>> as hospitals are overwhelmed in syria, reports moscow has proposed a cease-fire to start on march 1st. hello, i'm barbara serra. you're joining us live from london. at least 70 people are killed in a swin suicide-bomb attack in nigeria. no rain, no food. calls for help as a quarter of million of zimbabweans face starvation. plus... >> we're going to make america

great again. >> two outsiders ride to victory in new hampshire on a wave of discontent and the republican field narrows. reports that russia has proposed the cease-fire for syria to begin on march 1st. it comes as health workers say that hospitals near the front line in northern syria are under attack and overwhelmed with the russian airstrikes in support of the government. the red cross says that the on surge in violence has now displaced an estimated 50,000 people, most of them in northern areas of aleppo province. adding to the misery it says that the water supply system has been cut in the city of aleppo itself. and this as the u.s. comes under pressure to do more as it's policy over syria is attacked from all sides.

the fiercest criticism comes from president erdogan who said that the u.s. support has turned the region into a sea of blood. they're looking at carrying out humanitarian air drops. we have this report now on the worsening humanitarian crisis. >> fever among civilians are growing. so are the casualties. the intensity syrian government's military campaign is continuing and now the bombs are falling in villages not far from a border town that is home to tens of thousands of people including those recently displaced by the government's advance across the province of aleppo. >> many families have threat.

will all right people have started to leave, but turkey has closed it's border so people are moving towards the pro since of idlib further west. >> where should we go? turkey has closed it's borders. i swear to god we're starving. poverty is killing us. we sleep in tents. we need aid. >> the opposition's last line of defense known as syria's northern corridor is now the focus of the government's campaign. russian airstrikes are intensifying in what the rebels call a scorched earth policy. this small city like much of aleppo province has been reduced to rubble. they say that the government's policy of depopulating areas to take ground will not end the war.

>> these are the houses of the civilians. this is the image of retaliati retaliation. this is the gangs of the russians. this is what they do to innocent people. look at this, innocent people being killed. >> there is a sense of defiance. rebels say they don't plan to withdraw in the face of airstrikes and will confront government troops who are a few kilometers away. the united states says it is trying to secure a cease-fire in syria. it still beliefs that diplomatic progress is possible, but members of the opposition believe there is little hope for a breakthrough, and they are growing increasingly frustrated with u.s. policy. they believe the u.s. is giving russia enough time for the government to win on the battlefield. >> the opposition is still fighting back, but the government offensive has weakened them not just on the ground but on the negotiating table. they say they won't negotiate while under fire. at the same time they believe that the government and it's allies are more interested in a

military solution than a political settlement. al jazeera, southern turkey. >> let's get more now on those reports that russia has proposed a cease-fire for syria to begin on march 1st. gabriel elizondo joins us now. potentially that's quite a turning point. what do we know about it? >> well, they've been saying for many days now. discussing a cease-fire as part of the talks. now reuters news agency reporting that russia has a proposal that could start cease-fire as early as march 1st. now the russian ambassador here not confirming that. we asked him for details, and he simply said he wouldn't provide any details. there has not been any agreement that is important to note. i can tell you there is deep

skepticism. they are for a cease-fire. they've been pushing for one, but the skepticism on this proposal, one top diplomat told us there are two main issues. one, would this mean that russia itself would stop it's bombardment particularly in aleppo. number two, does this mean by march 1st that's a long ways from now in the scope of how fast things are moving in aleppo. does this mean that perhaps russia thinks the fundamentals on the battlefield will have changed so much by march 1st that they don't need to bomb any more. i can tell you here at the u.n. on wednesday the russian ambassador came under fire asking him to apply pressure to the syrian government to stop their military advancement on

aleppo, and to stop their bombardment of aleppo. this is what the russian ambassador had to say about that. >> we're acting in a very transparent manner. daily briefings are being conducted by our ministry of defense. we havwe are there presently at the invitation of the syrian government. those who are acting outside of international law and never telling anybody what they're doing, the targets, the results of their campaigns are. also refusing our cooperation and the fighting on the ground. >> now this all happens on the eve of a big meeting in munich by the international syria's support group, a group that includes russia and the united states. they're meeting in munich in less than 24 hours to try to get

the syrian peace talks from geneva back on track. those talks are scheduled debttively for later this month. as we all know we're put on hold after they fell through in geneva just recently. so now those talks are trying to get back on track, we'll see if that happens with these talks in munich. starting on thursday. >> gabriel elizondo with the latest from the u.n. thank you. well, as you heard a little earlier, turkey's president has launched a fierce talk on u.s. policy on syria and washington's support for syrian kurdish rebels. >> all america, you cannot introduce pkk, pyd or ypg to us. we know them very well. we are the ones who know daesh in these groups. you haven't had a grasp of them. and that's why the region is a bloodbath. >> strong words, well, al jazeera's roslind jordan is in washington, d.c. she has the latest on the u.s. reaction. >> the obama administration is

facing criticism from many quarters about what it is doing or not doing to try the end of the civil war inside syria. however, the u.s. argues what it is trying to do is to expand the work of the coalition against isil to one eliminate the health of isil, and two, to use all diplomatic means to resolve the civil war inside syria. in particular the u.s. is very reluctant to do what people such as the turkish president, president erdogan, and the outgoing french foreign minister have been suggesting, which is a more robust u.s. military engagement inside syria. the obama administration has been extremely reluctant to do that because it is very, very conscious of the ideal of starting yet another war in the middle east. now one point that the presidential envoy deal with the coalition to counter isil

stressed is that the u.s. is very much looking to support other members of the coalition particularly those from arab countries who want to do more to try to defeat isil and to find a diplomatic solution to the civil war. but he was very diplomatic before the house of foreign affairs committee on wednesday that the u.s. was not going to take the lead because he stressed this isn't just a fight that concerns the united states. it concerns really the entire global community. >> russia has been the focus of talks in nato. the alliance is to form a new multi national force in eastern europe to defend members most at threat from moscow. the decision was made on day one of a two-day meeting of the 28-nato defense ministers in brussels. it comes amid increasing international concern over russia's actions in eastern europe, notably in the continuing conflict in ukraine.

>> as many as 70 people are reported to have been killed by a twin suicide-bomb attack at a camp in northern nigeria. the camp is said to be for people displaced by the violence and fighting involving the boko haram. the attack took place around 85 kilometers outside of maidugari the capital of borno state. we're joined on the phone now in northern nigeria. first of all, talk us through what you know and crucially who might be behind this? >> well, the officials--the emergency officials say as many as 56 people have been killed. but officials on the ground i in the area where the took place houses an internally displaced camp where you have 50,000

internally displaced persons from various towns in that local area who live in that area. so the attack happened in the morning as people lined up especially women and children lined up for breakfast. that's when two female suicide-bombers attacked the area. as a result many people died, and officials on the ground are telling us that more than 70 people have died in that attack. dozens of others have been injured, many of them with severe injuries. but the authorities have also arrested a female--a third female suicide-bomber because she realized that detonating would mean that it would affect her mother and father who were in that camp. already, the fingers of blame are pointing towards boko haram, a group that has launched

several attacks on northeastern nigeria and other parts of nigeria in the last six years. >> the latest from northern nigeria, thank you. now, in the last few hours the republican field for the u.s. presidential nomination has narrowed. both new jersey governor chris christie and business woman carli fiorina are dropping out of the race, this as two outside candidates brought in the support with victories for the first time in new hampshire. in the democratic race, bernie sanders with a decisive victory over hillary clinton with 60% to her 38%. meanwhile, on the republican side, donald trump polled 35%. the surprise, though, was in the finishers behind him. ohio governor john kasich came second with ted cruz and jeb bush behind him. kimberly halkett reports.

>> hours after his historic win in the united states tate of new hampshire, democratic presidential candidate bishopy sanders turned his attention to a gem graphic needed to win the white house. sanders' popularity among young voters have been growing, bu-- >> what happened here in new hampshire in terms of a enthusiastic and aroused electorate people who came out in large numbers that is what will happen all over this country. >> sanders anti-establishment campaign left hillary clinton struggling to find her footing. >> i know i have some work to do particularly with young people, but i will repeat again what i

have said this week. [ cheering ] even if they are not supporting me now, i support them. >> but like the democratic race, establishment candidates fighting for second place in the crowded republican contest are facing similar obstacles. u.s. voters are looking for alternatives who do not represent the status quo. >> i like trump. he's straight ford with what he's saying. >> there is such an anti-establishment environment out there that people are looking for an escape. >> political populism on the right and left will translate to more negative attacks from both sides vying for votes. >> because the attacks are so negative the other candidates will start to adopt more of that negativity to try to peel away

their voters. >> thank you very much. >> that makes the next big contest in nevada and south carolina critical, given the state's more democrat graphically diverse voters, the populous message of trump and sanders could be facing it's first real test. kimberly halkett, al jazeera, washington. >> you're watching al jazeera. still to come on the program we'll have the latest on the situation in darfur, where tens of thousands of people have been displaced in the latest wave of violence. plus, we'll tell you where south korea suspended separations at its joint industrial park with north korea.

>> i respect him as a reporter and i love him as a brother. >> one mississippi journalist seeking justice for civil rights cases gone cold. >> it's not just about prosecution, it's about remembering. detailing of history. >> our special report. only on al jazeera america.

>> welcome back, russia has proposed a cease-fire for syria to begin on march 1st. turkey's president has criticized the u.s. saying america's inavailability to understand the nature of the syrian kurds has turned the region into a sea of blood. 70 people have reportedly been killed in a twin suicide bomb attack in a camp for displaced people in northern nigeria. and new jersey's governor chris christie and business executive carli fiornia are dropping out of the race after the new hampshire primaries. benjamin netanyahu said he'll continue to build border fences to protect israel from what he called predatory anima

animals. in jordan border there is one such fence being built. >> at the end of the day, as i see it, there will be a fence like this one surrounding israel in its entirety. some will ask is this what you want to do, surround israel in its entirety? the answer is yes. in the environment we live in, we need to protect ourselves from predatory animals. >> zimbabwe's vice president said that more than 70% of crops in the southern part of the country has been wiped out by a severe drought. he has said that his country needs $1.5 billion for food aid. the conditions have been brought on by the el niño phenomenon affecting africa. >> farmers say it has rained twice this year, but it wasn't enough. the seed she planted are dying.

>> the government keeps saying they're going to help us but we have not seen anything yet. i don't know where what i'm going to do. >> in zimbabwe's province, water is running out. people are forced to share what little is left with their animals. it's part of a severe drought in much of southern africa. the government said 26% of zimbabwe's population needs food aid. the president has declared the drought as a disaster. officials are appealing for help. >> it will bring emergency programs to address food importation, food distribution, address the water supply, micro nutrient feeding for under five kids, irrigation and development. school feeding, livestock and wildlife support all requiring a total of $1.5 billion.

>> we're expecting rains to fall october to december but that has not happened. what has happened very few people have managed to grow crops. because of that we also see a situation where there is actually no food, the amount we expect people to have harvested. >> the state needs to import 700,000 tons of maize this year. for poor farmers like this wom woman, she hopes that they'll find the money and food needed to avoid a potential disaster. >> at least 37,000 people have been displaced after almost a month of fighting in darfur. the sudanese army said it has now defeated one of the main rebel groups in the region. but that is being disputed by the rebels themselves. the darfur conflict erupted in 2003 when mostly non-arab

tribes took up arms against the government in khartoum accusing it of neglect. the u.n. said around 300,000 people have been killed since the conflict began, and it's displaced 2.5 million people in the region. spokesperson for the u.n. mission in darfur spoke to me earlier. he said an urgent solution to end the conflict needs to be found. >> what we tried to do is we tried to access those who are trapped in this conflict or tried to support them and protect them. this is what we try to do as much as we can with the results that we have. however, we have seen that the fact of the matter is that this conflict had been going on for over 11 years now since 2003. and there isn't--it's clear now to all the parties that there isn't a military solution for this conflict. this conflict has to be resolv ed and through political means. >> north korea's army chief of staff has been reportedly been

executed. it's the latest in a series of deaths and disappearances under north korea's leader kim jong-un. south carolina said that he was executed for factional conspiracy. south korea has halted work at the industrial park it shares with north korea. harry fawcett has more now from seoul. >> the case of the industrial complex is the last vestige of the north and south since 2000. it's more than symbolic. producing $500 million worth of goods to south korean companies. all that is coming to a grinding halt. >> now in order to prevent cas

the capital being used for missile development and to protect our businesses from being sacrificed our government has decided to suspend all operations. >> south korea's president has for weeks been promising a tougher response to north korea'north koreanorth kore korea's nuclear test. it won't just affect the leadership but an employees effecting 200,000 people who will be without work. for them it won't be the first time in in april of 2013 north korea pulled workers out of the plant at a time of high cross-border tensions. south korea negotiated to get the plant up and running five months later. now it's south korea who is pulling the plug, and it wants punitive actions from other nations especially in agreeing to tougher sanctions at the u.n.

security council. japan has announced it's own measures, reimposing sanctions on money transfers, travel, and maritime links that it had relaxed in 2014. >> we see the most effective measure to bring about positive action from north korea. this will pave the way to quick adoption of the resolution. >> north korea's leader has made the possession of nuclear possessions one of the guiding principles of the nation. intent on pressing on no matter the cost imposed from outside. harry fawcett, al jazeera, seoul. >> police in italy have arrested a collect priest on suspension of defrauding hundreds ever elderly women through an elaborate money laundering scheme. he worked with a fugitive french financier and persuaded 300 people to invest 3 million euros

in a ponzi scheme. sri lanka's new government is under pressure in its reconciliation policies. seven years after the end of the brutal civil war, it is building bridges is tantamount to treason. >> singly the ancient name describes sri lanka. but the new campaign plays on the words lion and blood. a founding member of a 40-year-old nationalist organization. he said that they have been pushed too far. >> we cannot be taken away from them. and also they are the language, and also the culture, and they

say they have become a danger. >> and reacting is what they call the buddhist force outside of a court hearing recently. they were protesting against the arrest of their leaders on treasured up charge. he was accused of going against the court. >> this is the white man's law. we insulted the court, so put all these buddhist in jail. >> for some the campaign is dangerous especially as sri lanka begins rebuilding itself after 25 years of war between government troops and

tamil community, who wanted a separate state. >> they have over 40,000 likes on their facebook page. this is not only for racist overtones but the slick campaign which has captured the imagination of many young people. >> the campaign has began using the national flag, which does not include the stripes of color which does not include the tamil and minority communities. official event the government sent a strong message. the national anthem was sung in singular and tamil making it clear that nationalistic view has no place in post sri lanka. al jazeera, colombo.

>> you can watch everything that we've been covering on our website. you can see the top page there, cease-fire talk as 50,000 syrians are fleeing the fighting in aleppo. we're hearing reports that russia has suggested that march 1st as the start of a possible cease-fire. new york new york 8.4 million people call the city home. >> it's snowing hard in central park and 20 in midtown and snowfall one to two feet and saying we could have snow hour. >> the coldest winter in 81 years and coincides with a grim reality.