fighting rages on in the iraqi city of r. as government forces try to recapture it from i.s.i.l. hello and welcome to the show. i'm sammy zaidan. also coming up. a fire in a hospital in saudi arabia kills 25 and injuries more than 100. plus. why a presidential runoff in africa has been put off

indefinitely. >> we're in nigeria where there are no shortage of homes but thousands of people are being shut out. for the governor of iraq's al anbar province, he says he's working with the citizens to help leave the city, to try to retake the city from i.s.i.l. the military has claimed to kill hundreds of fighters since then and iraqi state has indicated retaking. set up supply licens lines betwn syria and iraq. through dar azur to ramadi. ramadi is an important link to

fallujah less than 70 kilometers to the west where i.s.i.l. also has control. both cities have strategic control as they are on the doorstep of the capital baghdad. let's take you now to another hot spot in afghanistan. the taliban is fighting for control of helmand province. after heavy fighting in past few days. the key battle is in sangen. british officers have been sent in an advisory role we're told. what is the situation there? >> well, moments ago, gs forces in afghanistan's spokesperson confirmed to us that they have carried out two air strikes on the 23rd of december in the district of sangen. what we don't have more details

of that air strike, earlier, the district chief of sangen telling us after evacuated from the siege of sangen in the past 24 hours at least 25 afghan persons were killed and more than 60 wounded. he says the fighting is ongoing. he also said that there are civilian casualties but could not give details as the fighting was ongoing and the area was not accessible for the afghan to find out more what was happening there. >> are government forces able to handle this situation? are they getting reenforcements and backup from international forces? >> well, afghan senior security

officials are giving assurances that the situation will be well handled. but a civil society held in helmand told us the situation in helmand was very alarming and concerning for them. he said the weakness in the local management and leadership is the reason for insecurity in helmand and he says if serious attention is not paid to helmand the rest of the two stable districts such as nawa and gawan could face serious pressure in the future. >> thank you for the update. syria and china have agreed with principles needed nor peace

there, government and opposition figures have been hosted there before. u.n. security council endorsed the resolution for peace. china and russia have previously vetoed resolutions for syria. >> syria ready for the syrian dialogue in geneva without any foreign interference. and our delegation will be ready, as soon as we receive a list of the opposition delegation. >> translator: we should stick to a peaceful resolution of the syrian issue. the people of syria decide the future and fate of syria. u.n. plays a key role in negotiations. we agree that these three principles should be uphold

throughout the full discussion on syria. >> the 15 nation council hopes a unified government will weaken i.s.i.l. fighters there and curb mass migration to europe. kristin saloomey reports. >> the u.n. security council pledged its support, the move was welcomed by libya's ambassador to the u.n. who said the new government was a necessary compromise. >> translator: it cannot achieve the aspirations of all parties, but it best represents what we can potentially achieve and it is the highest common denominator. >> reporter: members of two rival governments political parties and civil society groups reached agreement on a new government last week but some key players have yet to endorse the deal. the security council and the

u.n. special representative for libya martin kobler encouraged other libyans to come on board for the sake of the libyan people. >> peace and security should really be established over time. and this is task of the government of national unity. >> reporter: warring factions in the country have led to instability. and the presence of i.s.i.l. also make libya a hub for human trafficking of migrants seeking to cross the mediterranean to europe. the instability of libya is a threat to international peace and security. the u.n. resolution calls on nations to respond in dealing with i.s.i.l. but the government has to ask first. the united which drafted the resolution says it is ready to help. >> we are awaiting with

impatients and a lot of interest about the formation. nation of government accord. against daesh in libya. >> libya has 30 days to form its government and a plan for national security. kristin saloomey, al jazeera, united nations. >> a huge fire has killed at least 25 people in saudi arabia. the blaze broke out in the intensive care unit and the maternity department. 21 civil defense teams battled the fire on the first floor of the hospital. an investigation was underway. emergency doctor at a nearby hospital. >> the source of the fire was from an electrical source that we hear about and most of the dead are patients in the intensive care unit, intensive

care unit. also few numbers from the patients who just died from the fire. others are moved to nearby hospital, private and governmental hospitals. >> haiti's president michel martelly haiti is taking positions. >> not good enough is the response from a leading haitian party to investigate claims of fraud in october presidential election. >> the members of the commission were hand picked by president amelia earhart anameliamartellyl

process. >> there's been growing anger and protests over the first round results. opposition groups say some people voted multiple times while intimidation kept many from casting ballots. that in a race with dozens of candidates vying for the presidency. these are just some of the faces of the 54 original presidential candidates here in haiti. now the december 27 runoff has been postponed indefinitely but people we have been speaking to say no matter when that vote takes place they have little faith in the democratic process. >> translator: i've totally lost confidence in the system because they stole our votes, it is a very dirty game. >> during the election the people are just pawns. even if you vote the results

never show who really won. >> sputiosuspicion also fuels a. although the government has not set a new date there is growing international concern that the second round should be held soon. this a statement on wednesday the u.n. security council called on all candidates, political parties and preliminary actors to publicly commit to the electoral process and timely government formation in accordance with the constitutional time frame. including the inauguration of a new president by the 7th of february of next year. those in charge of the election meanwhile are trying to win back the confidence of voters. >> translator: the electoral council is doing everything it can to gain the trust of the people. we fired people we suspect of fraud. >> that might not be enough to convince hasn'ts that a runoff whenever it is held will reflect the true will of the people.

adam rainey, al jazeera, port-au-prince. >> still to come. we'll tell you of the resistance tree. >> join me divya gopalan in search of hong kong's disappearing pink dolphins.

>> 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. >> welcome back. let's recap the top stories here on al jazeera now. iraqi security forces say they have killed hundreds of forces in the battle to recapture ramadi. and iraqi television reports

u.s. air strikes have targeted i.s.i.l. in the city. fighting for control of helmand province, the army has been surrounded by taliban in a number of areas in sang be. port city of jizan, blaze in a hospital in saudi arabia, an investigation is underway. israeli police have shot a palestinian man in hebron after they say he tried stab israeli forces with a screwdriver. another palestinian man was also shot dead in the occupied west bank. police say they were responding after he stabbed two security guards at the entrance of the industrial area at ariel settlement. violence that flared up have left 132 palestinians and 20 israelis dead.

the town of bethlehem on the occupied west bank has made last minute christmas preparations to receive pilgrims. palestinian political leaders have decided to turn down festivities this year as violence has flared. imtiaz tyab reports from bethlehem. >> it is a 19-year-old tradition that he looks forward to but decorations is different this year. he suffers from severe pain and can barely stand. after the crowd of palestinian protesters he was with was infiltrated by live rounds. babesh was sent a video from an international news outlet that shows when he was taken into an ambulance by first responders

clearly in shock. >> translator: when i look at the person in the video it feels as if i'm looking at someone else. it was a life changing experience. all i ask is that people ray for peace, for us in the city of nativity so the war can end and i pray for god to have mercy for all those killed for palestine and have patience to endure their losses. i ask to pray for peace in palestine. it is not just families like this that are struggling to celebrate, in bethlehem's major square the christmas tree is decorated and the nativity scene is on display. but elsewhere decorations were either toned down or not put up at all. political leaders say it was the right thing to do. >> this is the mosaic of life in bethlehem, all the different conditions, we live the joy, we

live the sadness, we live the faith, the encounters of faith on grounds. >> palestinian executives decorate the tree, they are calling it a resistance tree. it is meant to symbolize the bitterness of celebrations in the city of the bible, where there is very little peace in years to come. imtiaz tyab, al jazeera, west bank. >> why a british muslim was banned from entering the u.s. a spokesman for customs and border protection says that religion is not a deciding factor when considering whether someone can travel.

>> i was planning this trip like two months, kids are excited and someone comes and says you are not allowed to board the plain with no explanation given it's devastating. it's like we were just taken out of the room. >> their dream is to reach the u.s. but there's been no break through over the fate of thousands of cuban migrants stranded in costa rica. alessandro san pieti reports. >> the border town of santa cruz in costa rica. >> we are just trying to give back. we are like family now. >> reporter: almost 6,000 cubans have been stick here since neighboring nicaragua shut

down the border stopping them on their way to the u.s. marissa vargas said she was astound he by their situation and that's why she took them in. >> they were assaulted in colombia but they are lovely people and hard workers. >> reporter: the presence of thousands of cubans has changed the face of la cruz. central american countries have seen a spike in the number of cubans since the island renewed relations with the u.s. for weeks, costa rica is filled to broker a seef passage for them while also announcing an end to new transit visas to try stem the flow of migrants. guatemala and nicaragua,

regional meeting on tuts brought somtuesdaybrought some progresss reaching an air bridge but no agreement has been reached. >> we ask you to be patient, we are making progress, in the meantime, stay safe and don't try to cross illegally. >> some have been resorting to people smugglers, often with bad consequence. >> we had no option but to turn ourselves into the nicaraguan police who sent us back here. >> a new meeting has been called for december 28th. a temporary solution might be at hand but central american countries fear more cubans will embark on the journey as long as

the temptation of settle ling in u.s. alessandro san pieti, al jazeera. 20 homes were destroyed, several injured when planes in the city of clarksdale overturned. more than 20 million in the u.s. are living in mobile homes. most don't own the land their homes sit on and john len dren has beehendrenhas spoken to som. >> heather lived with her husband in a mobile home for 13 years. she liked them so much, she was in the process of buying another one. she received notice that the

park would close in order to build million dollar homes in the process. >> the house is going to go into the garbage, the bank is going to have to figure out what's going to happen to it. we're not schoolchildren we're just dollar signs, just because we live in a mobile home. not a stick built house. we wanted to live nice and have nice things for our kids. >> it is an indignity suffered over and over. they endure the jokes and epithets. >> if your richest relative buys a new house and you help to take wheels off of it, you might be a redneck. >> but when trailer park owners sell the land, those with homes on it like jo lowent hfersal,

get nothing. >> what's happening in our seat is people in a lower bracket are being secluded from having i think having their own american dream which is very sad. >> for profit mobile home parks refused to speak to us. more often than not, so-called mobile homes are not mobile at all. so moving them is not an option. >> they're not mobile. that's a huge misnomer. they're mobile as far as getting from the factory to the site but not intended to be moved again. and there's nowhere to move to so they're losing everything. all their equity. they may still have a mortgage on that home. i call homeowners in manufactured communities prisoners in their own home. >> all 32 homes here will either

have to be tornado down or moved at the owner's expense. one homeowner had just bought two weeks before the notice. the park owner didn't mention that when they moved in. john hendren, al jazeera, seattle. >> nigeria's capital is a city under construction. hundreds of new homes are built each month but all too often they're priced beyond the reach of the average person. ahmed idris reports. >> it is five eclock in the morning that doug last says good-bye to his children. by the time he returns, his kids will be asleep. >> i pray to god that one day a solution toll situation. so reallyists not helpful for you to be -- to continue being without your children all the time. >> the civil servant is one of the hundreds of thousands who

work in the city but have to live far away from their work. simply because they can't afford the rent. ftc every month, hundreds of new homes are built here but most of them are empty. the question you need to ask yourself is how many people can afford to buy a house of 100 million in nigeria? letless than 2% of the populati. explained that it's less than 2% of the population. >> reporter: which means that many people here wouldn't be able to afford these new homes. a house this this estate costs about $500,000 to buy. renting one is as much as $25,000 per year. developers put the blame on expensive permits and pass the cost on to tenants. it's not about number of homes,

it's about affordability. areas with poor roads and security are ton outskirts of town. many people who are accused of oversaving, continued to be priced out relegated to the slums that encircle the city. ahmed idris, al jazeera, abuja, nigeria. parts of china are nstle end in red smog. rare pink dolphins, only 61 of the mammals are thought to remain as development hits their habitat. from hong kong, divya gopalan

last the story. >> the first thing they tell you is don't raise your expectations. >> i was lucky enough to see two pink dolphins, so surprising so beautiful. >> it's a surprise for everyone on the boat even the tour guide. >> nowadays, dolphins appear to be quite rare. >> pink dolphin populations have dropped by 60%, mainly because of construction in the waters, cutting through the areas of the highest sensitivity of dolphins in the area.

they are saddened to know most of the population will be driven away. this is also the proposed site for airport's third runway. construction would involve dumping thousandths of ton of sand to reclaim dolphin sea area. they have consulted the government on the airport plan but their proposals have been ignored. despite the airport's plan to build a marine sanctuary after the construction period in 2023. >> can they survive and join the marine sanctuary is a huge question mark. i think it's doubtful that the dolphin population will be able to hang on for that long. >> the dolphins have been swimming in this area for

centuries. they have paid the price for city's growth with less an less space to call home. divya gopalan, al jazeera, hong kong. >> if you want to keep up to date with all those stories head over to aljazeera.com. with our lead story. >> the warm blue waters off the coast of hawaii, a scene of incredible beauty but a world in transition. ironically this piece of coral, delicate as fine china, is also a sign of trouble. >> today, we are facing the potential loss or massive degradation of all of our reefs.