>> iraqi forces say they've won the battle for ramadi, freeing the city from i.s.i.l. hello there i'm julie mcdonald. this is al jazeera, live from london. also coming up: hundreds of fighters and civilians are given safe passage to two besieged areas of syria. japan and south korea reach a deal to compensate the women used as war time sex slaves. floods that force tens of thousands from their homes in latin america.

hello there warm welcome to the program. the iraqi military says it's taken back full control of the key city of ramadi, from the islamic state of iraq and the levant. or i.s.i.l. now the iraqi flag is now flying over the government complex there and soldiers have been celebrating their victory but some reports indicate there are still possibilities of i.s.i.l. resistance in the city. osama ben javad reports from erbil in northern iraq. >> reporter: a major battle is over. these soldiers are celebrating after they took control of a compound in the center of the city. the takeover of the anbar police headquarters in the provincial headquarters is symbolic. whoever controls thes this compx holds the city. >> we have put the iraqi flag over the government complex in

el anbar. >> reporter: but as much as there is to celebrate for neighborhood this is just one neighborhood. i.s.i.l. fighters remain in downtown ramadi. in the north iraqi forces haven't been able to cross the euphrates river and fighters continue to launch attacks from the east of the city. but the recapture of ramadi is a boost to iraq's much criticized army whose presence crumbled when i.s.i.l. moved into much of the city. without the direct support of the popular mobilization forces also known as shia forces. the top commander a abdul ramadi won't predict when iraqi forces will clear all of ramadi. that's what has slowed progress in the final push for ramadi. iraqi forces are jubilant

because they see victory within sight. it's taken them months of battles with i.s.i.l. and days in the final offensive to get this far but they also know that while they may have won this battle against the group it will take them longer to win the war against i.s.i.l. osama ben javad erbil northern iraq. >> let's get more from rosiland jordan in iraq, hi there roz, what's been the reaction stateside? >> the reaction has been one of great approval for what the iraqi government has done in ramadi, albeit with u.s. and coalition air strikes as supporting players in this retaking of this city of ramadi in anbar province. the u.s. military says this is proof that its strategy of training and advising the iraqi military is paying off. even though it mass taken considerable time at least in the view of those outside of iraq, watching the situation. the big point, though, is that

this is not the end of the fight for ramadi, and it certainly doesn't mean that i.s.i.l. has been completely defeated inside iraq. this is the spokesperson for operation inherent resolve, steve warren, speaking earlier to al jazeera via skype. >> there is still plenty to do in ramadi. we still need to stabilize the ufreitas riveeuphrates river vae rest of the tigris valley. i want everyone to be clear there is still a lot of work ahead of us. this emmy is dug in deeply in portions of iraq. they still have the capability of fight and do harm. this is going to take time. >> so roz, talk about other portions of iraq that still need to be dealt. is anything said about potentially an assault on mosul?

>> reporter: mosul will happen but the military doesn't want to say when that's going to happen because they say that there is a real need to try to not just retake territory from i.s.i.l, but for the iraqi military and for the iraqi public, to actually retain control of those communities that had been under i.s.i.l. control. and they say this is going to be a long running process, it could take years for all of this work to be done, for i.s.i.l. to be fully pushed out of iraq. it's also worth noting that in the past couple of moments we've gotten a statement from the u.s. secretary of state john kerry also applauding the retaking of ramadi by the iraqi military but also stressing that it's going to take more than military action to push i.s.i.l. out of neighboring syria. he reiterated that it is going to take a lot of diplomatic work in order to make it possible for the syrian people to regain control of those parts of northern syria that have been under i.s.i.l. control for

almost a year now. >> roz jordan joining me live from washington, d.c, roz thank you. >> syrian state tv says 15 people have been killed in a twin bombing attack in the central city of homs. the governor of holmes said a car bomb explodeand a suicide bomber dit death necessitatehis vest amongst group. a british based activist group has given a higher death toll of 32 people. buses and ambulances cear carrying 450 fighters and civilians have crossed into lebanon under a u.n. backed deal. families have been under siege by government forces for months. now allowing them safe passage out into lebanon where they will

board a plane to turkey before they will arrive in the nusra stronghold of idlib. two progovernment shia villages have been given a safe route to turkey. from there they will move to beirut and damascus. in the past year there have been similar agreements in the city of homs and in yarmouk though the last deal is on hold after the killing of a powerful rebel leader, what happened on friday. hashem ahelbarra has more from the turkish border with syria. >> wounded rebel fighters and their families cross into lebanon from syria. the end of months of anxiety and uncertainty about their future. they were trapped in zabadani near the lebanese border. the city has been the focal point of intense fighting but after a series of set backs, the rebels lost most of it to the army, that has been laying siege

to the area. e wounded and their families will be taken to turkey, their final destination is unclear. they could be sent to refugee camps on the border with syria. or moved to areas under opposition control inside the country. also, as part of the deal, shia militia fighters were given safe passage out of small towns in northern syria. these pro-government fighters were evacuated to turkey. it's the first leg in a journey that will take them to lebanon and then syria's capital which is still largely a stronghold of president bashar al-assad. this complex movement of people was made possible because of a deal brokered by iran and turkey. it's seen as a significant development in a country battered by more than four years of violence.

the united nations hopes this deal will create some level of trust between the government and the rebels, ahead of a crucial meeting in geneva next month. there is a growing sentiment that no party can decisively win this war in syria and that a compromise may be the only way to bring an end to this phase of the conflicts. hashem ahelbarra, al jazeera, in southern turkey. >> nigeria's emergencies agency says at least 30 were killed in maiduguri. ahmed idris sent us this update. >> over the last 30 days maiduguri was under virtually a lock down. simply because the services here want to ensure this is a crime free christmas. in fact for first time in three years in the northeast area of

nigeria there was no case of bombing by boko haram in a church or any other worship place. so the curfew or rather the ban on movement or car movements in maiduguri and other partle of pe northeast of course were lifted yesterday and there were suicide bombers by bus loads, intercepted 50 military. the military are captured dozens of them. for the first niem months they s they detonated their vests in certain areas. in fact 26 people have been killed in the series of bomb attacks across the state. and more than 80 people have been injured as a result. but the fatalities could rise because of the severity of injuries sustained during the series of attacks in maiduguri

and the outskirts of the city. >> japanese prime minister shinzo abe has apologized, part of a deal with south korea on an issue that's long soured relation he. paying $8.3 million in compensation to the victims. victoria gatenby has the story. >> reporter: the victims have waited 70 years for an apology from japan. it finally came from japanese president shinzo abe. >> we have been expressing our feelings of remorse and apology on this issue as the previous governments have and such position will not be changed. from today japan and south korea will enter into a new era. i hope this agreement will serve as a momentum for japan and south korea. >> it's an issue that strained relations between the two countries for years. so there's relief that they can at last move on. >> translator: in order to restore the dignity and regain

the impaired reputation of the comfort women as well as heal their wounded hearts through the agreement i think it's most important that the japanese government swiftly and safely carry out the measures under this deal. >> reporter: historians estimate that women were forced into providing sex in broth else set up by japanese soldiers during world war ii. offer of $8.3 million in compensation. >> the government has been trying to settle this issue by the end of this year. we will follow the government's decision. >> reporter: korea was a japanese colony for 35 years from 1910 to 1945 and that history still affects south korea's relationship with japan. but analysts say this apologize however long in coming offers hope for the future. >> this is a huge deal. as far as we can tell, a long

time problem that has divided these two countries, has been seemingly resolved. at least on a government to government level. >> reporter: for many victims the trauma of the past has never gone away but they say it's important that japan has finally admitted that what happened to them was wrong. vaibtd, avictoria gatenby, al j. >> still to come on the program. desperate journey, we join central american migrants as they travel across guatemala by road and river. and philippines gets its first supercar build by young engineers who couldn't afford to buy one on their own.

>> a reminder of those top stories here on al jazeera. iraq says its forces have retain ramadi from the islamic state of iraq and the levant. the flag is flying over a government complex and soldiers are celebrating their victories. two villages near idlib, under siege of zabadani were meanwhile given safe passage for lebanon. and japan has apologized to south korea. for the second world war practice of make comfort women and has been offered compensation. 18 children are thought to be amongst the wounded in nigeria. the attacafghanistan.

>> afghan police say a suicide bomber detonated a car packed with explosives next to this pickup truck. the attack happened on a road fear kabul airport. the suicide bomber's target appears to be part of nato security forces but instead civilians were caught up in the blast. >> i was standing near my shop when suddenly i heard a huge explosion and everything became dark around me. shattered pieces of iron fell over me. i was three meters away from the explosion. i saw a teenager dead on the ground. it was really terrible. >> the explosion destroyed cars, and hit a street lined with shops. >> i was teaching children inside the mosque when the suicide attack happened and i was injured. >> kabul's chief of police says the attack was aimed at creating fear among afghans. >> a suicide bomber car loaded

with explosive detonated his bomb in this area. as a result 13 passers by were wounded and one person was killed. all of them were civilians. >> reporter: this is the latest in a series of security set backs for the afghan government. in september the taliban took control of the afghan city of kunduz and head it for two weeks before the army regained control and earlier this month more than 70 people died in a taliban attack on the kandahar airport complex. the attack in kabul came a day after the head of pakistan's army attended a conference in the city. i.t. wait was aimed at restartie talks with the taliban. zane basrabi, al jazeera. fighting erupted earlier in the year when president pierre nkurunziza announced he would be running for a third term.

nkurunziza himself didn't attend. it was the third time rival factions have met. malcolm webb is in e.ntebbe sending an upstairs. >> the government would not be willing to negotiate they said with anyone involved in the failed coup in may. the government said people involved in that coup include some activists that have been trying to inappropriately take power using violence. no way they can accept a third term in power for pierre nkurunziza. there's no way he should be in power for a third term. so they want fresh elections in a safe environment and that means pierre nkurunziza they say can't be a part of them. so it's difficult to see how these two very different positions are going to be reconciled in the coming weeks. >> storms and floods in the united states have killed at

least 43 people in recent days. texas has been badly hit with 11 killed over the weekend by tornadoes that left a trail of destruction, the twisters demolished homes blew away cars and cut power lines. scores of people were injured and an estimated 800 homes damaged. the extreme weather is forecast to continue over the next few days. now flooding has forced more than 160,000 people from their homes in south america, paraguay is the worst affected country. local media are reporting that at least five people have died and many have been trapped in their homes. a state of emergency has been declared. northeastern argentina has been badly hit. more than 100,000 people have had to liv leave concordia. teresa vo has more. >> this is the flofns northeastn northeast argentina, also in

paraquaiparaguay, uruguay, and argentina, they are fearful of losing whatever little they have left. people are using boats just in the middle of the streets to move around. i was just able to see some fish that came all around this area, people are just trying to cope with the situation, authorities are also trying to cope. last saturday maurice yo ma mau. >> 500 residents from the community of daily river have been moved to darwin where they

are expected to remain until flooding has subsided. authorities have warned residents to be wary of crocodiles. saudi arabia has been forced to seek new sources of revenue, saudi revenue dropped 15%, mainly the result of a 23 cent drop in income from oil. overall spending meanwhile rose to $260 billion, fueled in part by the saudi military intervention in yemen. as a result the first saudi budget under king salman revealed a deficit of $98 billion. former member of the saudi council, he says the government has enough reserves to go through this period of low oil price. >> oil is the main 80 to 90% of the government income comes from oil, that is true. but oil prices are down. oil since it was used

commercially, 100 years ago, until today, goes through cycles. through many year cycles. price of oil is inelastic. demand-wise and supply-wise so it takes a long time for it to move. $140 a barrel was not sustainable. $30 or $35 a barrel is still not sustainable. it's going to change. >> the european union's border agency frontex is stepping up its efforts to process a large number of refugees still on greek islands. 400 officers and interpreters will include experts in security screening fingerprinting and document authentication. omar al saleh reports. >> we are talking about a few days before they can actually start processing and helping the greek authorities. they could be deployed we don't know the number, frontex didn't

tell us, we expect within the next few hours. in terms of what these officers will be doing they will be helping the greek authorities speed the process of registration, they will be taking debriefs, security debriefs with the refugees, they will be determining their identity and carry out some security background checked and then they will cross-check it with national and perhaps the european database, but all of that procedure will not help the greek authorities or stem the flow of the big number of refugees. it will only speed the process to allow them to continue their journey to the rest of europe. >> al jazeera has gained rare access to one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world. in our series, people smugglers in central america we bring you on that joish through eye journs of the migrants. san provid pedro sula, people ss

take them across the border to san antonio in texas. in the third part of our series, john holman traveled with them across guatemala. >> it may look like a one horse town but don't be fooled. on the guatemala mexico border a hub for migrants and the gangs that prey on them. his job is to keep them safe from the local mafia. >> i pay for security, so my clients don't have to wait. here time is safety. >> [ spanish ] >> the people here don't let you move. they kidnap you beat you up and they do what they want to you. >> reporter: we followed him on an exhausting journey from san pedro sula honduras hopping

on and off buses trying opick up more clients. now he needs to get out of el naranho and into mexico and there's only one way. this is where the road ends and the river begins. the migrants arrive in small taxis and buses and then they climb into these small boats here, which will take them down the river. hondurans, guatemalans, salvadorns. alt of this was especially shoblg. shoring. >> a gang got into my house, beat up my dad and my cousins and even raped my mother. >> mexican authorities are infamous for kidnapping extorting and killing migrants. the only sure way is to pay them

off. >> the federal officials take at least $20. immigration authorities, $30, we pay them $750 per person at matamoros. >> it is a booming business focused on squeezing the desperate for all they have. mexico's recent tightening of the sowrn southern border have t getting them through is slim to none. the smugglers demand doesn't guarantee you safety. >> a year as i brought a group of young girls 16 to 17. i paid the fee and they got raped anyway. >> that's how they get to mexico, juicy merchandise trapped in an industry which sees them as pure profit. john holman, el naranho,

guatemala. >> now philippines is probably not the first country that comes to mind when you think of sports car design but a group of young engineers wants to change that. marga ortigas reports from loong. laguna. >> weighing 650 kilos, it pumps out 516 horsepower. designed by young filipino car enthusiasts. because they couldn't afford to buy a sports car they decided to build one. >> it all started when we were challenged and told we couldn't do it. we wouldn't be able to complete it and make it run. >> reporter: but they did. using parts that were easy to find locally and adapting the overall design for filipino market. its engine is japanese and has a tubular space frame chassis.

>> the thing about this car is it isn't too delicate in the way it's made. what i mean is in the philippine context. there is a lot of traffic, lot of humps. many uneven roads. it's been adapted to that. >> it's called a poor man's sports car but the developers aren't bothered by that. a way of recycling up. it all begins in here. there are no machines or assembly lines. each piece of the car's body is crafted and molded by hand. it takes between six to eight months to complete a car. so far only four prototypes have been produced. the developers say there's been much interest from buyers but it will be a while longer before the car is ready for the market. >> translator: we want this to serve as inspires to each filipino that if we could achieve this dream so can others who can appreciate what we've done here. >> reporter: and what they've done the developers say is create a work of art by making

the most of what they had. marg amarga ortigas, al jazeerae philippines. you can find more at the address aljazeera.com. plenty of articles and analysis, right there. >> i'm russell beard in northern kenya where local hero martin wheeler is taking elephant conservation to new heights. >> i'm jasmeen qureshshi in monterey bay california where researchers have discovered that sea otters may pl k