♪ hello, i'm maryam nemazee. you're watching the al jazeera news hour live from london. coming up in the next 60 minutes. iraqi kurdish fighters raise their flag after recapturing their town from isil. an israeli father and son are killed in a drive by shooting in the west bank as two palestinians are shot dead in clashes. a rock star welcomes narendra modi as he appears at a

rally in london's wembley stadium. and meet asia's first chopstick champion. >> and athleti athletics organization will decide whether to ban russia after another doping scandal. >> it's been the site of massacre and inslavement. they've captured sinjar from islamic state in iraq and the levant. they encountered little resistence from isil as they walked in supported by u.s. airstrikes. isil killed thousands of people from the yazidi people last year. days later, the start of a

broader coalition complain against the armed group. sinjar sits on highway 47 which is used to move supplies. it is part of a network of roads that links raqq a in syria and mosul in iraq. rebel factions have pushed isil out of a town in syria. we're just outside of sinjra with this report. >> they've been arriving here since thursday, hope to go home to sinjar town. this is no northern iraq, one of the routes into sinjar and an important supply line. the news that kurdish forces have declared the town liberat ed has given hope to the yazidis who practice an ancient religion. like many here they wonder what they're going to find when they

get back. >> i just don't want to be here any more. i want to find out what happened. i don't care whether my house is burned to the ground. i just want to see my home. >> the kurdish peshmerga won't let people leave here because they need to hold the surrounding areas. now isil has used tactics of boobie traps and car bombs in the areas where they've fled. that's a problem. there is a curfew in the surrounding area of sinjar. they say they need to be clear and secure before anyone can control. that decision has angered many here who say they just want to go back to their homes. >> why won't they let us threw? i'm not a soldier but i'm wearing the military uniform to show solidarity with our troops. i want to go home. >> the kurdish forces have entered the area of sinjar. the offensive have cut off

supply lines. kurdish president says it paves the way to liberate mosul. >> without doubt any victory will have a big impact. and without doubt the liberation of sinjar will have a big impact god willing. >> the retaking of sinjar could well be the turning point in iraq's fight against isil. >> let's get more analysis on this. joining me now is matthew, the former special adviser to the governor of anbar province in iraq. thank you for coming to speak to us. how significant of a blow is the loss of sinjar to isil? >> it is significant. it has the widely recognized

strategic significance it controls the main highway between mosul and raqqa, which of the two most significant cities that islamic state controls. by controlling the highway it prevents the islamic state from

moving soldiers and supplies between the two areas. >> also, we know that it was just days after isil captured sinjar in august of last year, that the u.s. air campaign began. why has it taken so long for kurdish peshmerga forces to recapture the town? >> the peshmerga forces are very capable of defending territories. but to take out thety lambic and in order to retake sinjar without huge proportionate casualties, they need an element of american organization training and american air power. a lot of this is just chee sheer logistics, one of the important efforts is mobilizing soldiers in an offensive operation. >> can that owe here rent force and that way of working be replicated in attempts to recapture mosul? >> it can, but not so much to take mosul back i think kurdish

forces raiding mosul will be problematic. >> how is that going to work? really, the tone that we hear from the kurdish forces is that they're an ineffective ground force. they're a fighting force that the americans can rely on. we know that it's really for all sides fighting in iraq. how difficult is that going to be to manage? >> it's going to be very difficult. i think the peshmerga are disciplined enough to hold a line around the town. by a large, they will be disciplined enough. the situation is even more complicated because most effective force at the moment that the government in baghdad has access to are the shia militias. >> it's just as controversial for them to get involved in any attempt toss retake mosul as the

peshmerga? >> exactly. i think to build up a more coherent and inclusive security force based in baghdad that then could go to mosul and look like a credible force. >> thank you very much, special an adviser to governor of anbar brother vince. thank you to get your thoughts. >> there have been a series of isil video with six civilian hostages. prime minister david cameron has praised the operation that was carried out with the help of the u.k. intelligence.

>> he was isil's lead execution and let us never forget that he killed many, many muslims, too. and he was intent on murdering many more people. so this was an act of self defense. it was the right thing to do. >> meanwhile, isil appears to have also lost ground in syria. activists say a coalition of rebels called the democratic forces of syria have taken over the town of hull, near iraq's border. it is across the border from sinjar in iraq. well, world powers in vienna on saturday to discuss the four and a half-year-old conflict in syria. it's the second round of this set of talks in the austrian capital. so far all sides agree that

there needs to be political reform, but bashar al-assad is still the major sticking point. the war in syria has now forced millions of people to flee the country. well, we have the story now of some of them who are on the greek island of lesbos. >> this man longs to find a country to live in where his daughter won't panic when she hears a plane overhead.

>> for him, renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war back home barely inspire confidence any more. it's gotten so bad that in this family-friendly space at a camp he and his wife actually feel they have much in common with these play things. wondering how long they'll be bandied back and forth by an international community would they feel is in no rush to end their suffering. >> for so many here life in a refugee camp is certainly hard. but not nearly as difficult as trying to stay alive in syria. all the syrians i've spoken with told me that their realities are so far removed from lofty expectations surrounding diplomatic talks in vienna. they're quite pessimistic that any diplomatic solution can be

reached. still, it's fear that is far more revelant than pessimism. this woman tells me she would be the first person to go back to syria if things improved before adding she knows they never will. >> another woman says that she believes as more countries have gotten involved with the fighting and diplomacy, the worse it all became. now there are so many sides to the war. how can it possibly end? >> it's a question no government official has been able to answer

on the island the war we're rye continue to cross into. their pain is constantly visible. [ sobbing ] >> and desperation far more apparent than the diplomacy attempting to make it all go away. al jazeera, lesbos, greece. >> u.s. secretary of state john kerry has been in tunisia discussing political and economic support. the u.s. said it's considering a loan guarantee of $5 million requested by tunisia. >> the eyes of the world are around tunisia. and american wants tunisia to succeed. tunisia is where the arab spring is born, and it is where it distinctly continues to bloom in

ways that are defining the possibilities for other countries in the region. >> breaking news coming in to us now with reports that a number of people have been shot while in a restaurant in the trench capital of paris. let's get more of this on the phone. jacky rowlands who is in paris for us. what are you hearing? >> yes, at the moment, there has been some kind of shooting incident in a restaurant in the tense hour of paris. a cambodian restaurant. we understand that according to local french media, seven people have been injured. there are reports of casualties according to the eyewitnesses on the place they can find he see

people lying on the ground. the whole area has been cordoned off by the police. shots have been heard near the metro station. this is a friday nighttime of the week where people have been out in the streets. and the police are asking people in the area to stay indoors, and they're trying to get people out of bars and restaurants in the area. >> thank you very much. correspondent in the french capital, jacky rowland with news of shooting at a restaurant in the city, a cambodian restaurant. jackie is saying there are reports of searc seven people being injured, and we'll bring you more information as it comes

in to us. covering other stories here on this hour, we'll have th the latest from burundi. and austria putting up a fence along it's border with slow jean. >> now an israeli father and son have been shot dead near hebron in the occupied west bank. it happened on a day that also saw three palestinians die after being shot by israeli soldiers. at least one palestinian gunman open fired killing an israeli father and son as they drive by. three other members of the family were injured.

we have more from west jerusalem. >> a man in his 40s and his son were traveling in hebron near a settlement. according to the israeli military it was a drive-by shooting, but there are reports that suggest that the attacker, maybe one of them, maybe, was stands outside of the car. it's not clear how many attackers were involved in this operation. he did manage to flee the scene, and the israeli military said there is a manhunt going on at the moment. a manhunt that involves the army, the police, and israel's internal security services. prime minister benjamin netanyahu, who is in the united states still, issued a statement

vowing to bring to justice the attackers and calling this, quote, hane us act. now it comes at the back of a lot of tension. the undercover police have gone into a hospital to capture a man they were looking for. in they it would their cousin, who happened to be there visiting. that angered a lot of palestinians living there. there were flashes between young protesters and israeli forces. one of the protesters died from their wounds in hospital. >> exactly five years to the day that aung san suu kyi was released from house arrest, myanmar house elections confirmed her party's landslide victory. the national lead for nld has taken 164 of parliament's seats.

a quarter of the seats are resolved for the military. any change to the constitute requires 75% of the support of the parliament. she's deshred that she'll lead the country, acting above the new president, who will be a figure head. we have reports. >> just a few years ago, this could have resulted in an arre arrest. now its members have been through so much at the hands of the army that ruled this country for 50 years that some can't quite believe what's happening. >> arrested. while i was in there, i didn't

dream that one day we would be able too. >> in sunday's election people came out in huge numbers, and they overwhelmingly voted to overtake the country's democracy. >> we had to speak in the country to cover the election in 2010. and then five years ago we were here outside of the home of the nlk leade ld leader, aung san suu kyi. now they're prepared to hand over control of the country. but suu kyi herself could not be president. she has not said who she'll put forward, but the 70-year-old

made it clear that she'll be calling the shots. the pressure possible on her and her mps to deliver on decades of campaigns of human rights. rohingya muslims have felt the full force, they're regarded as illegal immigrants from bangladesh, and many are confined to camps. they hope that nld will offer them citizenship to myanmar, but the reality may be different. >> sinc >> clearly there are many problems ahead.

al jazeera. >> a day of mournings that declared in lebanon after a double bombing claimed by isil killed 43 people in the capital. the attacks took place in a southern suburb of bay root. >> from beirut we have more. [ sirens ] >> one by one the victims of thursday's bombings are laid to rest. those who were killed are civilians. those who were either store owners, shoppers, those heading home or just walking by. >> it didn't take long for

hezbollah to show that nothing has changed. >> officials from the political divide has condemned the attacks. it was a rare show of unity in a deeply divided country. the bombings came at a time when the group was stepping up in the war playing a lead role in the defensive. already hundreds of men have been killed across the border. syria, and this is how many are retaliating. >> thursday's bombing are being described as the worse in years. thethe intention was to kill as many civilians as possible.

>> the bombs tore people's lives apart, and the fear now is a repeat of a series of attacks in 2013 and last year against targets linked to hezbollah. then like now the victims were civilians, and then like now the message that hezbollah and it's supporters are sending are the same: we will not back down. >> just want to update you on the breaking news story we've been following in the last few minutes of a shooting that's taken place in paris at a restaurant. we understand that it's a cambodian restaurant with reports coming in from routers agency. two people have been killed. several wound: specifically seven wounded. the shooter, the attacker has not been captured by police although we're waiting for more information from official

sources in france itself. we know that the area has been sealed off. some of the shop buildings, cafes, restaurant in the vicinity have been evacuated. it would be very busy with residents and tourrieses, so we understand at this point that two people have been killed. seven have been wounded in a shooting in the french capital, and the attacker has not been captured. we'll continue to update you on that story. in the meantime, russia's aviation authority is stopping egypt's national airline. russia has stopped all of its flights to egypt following the fatal crash of one of its airliners two weeks ago. all 14 people were killed, and some reports suggesting it was

brought down by a bomb. >> the iaaf is currently meeting by conference call in the wake of monday's allegations of russian-state sponsored drug cheating. they recommended russia be suspended with the possibility they could be ruled out of next year's rio olympics if they don't make major reforms. lee wellings joins us. is that a forgone conclusion that russian athletes would be banned? >> i think it's very likely. it would be 27, the case for

russia has been made throughout the week. the politics here are intense with russia making sure they find a way to remove some of their problems and move forward with the crucial thing being the olympics next year. with the suspension that they're all the way out. that's one of most tricky things for the athletic sports to handle. this is all within a few days. they're still looking for this vote that they're provisionally suspending them they accept the conclusions, but what they're trying to do is look at the

inflammatory phrases that russians irregularities under old leadership. they came out and said be careful about banning russian athletes from the olympics. if you ban everyone, then what about the clean athletes? >> lee wellings with the latest on that story. there is still more to come on the news hour. turning air into water. the new technology that could help south africa's through its worst drought in decades. and and space degree, what

it was and where it's coming from, and using cricket in communities.

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>> welcome back. you're watching the al jazeera news hour. let's take you to our top stories. sinjar was captured by isil last year and thousands of people were killed and enslaved. it has been recaptured. two palestinians have been shot dead in separate incidents. breaking news this hour reports that a number of people have been killed after a shooting in a restaurant in paris. the incident took place at a cambodian restaurant. let's get more on this now with our correspondent jacky rowland. she's in the french capital for us. what is the latest you're hearing? >> we hear there was an automatic weapons fire in this restaurant.

eyewitnesses say that they saw people, bodies, lying on the ground. we hear a number of casualties quite possibility some deaths with seven people injured. this is a friday night. the night of the week where young people are out in bars, restaurant, socializing, also this particular area is popular with the young people. the police have cordoned off this area, and they're trying to clear the area of people an get them to safety. >> there was an explosion at a stadium, now obviously this is a separate incident. >> yes, the reports that we have heard is of two explosions near

the major football stadium here in paris. it was hosting a football match between france and germany. we only have the reports that we've heard on french media, as yet we have not been able to get any official confirmation from french police regarding this incident. >> jacky rowland, let's get more from madeleine berry, who was eating at a restaurant nearby when the shooting began. talking about the shooting near a cambodian restaurant. madeleine, can you tell us what you've witnessed, what you've been seeing and hearing? >> yes, i people started moving

to the back. and they have shut the shutters of the restaurant. they've turned the music off. yes, we're here, people have been calling their families. that's what we can see. >> what you're saying, standing in a court yard. the restaurant being close to where all this has been happening. it has been evacuated, and there must be concerns for the safety of people around you. what are people saying? >> yes, so people are--a lot of people are on social media, calling their family. what i've heard was that there

were bombs . >> i understand you won't know how long you're remaining in the court yard. >> no, we have no idea. nobody knows. people are just smoking and calling their families. >> of course people will be calling their friends and relatives to tell them that they're safe. that's very important because we'll be hearing these reports of these incidents, shooting at a restaurant in paris, and another local media reporting that 18 people have been killed.

earlier reports that two were dead, 18 dead is the result of the it's a friday night. a lot of beam are out with their friends in an area that is particularly popular with younger people. madeleine, if i can just ask. >> you how many hours was it that, and what is th it like in the area. >> there are many restaurant. it's friday, saturday night, extremely busy, young crowds,

and so we got there two hours ago, and i also heard that from the . >> do you know ho how many people were roughly out on the street? do you have any idea how far away that restaurant is from where you are? obviously you're nearby. >> about the ten minutes away walking from here. is the shooter on the run now, is that the case?

>> we don't have more but local media reporting that the attacker is on the loose. there is a suggestion that the area has been sealed off. there is a heavy police presence out on the streets. buildings have been evacuated like the one you were in, madeleine, and tell me how packed was your restaurant just ahead of the evacuation? >> there are 40 of us in the court yard. yes, it's a very busy neighborhood. yeah, it's nice little

restaurants. it's not an expensive neighborhood, but it's very popular neighborhood with young people and people starting off in their careers. it's very lively. it's horrendous, horrendous. >> yes, of course. a very lifely area part of town with young people. there would have been a lot of tourists in the area as well. >> hmm, hmm, yes. absolutely. actually, i'm going to go. i need to call my mom. >> madeleine, thank you very much for taking time to speak to us. appreciate it, and yes, do give your mother a call to tell her that you're okay. thank you very much. let's speak now to al jazeera's natasha.

>> a short while ago french media were talking about a possible hostage situation in the club. now the club is in this eastern part of paris in the--and there was a concert there tonight. it would have been a packed club popular with young people, and we're hearing reports of a hostage situation. an >> what are you seeing and what are you hearing? >> i'm just on the periphery on that area trying to get into it because it has been completely cordoned off. this area is one of the most popular areas of paris on a

friday night. it would have been packed with bars and restaurants, and, in fact, i'm speaking earlier with one taxi driver who told me that a young man stumbled into his taxi, trembling and frightened. talking about having heard gunfire. >> obviously we have news coming in from natasha, have you managed to speak to many people? presumably people are very worried, very shocked about what has happened. this is something that people have not been able to witness in a popular part of town which is crowded for young people. certainly people would have heard what is going on. >> well, absolutely. you can imagine, people went out

on a friday night on the town in paris. some of them heard shots. some people heard them talking about shots. it's hard not to remember charlie hebro, in the north of the city there is a football match going on. it's unusual on a friday night in paris shocked in the city again reported in several locations. so people in the french capital ex-treatmently shaken up

tonight. >> thank you very much tonight. let's go back to jacky rowland, our correspondent. jackie, it looks as show we could be facing multiple acts of violence around paris tonight, a shooting in the tens, we're looking at explosions in the north of paris stadium. and also natasha telling us about a potential hostage situation although not confirmed in the 1 area. are we talking about a vicinity of all these axe of violence taking place in an area relatively close to each other? >> relatively close to each other. they have suggested that this is an area in the in the east of paris, it's near a canal that is very popular.

there are lots of clubs, bars, restaurant along there. it is a very trendy, up and coming area. a lot of alternative clubs and very popular with young people. we're talking about a restaurant and nightclub not far from each other i've seen people with blood on their faces. we're hearing reports as many as 18 people dead now. and as well as of course those reports of two explosions near the. stadium where there is a football match between france and germany. it's difficult to determine if they're coordinated, but we have

to remember that paris is not a huge city geographically. it's not a sprawling city like london or moscow, for example. it's a fairly compact city. events are happening close to each other and within a close time frame. as natasha is saying, we're covering the events the beginning of january. the hostage taking all at the supermarkets and what it is happening on a friday night. it is bringing shock all around the world. the police are now confirming that hostages were taken in the neighborhood just next to where the shooting incident took place

at the restaurant. we understand that jackie, can you tell us about the area that would be very popular with young people. popular with tourists given that this it taking place in a nightclub likely to have had lots of younger people in there at a time on a friday night. >> definitely, and the other thing to bear in mind at the moment is unseasonbly warm weather in paris. people are walking around the streets. people are sitting on pavement cafes. as i mentioned before, this these are very popular areas. we're not talking about the establishments that all the people would about "g" to, but we're talking about popular, trendy, fashionable cafes in

these areas, particularly the area near the canal whether there are lots of clubs, restaurant, bars, and a nate like this on a friday evening at this time at 10:00 10:00, 11:00 o'clock at night. because the weather is so pleasant people are out walking. people will be going from bars to restaurant. then when you start hearing reports of simultaneous attacks we're looking now at the security forces being stretched over large area, they did cordon off the area around the nightclub. that obviously around the restaurant, obviously another area being closed off around the nightclub. they're going aroun around, and

their' clearly wanting to get people safe and get them away from places that could be potential targets. >> you know, jacky, listening to your description of what this part of town would have been like just before this took place given that it's an area popular with the young people. warm weather in paris he at the moment. people out and about, enjoying a meal, out with friends, what a contrast to the scenes we're seeing right now. a heavy yes police presence. >> well, i since the shooting

at charlie hebdo security has been on high alert. we've seen troops outside of real waystations, office buildings, there have been special units of security forces assigned to protect the media. we regularly have forces coming in to check that we're okay. they pass by once a day or whatever. there has been tightened security particularly in transport hubs, big for rest destinations near the eiffel tower. and you see heavily armed troops. this is a level of alert which has been maintained since january. it has not gone away, and clearly despite the high-level of alerts, despite the reports that we've heard in recent days across europe of alleged groups

network, being broken up, being discovered and broken up, nevertheless, events are taking place in close or consecutive order which poses the question of whether there is some kind of coordinated action here, and whether, in fact, we're going to see any other attacks before the shooting. >> there are reports of a hostage taking situation in nightclubs learly the police are stretched tonight.

the attackers at the restaurant--the last i heard is that they have not been apprehended, but clearly the police dealing with these crime scenes at the moment. the emergency services and dealing with large numbers of casualties. more people injured, and obviously the intelligence services and security forces as well very concerned about whether maybe additional further incident taking place in paris as we go from friday night into saturday morning. >> jacky rowland, live for us in the french capital. thank you for bringing us up-to-date with what has been happening. i understand that we can now speak to an eyewitness, someone who is in the french capital. nick is on the line for us. tell us where you are in paris at the moment.

>> so we've been having dinner, and it was pretty quiet until a lady came crying. we assumed it was some sort of domestic dispute. so shank are pretty quiet. we had our fill, left, and walked down the road. then the police sirens started, and people began to yell and run down the street. that's what we've done. we've cleared the area. >> a lady came into the restaurant where you were dining crying and saying she witnessed someone being shot. was she at another restaurant in the area? >> so we don't know. we talked to the waitress who gave her a glass of water to comfort her. the waitress told us what she

had seen. we didn't believe what was happening until we heard the sirens, until we heard the people starting to run. that's what we did. >> and whereabouts are you now? >> we're 800 meters from the public square. we're at a corner 500 meters south of the square, and the place came down again. it's really calm here to be honest. people here don't know quite what has happened. >> is it busy where you are at the moment? >> yes, there are people--there are people having a glass of wine on the corner. but 200 meters away from us. >> are they aware of what is going on?

>> you they're still inside. and we literally ran from 200 meters away. when the police came, and with whistles and sirens, and with panic, 200 meters away from where they are now. >> 200 meters away from where you are now. the police are on the scene and presumebly they've cleared that area. so if you were to try to access that particular part of town again just 200 meters from where you are, it's sealed off? >> yes, completely sealed off. we went through like police cordoned to where they are now. >> and roughly what are you seeing in terms of a security presence? >> you can see straight up the

road, i can see in the distance they've blocked it off. where we are now, 800 meters south of the public square, traffic is moving fairly normal if not in one direction, which is away from the square. >> give me the mood of the restaurant before you were rushed out and escorted out of the vicinity? >> well, it was very calm until this lady came in crying. we didn't know why she was crying until the waitress began to tell people. i think they deliberately didn't want to panic anyone.

people started to get nervous, leave, and people began to head in one direction, which is away from the public square. >> how is the news of the evacuation delivered to you? were people just voluntarily leaving the area? >> no, it was a general area. everyone is leaving. everyone is going south. people have to leave where they are now. people are leaving those areas, and. >> can you give me a sense of what the area was like? who it would have been popular

with? is there a particular age group who predominantly would have been in the streets, the presence out on a friday night? >> this is known as the third area of paris, the area is a fashionable place to eat and drink. it changes a little bit as you go to the public, but there is a cafe on every corner, and people are outside enjoying their friday night. we're going to move now. i apologize did. >> that's fine. tell me why are you moving away from the area at the moment? >> we're not being forced or anything. but we're leaving. >> would you say that the area

that was sealed off is expanding forwards you? >> no, it's not being expanded by the police, but obviously someone is being told to get people out of here. everyone is walking in one direction. >> a difficult and confusing situation. do stay safe. thank you for talking with us. we appreciate it. nick holden, a witness to events that we're seeing at the moment to heavy police presence in central paris where we understand simultaneous acts of violence taking place in a nightclub at a cambodian restaurant and explosions at a football stadium as well where president holland and his interior minister were present.

they were rushing from the football match to the ministry to deal with the unfolding situation just according to a report coming here from an official. let's now speak to jacky rowland, who is in a french capital for us. jackie, we're getting reports of 26 dead in violence around paris, and possibly 60 hostages being taken at the nightclub. >> yes, clearly we're looking at a series of attacks that have taken place in close succession of each other. people are asking whether they're coordinated, whether they're linked.