the alliance, russia must deconflict its military efforts in syria. i am also concerned that russia is not targeting isil, but instead targeting the opposition. >> he also says nato has seen a build up of russian troops inside syria. peter sharp has the latest on moscow's response. >> reporter: the kremlin reacted very quickly. it says it has no intention of using ground forces in the war in syria. however, there have been considerable numbers of deployments of troops -- not ground troops, but support

troops in syria from russia. there are two battalions of combat engineers and armored infantry, and 500 marines are based at the naval port. you will also find intelligence officers and advisors with the actual front line syrian troops, but as far as combat boots on the ground, russia says it is drawing a line under that. >> syrian state television says russian jets have hit isil targets in the city of palmar are. state tv also said the jets hit sites in northern aleppo. in the news ahead on al jazeera, nigeria's food export is facing the challenge of making sure their produce is actually safe to eat. we'll look at that. plus a family reunion that

almost didn't happen. meeting cubans risking their lives to cross to the united states. ♪

>> 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 ♪ the top stories on al jazeera, the former president of the u.n. general assembly is among six people charged with corruption by the united states. john ash and five others are in custody and expected to appear in court later on tuesday. isil fighters say they were behind the two explosions in the yemeni city of aden which killed

15 people. and palestinians in the occupied west bank are protesting against raids and arrests by israeli security forces, tensions have been rising with deaths on both sides. bangladesh has stepped up security for foreign citizens after a japanese and italian were killed. the government and foreign diplomats have been meeting on the issue. >> reporter: here in this compound, the bangladesh government briefed the diplomatic community about the security measures it is taking in the wake of the murders of two foreign nationals this past week. these murders have had foreigners spooked especially because of reports that the islamic state is claiming responsibility for the attacks. but the bangladesh government has down played the suggestions. they said there's no evidence

that the islamic state is linked to these attacks despite the fact that police have, after the second murder arrested three people for distributing islamic state propaganda in north bangladesh. in terms of security measures, very little new was mentioned after this briefing. there was more police presence, and the high commissioner after the briefing said that he is satisfied with the safety measures that the government is taking in the diplomatic enclave and in the rest of the country, however, there is not much that has been said in terms of the most important thing, which is the progress in finding those who are responsible for the two murders. japan is urging china to join the newly signed trans-pacific partnership to increase security and growth in the asian pacific. the free trade deal was agreed

by 12 nations on monday. their parliaments now need to give approval. china, though, is working on setting up a rival agreement. we have south korea, the philippines and indonesia who have also expressed interest in joining the tpp. >> reporter: new zealand is already the world's largest exporter of dairy products. government officials say the newly agreed trans-pacific partnership will make its products responsible for 800 customers and bring in nearly $2 billion u.s. dollars more by 2030. farmers say they are happy to take what they can. >> anything that can improve our profitability, and smooth out the volatility of the -- of the returns for our industry is really to our advantage. >> what is being called the most

ambitious free trade deal ever negotiated is being welcomed with cautious optimism. because very little is known about the details, critics fear the bottom line may have been compromised. many countries have already expressed an interest in joining the tpp. it could, after all, become the world's largest trading block. china is notably absent from the deal. it's creating its own trade block that runs separate to the u.s.-japan tpp. >> translator: it would contribute largely to our nation's security and asian pacific regional stability, and have significant strategic meaning if china joined the

system in the future. >> reporter: but many analysts see this as a power play, a battle or power of the region. regardless, creating the tpp is set to redefine international trade. >> it's going to change the economic structure, not only this part of the world and the whole world, and what will happen now is the world will now be divided into economic block. every country now in order to survive must decide to join one of these economic blocks. >> reporter: it will still be a few years before these farmers feel any of the effects of the tpp, the deal has to be ratified by each country before it was put in place. with seven of the 12 countries facing elections soon, the outcome on this controversial deal could be delayed even further. the european union has banned dry fish, beans and other

foods from nigeria because of high levels of pesticides. the nigerian government says the ban is disproportionate. >> reporter: these are some of the banned products on sale in nigeria's capitol, they include beans, sesame seeds, melon seeds, palm oil, dried fish, and other products. >> translator: nigerian foods don't contain harmful pesticides. i'm inviting people from around the world to come and test and buy our food. it's organic. it's natural. if it contains harmful pesticides it would effect us too. >> reporter: the e.u. found that the pesticide used by farmers as an insecticide exceeded the legal limits.

>> it's unfortunate, and blown out of proportion because of some challenges within our supply chain back home. >> the agency for control is trying to detect where the foods with high pesticides are coming from, but it's a huge challenge. every year safety agencies test about 2,000 random samples of food for high pesticide levels, but their tests are a small fraction of what is consumed locally. scientists here blame corrupt food producers. >> mr. exporters circumvent these processes and many times export without passing through the monitoring agency, and sometimes when they pass through, they kind of subdivide the products, meaning the batch

that was tested may not be the ones that are contaminated. >> reporter: the ban is bad news for traders like sonny and bad news for nigeria. it wants to boost exports rather than relying solely on income from oil sales. the ban will stay in place until june of next year, and more products will be tested in the meantime to determine the source of the contamination. millions of girls are missing out on opportunities to improve their lives because they say they are being forced into early marriages. girls in 26 countries are more likely to marry than enroll in secondary school. 39,000 girls are forced to marry worldwide every day. that's an extraordinary number. niger tops the list, 76% of girls married before the age of 18, some paired to just 10% who

are enrolled in secondary school. and it is also the world's least developed country. poverty is a major driver for child marriage as it is for these 25 other countries, mostly in africa. child brides are often kidnapped, trafficked or forced to marry because of conflict. we heard from helen earlier, who is a gender advisor for care international who told us ending child marriage is complicated but possible. >> i would say that there are three critical areas in which engagement can make a difference. the first is about the age of the girls themselves so ensuring that the girls know they have other opportunities and that the world is changing and that staying at school results in so many benefits. the second is around attitudes, social norms of the wider society of families, ensuring that they engage with, and

discuss opportunities, change, and don't just do the traditional things because that's how things have always been. and the third is around the state in providing schools as much as possible, upholding the law, which in most countries shouldn't be before 18, and add economic insenttives to ensure that girls stay in school. so with the three approaches that's the way we can change. waiting until general economic development and the poverty of countries is addressed is just not going to work. these social taboos and attitudes are a major cause of poverty. now a growing number of cubans are making the dangerous crossing to florida. some believe the policy that gives cubans residence in the u.s. is about ten -- tend to. >> reporter: this is a family

gathering the garcias thought might never happen. they have been apart for months, but the journey this teenager went through to get here is staggering. >> usa! usa! >> reporter: this is the moment she and 11 others made landfall, as they jumped from their vessel, locals can be heard giving them a warm welcome, but for the last two days, the crew had no food or water, and it was only chance that brought them ashore here. nevertheless she said she had no choice. >> translator: we had to get out fast, because we think it's going to get bad. anyone that comes here in the future are going to get turned back. so we had to hurry up and get here. >> reporter: persistent rumors of an end to the wet foot, dry foot policy are a major concern. the numbers of people making the

crossing is now far higher than in recent years, and many desperate cubans are being taken advantage of. >> smugglers told cubans if you are thinking about going, you better go now, or you are going to miss your opportunity. >> reporter: one of the biggest challenge the authorities face is trying to quell a rumor that is putting lives at risk. they are working with the local cuban community in the hopes that the message will get back to the island. meanwhile those trying to make it to the u.s. continuing to grow. the garcias are now reunited, but jean carlos told us, if he had known about the crossing, he wouldn't have allowed his daughter to take such a massive risk. he doesn't want to see any other family members risking everything for a new life. two scientists are share

this year's nobel prize for physics. they have been studying the movement of mysterious tiny particles which are called nutrinos. plenty more for you on line at aljazeera.com. ♪ a hospital was mistakenly struck. we would never intentionally target a protected medical facility. >> the commander of u.s. forces in afghanistan calls an air strike that hit a hospital a mistake, the tough questions he is facing this morning on capitol hill. washed away in south carolina, the danger now is downstream where rivers are rising and dams are under