beirut blood bath. >> they can't get to this place because they don't have any eother way to fight back i.s.i.l. claims responsibility for two suicide bombers who killed dozens. new offensive. >> u.s. air strikes clear the way for kurdish fighters to block a crucial i.s.i.l. supply

route. deadly hospital raid. undercover israeli commandos caught on video storming a west bank hospital and removing a palestinian suspect from his hospital bed. saving the honey bee. how a bee keeper on a tiny south pacific island is trying to aid the threatened and vital species. good evening. thissa al jazeera america. a fight by i.s.i.l. on new and old fronts. a pair of bombs went off dodd. 4 # people killed and many other injuries in a neighborhood that has long been a hess strong strolled. in northern iraq the u.s. led

coalition has launched air strikes in i.s.i.l. positions in sinjar. forces are preparing to retake a city that has been held by i.s.i.l. since last year. john cary says the country is committed. from buy route on friday, lebanon will observe a national day of mourning for those killed in the twin bomb attacks. >> reporter: a popular marketplace became a scene of carnage. some were killed and injured and the ones that were targeted. this is a mainly shia neighborhood. the movement lived. suicide bombers who arrived on motorcycles debt onnatured their bombs minutes apart. it went off right outside an shia shrine.

>> translation: a large number of those injured were severely wounded and a number died in hospital. i also know body parts of the two suspected suicide bombers have found. we may have escaped another catastrophe because the belt of a third suicide bomber didn't go off. >> reporter: people here have seen scenes like this before. there was a time when similar attacks were frequent in this area of the lebanese capital. people are angry, but there's also a sense of defines. this is not the first time the suburbs has been hit by explosion. the last time it happened was over a year ago. just like the attacks in the past, the people here believe this was a message to he sdmrshgs bollah which has sent troops to syria to help in the fight against opposition. it has earned itself enemies. one group is i.s.i.l. which

claimed responsibility for the attack. >> translation: they targeted this place pause they don't - because they don't have any other way to fight us back. they have run out of options and let me be clear, they tarted this area because we are shia but we won't be phase theed. >> reporter: hezbollah was a strategic choice. it is unlikely to change its position and it's supporters say they back that stance. >> today before and tomorrow we will keep following the same principles. we will not like feel weak or something like that, no. we will always be like that and we stay like that. >> reporter: anger and defines and fear that this could be the beginning of another cycle of violence in iraq the front line in the fight against i.s.i.l. has shifted to sinjar, the group has held the town home to city

minority since last year. a report on how it sits along a crucial i.s.i.l. supply line to syria, one that the kurds say they have cut off. >> reporter: in the early hours of thursday morning the operation to take back sinjar began. over night i.s.i.l. targets were hit which i.s.i.l. has controlled since last year. the operation is on three fronts. the south, the west and the east. the iraqi kurds are confident they will prevail. >> translation: today it is our duty to liberate sinjar from injustice and this is the duty of every kurdish citizen. we are fully prepared to attack sinjar and liberate it soon. god willing we will help its people to return back to their homes. >> reporter: while the moral is high, this operation is far from easy. its importance has been underscored by the rival of the president on the front line to monitor progress. sinjar is considered kurdish territory and success here will

be seen as a victory against i.s.i.l., but i.s.i.l. fighters have proved themselves resilient and have rigged car bombs to slow down the offensive. sinjar is important because it is home to the community which practice an ancient religion which i.s.i.l. considers as heretic. that pushed the u.s. to launch air strikes in iraq and then later in syria which led to kurdish peshmerga retaking the mountain in december. right now the kurdish peshmerga will be used as a staging place for the final push. it is not clear if that will happen in the coming days. i.s.i.l. fighters have dug themselves in and are prepared for a long fight another one at the pentagon with more on the roll of the u.s. led coalition in the fight for sinjar. >> reporter: once again the u.s.

military is oleing on what it believes is the most effective anti i.s.i.l. fighting force in iraq. that will harden kurdish peshmerga troops of the once again, the u.s. is supporting them in the affair, on the ground, but the pentagon insists not on the front lines. the attack began at dawn kicked off by some three dozen air strikes conducted primarily by u.s. ground attack planes but also by american drones and a b# bomber. the u.s. also has special operations commandos on the ground on sinjar mountain which overlooks the i.s.i.l. held city below. u.s. and british troops are helping to direct the attacks which u.s. military sources claimed killed more than 60 i.s.i.l. fighters in the opening hours of the kurdish-led ground fencive. to free sinjar for a year of i.s.i.l. rule and just as importantly, block a key supply line, highway 47 that links

mosul in iraq and rack in syria, the two biggest strong holds. the u.s. say kurdish peshmerga have established blocking positions. >> reporter: the targeting of high way 47 and the ground operation by the kurdish peshmerga will help cut off cut off their roads. >> reporter: a superior force of about 8,000 troops led by the kurds is going up against between 400 and 600 dug in and determined i.s.i.l. fighters. the battle plan envisions taking two to four days to retake the city and then a week or so to move buried bombs. unlike the prison rescue last month, no u.s. troops are on the front lines according to a u.s. military spokesman in baghdad. >> the likelihood that american forces will encounter come

backed is close to zero. we have american forces specifically set behind sinjar mountain where this is behind friendly lines and a few forces that are on the mountain are far enough back from the tam fighting that there's no expectation whatsoever that they will encounter any fighting. >> reporter: the u.s. says the force involves an militia. it is significant because it begins to lay the ground work for future operations to retake mosul and raqqa. the blocking of supply lines is designed not to make it harder for i.s.i.l. to get supplies in but also to get oil out which could reduce its cash flow retired kam edes. he is a former supreme commander and the author of the accidental admiral.

he joins us. very good to have you with us. how big of a blow do you think the taking control of this strategic highway will be for i.s.i.l.? >> i think it is the beginning of the end, but it's external not going to change everything over night. the key here is that it bifurcates the major supply route from between raqqa and mosul. that will break town the central position that we've talked about before, the way that i.s.i.l. has been able to control that central position. this will cut that in half and significant take away their supplies we had a report that the battle plans were taking the city in two to four taste. do you think that's realistic given what you've seen in the past with urban warfare? >> i do not. we may get lucky and the islamic

state whitesides draw their fighters, although they're pretty well surrounded at this point. i think it's going to be a block to block fight. i think it will be a matter of weeks, at a minimum. it's ringed with ieds, explosive devices. there is probably a thousand islamic state fighters in there. if they know their craft, i think they will go down swinging and i think it will take weeks they're surrounded because the pesmerga have been taking towns in that area. if they can then use that as a spring board and take sinjar relatively quickly, whether it's days or weeks, many that be more evidence that the pe, shmerga are more effective than the iraqi army which have been trying to take the area for months? >> absolutely. it will come as no surprise to anybody who has observed them over the years as compared to the iraqi skufrt forces over the years. the pesmer freaks a are better, they're motivated, they believe

in what they are fighting for. they don't have the issues that are part of the iraqi security forces, and they're highly motivated to go after the islamic state. i think they will fight very well. this will enable additional arms supplies to them as they show success. i think things are beginning to look better, although this will be a long-term campaign they have some fighters who will be especially motivated given the mass kerr of their people. >> indeed. not only the massa kerrs, but their women and young girls sold into slaifrry u.s. special forces are said to be hanging back, mostly directing coalition air strikes. do you think that in general u.s. forces will need to take a more active role in i.s.i.l. is going to be defeated? >> i think over time u.s. special forces will very much

take an additional role, but especially in the south, especially working with the iraqi security forces who need more stevening, they need more men forking-- stiffening. i think you will see the u.s. special forces focus on iraqi security force training, getting them into the fight. up north you will see them doing exactly what they're doing, which is directing the aircraft supporting the peshmerga campaign today the u.s. president envoy for the coalition had his last day in office. he informed said that the u.s. is paying close attention to i.s.i.l.'s global influence, but today i.s.i.l. claimed credit for this terrible massacer in beirut, over the russian plane, i.s.i.l.'s affiliates in varies area seeming to be gaining strength all of this since the coalition started bombing. even with progress in iraq and syria, the group many continue

to be a growing threat elsewhere? >> i think it absolutely will, and partly it's because they're able to inspire and recruit on the web. every time they conduct a horrific attack like we just saw in bay roulette where the downing of an airliner full of innocent men, women and children and babies in a very awful way, this inspires more psycho- pathic support for their causes. i think we have an international challenge head of us. gen rail john allen is right to say we need to look at this globally. it's not a tactical problem. it's a strategic challenge thank you for that. great to you have insights on this secretary of state john kerry is defending the idea that diplomacy can end the war in

syria. a solution to the four year old conflict was espouced. saying that president bashar al-assad is not to be part of it. >> reporter: one point that the secretary of state john kerry made in his speech on thursday was that going into the vienna meeting does not mean that there's going to be a quick resolution to the civil war inside syria. >> our goal is to top a timetable for action based on interim steps. the participation of a broad range of syrian parties, including both men and women, and the kind the political transition that will empower the center against the extremes. i cannot say this afternoon that we are on the thresh hold of a comprehensive agreement, no. the remains-- there remains a lot of work to be done. >> reporter: there will be 20 countries and international organisations taking part in vienna's meeting on saturday, but who won't be at the table will be numbers of of the vast syrian opposition, those who

have organised this meeting in vi ina haven't-- vienna haven't agreed on who is a genuine member of the opposition and that has caused con sternation amongst those saying they want their country back and they want to see bashar al-assad out of power e.u. officials say the regions open borders policy may be in jeopardy de. with many countries struggling to provide for the influx, the movement in europe is being eroded. >> the recent development in germany in sweden in slovenia and in other countries all show with most clarity the huge pressure member states are facing. saving shangan is a race against

time. we are determined to win that race german chancellor merkel says it's important for europe to maintain the spirit of open borders. the e.u. is are hold a summit on malta. they signed a deal giving 1.9 billion dollars in cash to african countries to repat reeight people. the government see them as immigration migrants not as refugees. some leaders are not satisfied with the agreement. >> translation: it's not enough. 1.8 billion is near from enough. the needs are far greater. that's why we have requested our partners to participate more money and above that we don't just want aid by we want reform u.n. refugee agency says of the nearly 800,000 migrants who have arrived on european shores

this year, more than 14% come from african countries. in jordan the gunman in this week's shooting rampage was buried today with thousands of people calling him an maryr. the crowd chanted death to america during the funeral proceed session. the shooter was a police captain who killed five people, including two americans in an attack at a police training center. the gunman's motive remains unclear. russian officials say the leak of the design for a secret nuclear weapon was an accident. this diagram shows the plans for a giant nuclear tor prngs edo having a range of almost 6000 miles, weeping out coastal areas and spread long lasting radiation. it was actually conceived decades ago but not revealed until now. the plans appeared on russian nation television. one gen rail appeared to study the design as news crews taped the meeting between the president and his military

chiefs. some analysts believe the way the news came to life suggest the kremlin wanted the west to know of the plans. still ahead the battle that closed the close the prison at guantanamo bay while pity wants to close it down. a new york drug indictments that could have impact on the upcoming elections in venezuela. >> anyone who talks about the islamic religion is killed. >> don't miss the exclusive al jazeera investigation. >> i can't allow you not to go into that because that is your job. >> only on al jazeera america. the only way to get better is to challenge yourself,

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the battle over closing the guantanamo bay detention camp will soon get heated. the president is still expected to issue a report outlining options to close the prison. if the president decides to act, congress is threatening to stop him. >> this is an issue that ends up in court, it will be as a result of the abject failure of the united states congress to put the national security interest of the united states first. we're just asking members of congress to fulfil their responsibility to put the interests of the country ahead of their narrower political interests the political storm around closing guantanamo bay is tonight's in context segment. associate professor of lawa at seaton haul and an attorney who has represented guantanamo bay

detainees. both houses of congress voting for this act that had language banning the ashen of funds to close guantanamo bay to transfer detainees to the united states. the president just sign this into law. how can he turn around and defy congress on this? >> well, i think it's going to be difficult, president has made it a goal to close guantanamo bay, but at this point his options are limited. i think it will be while many support the goebel of closing, it, i think it will raise separate issues if he goes to openly defy congress through an executive order about the basic separation of powers in our system supporters of the president say that it's congress thatta over researching that the president should be able to go ahead and close this. he is already facing one executive order being challenged in the supreme court, the executive on immigration. do you think there's an appetite for a battle, big constitutional

battle between the two branches? >> i don't know. he has also signed, as you mentioned, he would have signed this legislation. he vetoed it partially because of guantanamo bay, but always because there were other issues related to military spending which have since been resolved. that puts him in a difficult position. it will be difficult to enforce if he does. if he does it at the end of 2016, it could be a very difficult thing for - i think a lawsuit is not going to really matter. i don't think it's going to come down to a lawsuit what's interesting about the whole issue of closing guantanamo bay, there is actually bipartisan report for closing it. even sen tar mclean say it should be closed. it's a rare case where you've got a muddled thing from a political standpoint, but the president says he will bring this to congress but most say it

will be dead on rival. is this a question of the-- a question of the white house failing to work with congress properly? >> i don't think so. i think there's a failure of going around guantanamo bay. i think certainly president obama shares some of the blame nor not acting earlier when he had the opportunity particularly during his first year, for not allowing detainees to be brought to the united states when he had the chance and for not aggressively moving more detainees out even now. that said congress has certainly been obstructionist, they have made it very difficult to close guantanamo bay. what troubles me is this has little to do with security and a lot to do with politics you've represented detainees in the past, how do you think it will happen? >> i think it is a problematic way of closing black box. i support closing it and there's

symbolic value, but the way to close it is not to simply replicate guantanamo bay on echt s soil basically just, effectively change the area. i think it would be more difficult for the detain yess at the super maximum. certainly if they were brought to the u.s., and the price of coming to the u.s. would be a super max, much worse for the detainees and wrong because they are for individuals who have been tried and convicted of serious there are only three of the detainees at guantanamo bay now have been convicted. it is a case of moving people who have not been convicted into a prison which is not usual, and a super max prison at that. >> absolutely right. the basis for holding these men for 14 years in some cases has been basically that they're effectively prairiess of war and their status is being held as a traditional war time measure and not to punish them for any crime. putting them in a super max prison you would quicking them in a sense without a trial.

it's a problematic way to do it. the real end-to-end guantanamo bay to some to not bring to shore, but charge the prisons in federal court of a crime or release them. that's the american way good to you have you with us. thank you. caught on tape undercover soldiers raid a west bank hospital. their mission, to capture a man suspected of stabbing an israeli settlor. new evidence of i.s.i.l.'s atrocities against-- atrocities against people in northern iraq.

>> lead paint... plaster that is falling... rodent infestation. >> if it was your own children, you'd have the money to take care of it.

>> who does the buck stop with? welcome back to al jazeera. coming up in this the white house weighs in on myanmar's election and the constitutional barriers to aung san suu kyi becoming president. first, a look at the stories making headlines in the u.s. in our american minute. students rally on colleges campus to protest skyrocketing

student loan debt. they called for nation white student loan forgiveness. it has norinyl doubled in the last deck eight. in utah a same section couple struggling to keep their foster child. they say a judge told them the baby they have been taking care with for three months would be better off with a heterosexual couple. they say the baby's biological mother and state attorney support them. president bobbing retired. groberg was escorting top demanders in afghanistan when they were attacked by suicide bombers. he pushed them away from the group. grobes says his metal belongs to the true heros.

back to the top story. the next major battle appears to be taking shape ina northern ewe rack. kurdish peshmerga have set up. an i.s.i.l. supply line that extends into syria. the pesh americas erg claimed a portion of the highway in the area. i.s.i.l.'s sult in sinjar in the summer of 2014 prompted thousands of civilians to flow to the mountains that von it. most were members of a religious minority. the fight that ensued was nothing less than genocide. >> reporter: more than 17 months after forces lost this proven, the people have become the starkest example of the devastation committed by i.s.i.l. hundreds of thousands of people displaced thousands, killed or enslaved. while i.s.i.l. has persecuted

these, christian as - says these group has been targeted uniquely for extermination. >> you don't need to destroy the entire group. it's the intent that is the critical factor. in this particular case that intent exists. >> reporter: i.s.i.l.'s at a tacks on these following oppression at the hands of extremists >>. we believe there was an abundance of early warning signs, potential for this type of violence in iraq going back decades that has put minorities at particularlia cute risk. >> reporter: facing displacement from homes, they will need physical aid and protection. when i.s.i.l. is defeated. >> those who have lost their family members not to think that they will go there to pass an

advantage of the upper hand of the military to take revenge. >> reporter: bringing i.s.i.l. to justice will require hard evidence of their atrocities. campaigners are worried about gaps in the documentation. this report is an important step in the effort to bear witness authorities in europe say they have broken up an norwegan based ring that used the internet to find people to fight in i.s.i.l. in syria. people were arrested today. italian police say the group created a virtual on line university to radicalise potential recruits and was floating attacks. undercover israeli soldiers raid a hospital in the west bank this morning to search for a suspect in a stabbing. camera footage saw 20 soldiers

entering a hospital and others disguised. some images are disturbing. >> reporter: have a look at the second row to the left. what looks like a man dressed and someone else disguised as a pregnant woman. that's the ploy the unit used to get in. >> what do you think when a unit of undercover security raid a hospital. they came under cover, not even as soldiers, to arrest one of the patients who was lying injured in his bed. the crime even became uglier when the surprise of the companion of the patient and shot him with five bullets and executed him in the hospital. >> reporter: the companion it turns out was the patient's cousin. he died of his wounds. the suspect is then wheeled out to the surge cal unit. he is accused of stabbing an

israeli man. his brother was in the room at the time. >> translation: the first thing they did was to huff my hands to the bed. my cousin was about to pray. he was asked to stand. as he was looking at them, they shot him. >> reporter: that version differs to another version which says he was trying to stop the arrest at the time he was shot. emotions in the city of hebron are already very strained. the last few weeks have been marked by protests and reprisal attacks from both sides. separating facts from opinions, or even emotions, isn't straightforward. news of the raid is spreading. there has been a somewhat muted response from israeli side, although it has confirmed that the arrest did take place

venezuelan president says cocaine smuggling charges against two of his relatives are "impearlist attack". they are nephews of his wife. they had been charged in the united states. al alan has more. >> reporter: this is the indictment that says they tried to smuggle cocaine into the u.s. there was as much as 800 kilograms. this was a sting operation. men were invited into a hotel on tuesday. they were met by authorities who handed them over to drug enforcement agency from the united states. the men were put on a private plane and flown to new york on tuesday night. they confirmed that they were

nephews of the the president. if convicted they face life in prison. there has been no comment from the mission in the united states. the press spokesman confirmed that two men had been arrested by but gave no more details. no official comment from the presidential palace. whenway did have a tweet which reads neither attacks nor ambushes will affect the people of the liberators. we have only one destiny. vict victory. >> reporter: the head of the sources was arrested. he wasn't deported to the united states, but went back to venezuelan and then it was said that it was a plot to undermine destabilize and eventually try to overthrow his government. so these arrests will not be welcomed by him even though we have had no official comment reporting from washington.

the white house is urging myanmar to change its constitution. aung san suu kyi won enough seats to her - her party won enough seats to put that party in power. there is a rule banning her from becoming president because she has foreign born children. obama administration said the people should decide and as they voted for her she should be able to take control. the main proponent of catalonia was outed today. they voted to defy court orders and begin the process of breaking away, but today they voted against acting president. he had been criticised for recent policies and links to corruption. the parliament now has until 10 january to choose an in you leader or call for fresh elections. in haiti are taking to the

streets voicing their anger over next month's elections. many queues the current president of manipulating the results in order to secure a hand picked successor. more from the capital. >> reporter: this is the second day of demonstrations here. you can see thousands have taken to the streets in protests of essentially what they attribute is really a corrupt election process. >> i get the chance to speak who is contesting this result. this is what he had to say. >> translation: the international community is part of the corruption. they're only here to make money. yet they legitimise these elections. >> reporter: december 27 is the day when all this will be decided. that is day where the elections

will take place and will determine who will be the next president of the western hemisphere country 13 students from a teachers college in mexico are accused of hijacking a fuel track in the state. police say the students refused to stop and tried to drive the truck into officers' cars. they also allegedly threw rocks and a grnade at officers. 13 have since been relief. they attend the same school as 43 students who disappeared in mexico last year. protests in greece turn violent today. police confronted angry young people during a general strike of the first such strike since the countries leftist government came to power in january. thousands took part in the process, including tax hikes and spends p spending cuts. greece have reisland on bail

outs to keep the country running but it has come with tough restrictions russian officials have written to the world governing body for track and field. they said that doping irregularities took place "some time ago", and under the old leadership of the russian athletics federation. the fed ration will meet to tomorrow. russian officials are hoping that a changing of the guard in their sports programs will save their athletes from an olympic ban. >> reporter: if he does fall on his sword, it will be the second resignation since this crisis started at the beginning of the week. this first person to go was the director of the moscow anti-doping laboratory. the laboratory that was right at the heart of the w.a.d.a. report

into doping in russian sports. he is a bigger finish. for more than two days he was the president of the russian athletics. he began his job in 1991 and resigned in february of 2015 just after the german broadcaster put out a documentary, the one that kick-started the w.a.d.a. investigation. he resigned as the president of the athletic federation, but he kept a position on the executive committee of the russian olympic committee. that's the position that he is now being asked to resign from. interestingly, though, he is also the treasurer of the i.a.a.f. that's the position that he hasn't actually performed professional duties for since he also resigned from the russian athletics federation. it is also the organisation that on friday is going to make the very, very difficult about whether or not russian athletes

should be banned from international competitions rescuing honey bees suffering from diseases and para sites. these are in big trouble threatening world agriculture. a creative attempt to smuggle beer in saudi arabia where alcohol is explicitly banned. in our next hour, the smoking raid on the united states continues to drop, but amongst some groups it remaining stubbornly high. that's coming at 11 east pacific.

breaking news out of syria tonight, the u.s. launched a drone strike targeting jihadi john. the british citizen has been involved in killings that were recorded on video. today's attack is taken place in the vicinity of raqqa, syria. the u.s. military is uncertain if the drone hit its target. our global view segment. the toronto star, burundi crisis, run up to rwanda

genocide, but the nation is at a tipping point. the united nation is sounding alarm that mass violence may be next. canada should push the united nations towards beefing up presence about burundi and security council should be prepared to intervene. the south china more than post writes with the election behind them, the work is for the winners and losers in myanmar. it suggests the over chemisting victory of aung san suu kyi's n.l.d., the winners will have to work closely with the military to ensure their success turns into real benefits for myanmar. the japan times offers thissed on tore cal cartoon-- editorial, wrote together by economic interests, being pulled apart by disputes over history and territory al claims. it is big and cold and melting into the owe shans. that is the warning about a

glacier in green land sliding fast. it is reportedly holding enough ice to raise ocean levels world wide by more than 18 inches. images says the ice block is melting, losing mass at a rate of five billion tonnes every year. researchers say the changes are stahlerring. many places in the world suffer from a different problem. they don't have enough water. ethiopia is experiencing its worst drought in decades. ail million people there are in need of food aid. that could rise to 15 million people next year. elnino stopped some rains in falling. crop yields are down 90% in some areas. >> translation: the cattle die first. now goats and camels are

beginning to die too. we have nothing to eat now. we need food and water ethiopia is not alone. many others are suffering from dangerous droughts. meaning while flooding threatens other countries. bee keepers are noticing their bees dying off at an alarming rate. some reasons include worsts, disease, pest sides and a berowa mite. roughly a third of food supply needs bee pollinateion. -- pollination. in a small country, there may be a solution. >> reporter: east of the international date line this is a small nation home to 1200 people. hidden away in the forest are hives of honey. the local bee keeper says these

colonies are the cleanest bees in the world. >> bee keepers would cry to see this. they would be envious to see this. >> reporter: time not going to do that even with a mask on. andy is producing a range of organic honey products to fund his dream. a pacific bee sanctuary to combat deceases plagueking bees. this is the perfect climate. >> you have to get the rise sized island, if you go to small, you can't get the scale up. if you go too big it's too hard to manage with transport. this is the perfect sized island. >> reporter: this island is isolated. the nearest country from here is 300 kilometres away which is why a bee sanctuary could work.

the leader of this supports the bold plan because it's a struggle to make money from agriculture here due to a small workforce and long shipping routes. >> if we need to borrow money, and to accelerate the process, we can do that. at the moment we are talking to others about the possibilities of become venture partners. >> reporter: critics say the island is cyclone prone. this island wants scientists to come here to experience the buzz for themselves this man is the chairman of school of medicine and a bee keeper. thanks for bringing some of the bees along with you. the reason we're doing this story about the island and the bees there is because of the terrible decline in populations

of bees around in the world. in the united states i read that managed bee hives have crashed from million to 2.5 million and bees are essential to a lot of the world's food crops so this is really a crisis. >> it is. there are so many theories why this is going around why this is happening. i can give you a couple, but whether that's true or not we don't know. the best one is systemic pesticides and boram ites that's why the island is significant because it is seen as free of these mit elizabeth. that's why they call the bees that are there clean bees. >> that's right are the mites - they're basically a vam pire. they suck the bees. how important is it to address this issue? >> the mites is something we have to deal with.

we know that we will never get rid of them in the united states or europe. we need to bring the population down to an acceptable limit. some people use pesticides. i don't. i'm natural how important is the island important stüve. apparently they can only have about four thousand hives on the island. how big is it? >> they're away from anything else. they're deep in the pacific. there are other countries like australia and the isle of man, and they are mite free too. they're close to civilization. australia is being very careful about how they monitor their harbours. if they brought one mite, they would spread throughout the country it is one little island, though. >> it's huge.

it's less likely to be infested. they know who comes on the island the bees that are bred there could help the rest of the world. >> yeah one of the ways it has been attacked around the world is by using hops beta acids, an ingredient in beer. how effective is that in getting rid of the mites in existing hives? >> yeah. that's toxic to bees too, but it's more toxic to the mite. so i guess it's a matter of dose levels if you killed the mites but don't kill the bees, is there any danger by introducing something extraneous into a hive? >> like hopps? that will be fine. if you have hop flavoured honey, fine. the pesticides are not good

because they're going every. they will stay there forever how big of an issue is the mites compared to other factors, including i read diesel fumes are a big problem? >> there's a lot of problems. bees are suffering from so many things and the environment, which is what you're referring to, is just one of the many factors that they have to deal with. it's not just the mites, but they've got a dozen things going on around them. i think the people who are working on this hygienic piece, meaning they are like breeding them so they will work on the mites when they're in their brood feeding on their babies and they will kick them out. then you don't have to worry about pesticides and hops and all the other solutions. so the bees will be dealing with it themselves i hope a solution is found and that bees do make a good come back. pleasure to have you with us

>> thank you the u.s. has been working with mexico to try to ensure species like bees and butter flys are protected. an animal sanctuary was visited in mexico today. the symbolic visit was designed to highlight the renewd commitment to preserving wildlife. both countries committed to a strategy for limiting illegal trade of endangered species. >> the united states is very committed to protecting the butter fly, but we need the help of mexico and canada to make it work. we can't do it alone monday monarch travel miles for the winter. this year it is expected to be three to four times usual. 48,000 cans of beer has been disguised as soda. alcohol is banned in saudi

arabia and the punishment is severe. just last month the british government appealed for clemency for a 74-year-old sentenced to multiple lashes for having home-made wine. he was released.

good evening, i'm antonio mora, this is al jazeera america. new efforts in a drive to push i.s.i.l. outs of northern iraq. why both sides are fighting over a road and how the u.s. is involved. >> claiming responsibility - i.s.i.l. says it blew up a beirut marketplace. dozens are dead, hundreds wounded. tonight, why lebanon was targeted. possible charges. what a police officer in florida might face after shooting and killing a