iran's leader hails his country's nuclear deal as a golden page in the country's history and a turning point for its economy. coming up in the next half hour, iran frees five american prisoners, including this journalist. praise for peace. indonesia's largest muslim organization rallies to denounce attacks on jakarta. imagine turning on your faucet and being able to drink this

fresh mountain spring water. that's exactly what the people in this mexican town can do. we will tell you about their fight to preserve their water supply. iran's isolation from the international community is over. e.u. and u.s. sanctions on iran have been lifted after the u.n.'s nuclear watchdog confirmed tehran has complied with the deal agreed to in july. jacky rowland reports from vienna where the announcement was made. >> reporter: diplomacy takes time. there were delays right up to the end. when the announcement finally came it was the international atomic energy agency that broke the news. >> relations between iran and the i.a.e.a. now enter a new phase. it is an important day for the international community.

i congratulate all those who helped make it a reality. >> reporter: so implementation day is here. the iranian foreign minister and the e.u. foreign policy chief looked satisfied as they arrived to give their reactions. both sides can look forward to huge economic benefits from the lifting of sanctions >> as iran has fulfilled its commitments, today multi lateral and national economic and financial sanctions related to iran's nuclear program are lifted in accordance with the gcpoa. this is the culmination of years of work by the u.s. secretary of state john kerry. a big personal achievement for him and he chose to make his statement separately from the other parties. >> today marks the moment that the iran nuclear agreement

transitions from an ambitious set of promises on paper to measurable action in progress. today is a result of the actions taken since last july, the united states, our friends and allies in the middle east and the entire world are safer because the threat of a nuclear weapon has been reduced. >> reporter: international inspectors have confirmed that iran has drastically reduced its uranium enrichment capacity. the heavy water reactor has been put out of action. it is a huge diplomatic achievement. iran has come in from the cold. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: the work of verification is not over. international monitors will continue to check compliance and if they spot any violation, the

sanctions will snap back into place. so much is at stake that all sides will be working to ensure that this does not happened iran's president has praised the nuclear deal calling it a turning point in the country's economy. he also called for economic reforms and less reliance on oil revenues. >> translation: in the nuclear deal no party has beaten another party. the iranian nation has won. nobody has won inside the of country nor the countries that negotiated with us. everyone is happy with the agreement except war mongers. everybody else is happy. this deal will bring us development and progress, interaction with the world and coordination in our actions

a politics professor at tehran university and he says the deal will help to reduce tensions in the regions. >> the deal will have tremendous effect primarily domesticically but in the troubled region in the middle east, the deal will help in the long run maybe to achieve reduction of tension in the region. i think the deal is welcome, that the future would demonstrate that no-one has to fear the new iran and that includes the saudi arabia. the leader of saudi arabia they're thinking that the approach between iran and united states would be detrimental to them, but they will in future realise that actually the fact that iran and united states are becoming closer doesn't mean

that iran will be belligerent and dangerous to her neighbors. this will be demonstrated without a shadow of doubt as iran prepares for the lifting of sanctions, five americans were released from jail. in exchange seven iranians accused of various wrongdoing have been released. >> reporter: on saturday iranian state television announced the news this man's family wanted to hear. after 18 months in prison the reporter convicted of spying was now free. his employer was celebrating and said: the former u.s. marine,

the christian minister as well as two other dual nationals were released in a deal that also frees seven iranians convicted of breaking u.s. laws. the u.s. has also agreed to drop charges against 14 other iranians for sanctions violations, while iran helps to find the retired f.b.i. agent. what is notable about the prisoner swap is the timing. it comes as the i.a.e.a. confirms iran has dismantled its nuclear weapons program. secretary of state john kerry. >> while the two tracks of negotiations were not directly related and they were not, there is no question that the pace and the progress of the humanitarian talks accelerated in light of the relationships forged and the dim low mattic channel-- diplomatic channels unlocked during course of the nuclear

talks. >> reporter: the relationship between the two men have made it possible to produce these agreements, but what happens when they leave their posts? >> this joinder has helped to overcome and has to be institutionalised because we have to have it ongoing. >> reporter: a moment of twin diplomatic accomplishments with no guarantee of more to follow 13 people have been killed and 14 others have been injured in a suicide bombing in jalalabad inside the home of an influential tribal leader. more from our correspondent who joins us from the afghan capital kabul.

if you could, just explain to us who this tribal leader was and why was he targeted? >> reporter: he is injured in the attacks, so he is still alive. he is from a very influential tribe, one of the biggest and most influential in afghanistan. he was gathering with a group of people and then when a suicide bomber managed to go in and detonate his charge. he was disguised as a guest in the house of that tribal leader. he is very influential but he also has a fighting force, a tribal militia, if you will, to fight the islamic state in iraq and the levant. he is also group of a wider-- port of a wider group

just talk us through what's going on in jalalabad in general. what is the geopolitical issues there? >> reporter: they have a big security problem. the situation there is very volatile. jalalabad is the provincial capital where islamic state in iraq and the levant is gaining ground. it is not very far from pakistan, so that is where i.s.i.l. is located. it is a very, very volatile situation. there you have taliban presence there, i.s.i.l. presence there. the two groups are fighting each other and they're fighting separately with the afghan government. only last week there was another attack near the pakistani consulate. it killed a number of people. that attack was claimed by i.s.i.l. now, for this attack on the tribal leader, the taliban denied responsibility, but

no-one has claimed responsibility against the attack or the suicide bomber who targeted this tribal leader thank you for that. china has warned taiwan to abandon what it calls hallucinations to push for independence. this comes after the island's pro-independence won the election. tsai ing-wen will become the first female president and promises to uphold taiwan's sovereignty and has warned repeatedly that relations could be affected. thousands of members of indonesia's largest muslim rallied to denounce the jakarta attacks.

>> reporter: a very strong and important message here. it is not only the largest muslim organization in indonesia back-up there it is the largest in the world-- but it is the largest in the world. they're campaigning nationwide in their schools. they have tens of thousands of schools and they're going to campaign radicalization. the organization has been always rather quiet and silent after previous attacks. they have always been a silent majority, but is now speaking out more still to come on al jazeera, including how to find out how a dispute between india and nepal is fuelling a black market for petrol. we go on for a wild ride in

argentina where these men are saddling up to keep a dangerous tradition alive. adition alive.

>> our american story is written everyday. it's not always pretty, but it's real... and we show you like no-one else can. this is our american story. this is america tonight. welcome back. you're watching al jazeera. the top stories this hour. iran's president has welcomed the lifting of sanctions by the e.u. and the u.s. iran has complied with a nuclear deal that was agreed to in july. the agreement is a turning point for the country's economy. in another deal iran has freed

washington post reporter and four other americans in exchange the u.s. offered clemency for iranians. china has stressed its commitment to its territorial integrity after taiwan's opposition party won a landslide election win. tsai ing-wen, who is set to become the island's first female president, has promised to uphold taiwan's sovereignty. i.s.i.l. has launched a major assault against government held areas in eastern syria. there are conflicting reports about the number of injuries. at least 135 people were killed in the latest attacks. air strikes were carried out by russia. russian air strikes have also targeted the i.s.i.l. stronghold of raqqa in northern syria with at least 43 people reportedly killed.

this video posted by the arm group online is said to show the aftermath of the air raids. the u.n. is demanding unrestricted access to help starving children in syria. aid workers have finally reached the besieged town of madaya where tens of thousands of people are trapped. the secretary general ban ki-moon says starvation is being used as a weapon of war. you may find some images in this report disturbing. >> reporter: these syrians are demonstrating to keep the world's attention on the suffering of civilians struggling under blockade. these images of severe hunger and starvation in madaya forced the world to remember syria. they were posted by activists and circulated on social media. there was no way of verifying them because the town was besieged by government forces. the scale of the suffering only became clear when u.n. aid workers were finally april to reach the town.

this boy can hardly muster the strength to say i'm tired of this condition, get me out. he is among the hundreds starving with some reports of people forced to eat leaves and stray animals. after weeks of negotiations, aid convoys reached people. they reached villages besieged by rebel forces >> the first time we were able to reach two areas controlled by two different sides of the conflict and what we found there is that a large degree, a large number rather of the children that we screened has malnutrition. one boy that we met on a site sadly died in the hands of our doctor. there are 14 other around syria

where they are in siege >> reporter: the government denies the issue. rebels say they blockaded towns but they haven't commented on the suffering of civilians caught up in the conflict. the united nations inquiry has found that the bashar al-assad government has been using starvation as a weapon for years. homs were allowed to leave behind destroyed areas. the u.n. says the syrian regimes are committing atrocities. ban ki-moon said the use of food as a weapon is a war crime. statements like that don't mean much to hungry children. many syrians say they have heard it all in the last five years for those involved in the conflict and those failing to need yeas a solution. the use of food as a weapon is

becoming more frequent as warring sides seem to want to control land rather than feeding people close to two thousand refugees are braving extreme weather to reach serbia. aid workers searched through the night looking for people who arrived from macedonia. those found were taken to a temporary reception center. most refugees are trying to reach germany >> we are here on the border to make foot extent p steps in the snow. you cannot see people and we have small rivers here between the two borders and if people get lost, you can get stuck in the mud the former president has been able to travel for surgery. he was jailed under anti terrorism laws. he will be returning to the

maldives to see out his term of imprisonment after he receives treatment. he is accused of ordering the arrest of a judge in 2012. the u.n. has condemned his jailing and has called for his relief. an unofficial blockade of fuel and essential supplies to nepal has led to illemg black markets around the capital. the blockade is blamed on neighboring india's opposition to nepal's new constitution. >> reporter: it is early morning here. these buses have travelled long distances from nepal's southern plains region. almost every bus has several containers full of fuel, petrol, diesel and cooking gas that will be sold in the city illegally. >> we have to buy from the black market. can the government stop us? the police are right there in the police station. >> reporter: since september

stocks of fuels have been limited. roads have been blocked. only half the required amount of fuel is coming to the country through legal channels. to get petrol from this pump you have to gaent official letter from the district authorities. the black market price for petrol is three times the normal amount. gas is around $80 which is seven times the government price. for those with enough money and the right contacts, the black market provides a way out of the current crisis. we found a person willing to take us to a village near the indian border. that's yr most of the black market fuel is coming through. it takes us 12 hours overnight. our source does not want to show his face.

>> translation: we pay up to $200 to policemen on the way. they tell us to be discrete. sometimes they tell us to put the money under their tents or between papers. these activities are normal. >> reporter: when we arrived, we noticed almost every house has become a fume shop. people from croatian the border in india come to sell fuel each by carrying up to 300 liters which are stored in these barrels and sent across nepal. an estimated ten million dollars worth of fuel is sold through the black market every month. >> translation: either the government should subsidise fuel for the people or it shouldn't make it difficult for those transporting fuel into the country. the government needs to get fuel from wherever possible. >> reporter: by the end of the day a lot of money has exchanged hands. many worry about their future if this crisis continues, but for those with a chance to cash in,

it is a golden opportunity the american film maker michael more has visited his home town of flint michigan to highlight led contamination which has poisoned the water supply. u.s. president has declared a federal emergency in flint but more called on obama to see the situation for himself. >> i am here today to ask/request/insist that the president obama when he is at the detroit auto show this wednesday come to flint, michigan. we need the president of the united states here, we need federal help, we need fe ma, we need the epa, we need the cdc around we need the arm corps of

engineer mexicans are proud of their water but are now fighting for it. >> reporter: is the people here about this mountain spring and they will tell you it represents live, health and happiness. the spring water that flows down from a mountain and into their faucets has been a source of pride in this town for generations. when bulldozer rumbled in and began digging four months ago, the town of several thousand mobilized. they blocked the bulldozers with this encamp meant and brought construction to a halt halt. >> we want the our water. >> reporter: the protesters say the information about who was digging and what they were building leaked out slowly. they complained, but initially they say local government officials were not much help >> corruption, it's always a big

problem. we can't do things easily if we are fighting something we can't see >> reporter: the town learned that a company was planning to build storage containers for mo lrngs -- molasses. they were worried that their water would be contaminated. a company named drn bought this land. the company didn't have the proper permits. the city says it is now brokered an agreement that should appease everyone >> translation: we wanted everyone involved to participate in looking for a solution. in three months we finally convinced the company to move to another place to build far away from the community. >> reporter: the company would not respond to our request for a comment, but we did see workers removing equipment from the construction site.

the protesters say they don't trust the government deal to relocate the project. they are not leaving just yet. their real battle is still ahead. they want the mountain spring and land around it to be designated a protected area. so it will be off limits to developers a colorful but dangerous tradition in argentina's rural areas is thriving. this rodeo showcases the best horseman in the country. >> reporter: this is happening in the north. this is this man's first time as a rider here. he is 18 years old and works as a mason. he says if he can stay on the horse for eight seconds he will have a chance of winning the

price. >> translation: i started when i was very young and we do it not only because of tradition but because we can win prizes. >> reporter: they're all around the country. they're part of the cattle herders that roamed the countryside 200 years ago. in fact, most of those who participate in these events have second jobs in the country's farming industry. people compare this event to a world cup because they say that every rider in the country dreams about being here. the horses are also chosen purposesfully. they have to have a special spirit and they will never be at the timed. horses are-- tammed. >> translation: a horse is ridden for about eight seconds in an attempt like this one. they're used for an average of

two minutes a month. they have to be strong and beautiful to be used in events like this one. >> reporter: it has gone from being a traditional event to a local sport. he wants it to be recognised as an official sports >> translation: we're pushing for a law to make this a traditional sport. >> reporter: a dangerous sport that injurys dozens of riders every year. this man says he is not afraid. he is 28 and has been doing it for over a decade >> translation: i've seen my family cry for me many times thchlt is what i love and-- this is what i love and it has helped mean have my highs and family. >> reporter: respect for the tradition and the extra financial excitement. a powerful mix that makes this

an essential event of argentina's countryside all the latest news and analysis is available on our website. the address is on your screen, aljazeera.com >> i'm sylvia rowley in the south of england where support for small scale sustainable fishing is catching on. >> and i'm russell beard in bangkok to meat a team innovative urban farmers turning air polution into protein. and i'm amandeep bhangu