>> at least 18 people are killed in bomb attacks in the turkish capital of ankara. >> hedge there, this is al jazeera live from london. i'm julie macdonald. ahead trucks arrive with aid arrive in syria. russia is accused of deploying air missiles in the south china sea.

>> hello there, good to have your company. we begin with breaking news out of turkey where there has been a large explosion in the capital of ankara. 18 people have been killed, and at least 60 others injured. these are the latest pictures showing the moments of the explosions. the turkish military said that a bus carrying personnel was targeted and stopped at a traffic light. the explosion happened close to the parliament, government buildings and military headquarters. we're following development from the turkish city. hi there. what more do we know at this stage? >> the president erdogan is chairing an emergency security meeting with security officials to discuss the attack in ankara,

a powerful blast in the heart of the capital, in an area where is close to the parliament building. and close to military headquarters. clearly a message to the government. like you mentioned a vehicle carrying military personnel. it was waiting at a traffic light when an explosion went off. they believe it was a car bomb. explosives were detonated when that vehicle stopped at the traffic light. 18 people killed, 61 injured according to the turkish health minister. that number could raise. some of the injuries are light injuries, but other casualties are more major injuries. more panic and insecurity in the country. turkish security sources they're not apportioning blame at the moment. there is no claim of responsibility, but they're saying initial suspicion is falling on the outlawed pkk.

the kurdistan workers party simply because of the target, the nature of the attack they targeted the military and the pkk has in the past in fact, over the past decades really concentrated their targeted on military personnel and security personnel. >> and just quickly remind us of course it's a tense time. remind us of the wider security situation right now. >> well, turkey is at war with the pkk. turkey is at war with isil. of the peace process with the pkk collapse last july the cease-fire collapsed. the turkish military targeting positions in the southeast of the country as well as in northern iraq. there has been urban warfare really across the towns and villages in the southeast. and as of late the turkish military has begun shelling ypg positions inside syria. they consider the pkk and the

ypg the syrian kurdish armed group terrorist organizations. they say that it is endangering turkey's national security. at the same time turkey has sent reinforcements to the border not just because of this cross border the helling across the border, but to tighten control of some areas, which borders isil. clearly this is a message in the capital, a highly secure area. the security has been tightened around government buildings and military installations in the capital. >> joining there live, thank you. >> we go to turkey analyst in chatham house here in london, a warm welcome to the program.

i know you've been following the story. we heard zaina say that turkey feels it's at war with the pkk and is this the new norm? >> i think this is the new norm. the islamic state has carried out three bomb attacks this year and over 100 people have lost their lives. turkey is in a state of war with the pkk figurely in the cities, towns and villages in the southeassouth southeastern part of the area. >> what do we usually see when these sorts of attacks happen? >> we'll see a security crackdown, we'll see f-16

fighter jets in the mourns of northern iraq as well as intensifying the security crackdown in what has been termed as urban warfare in the southeastern part of the country. >> do these attacks damage the credibility government? do they have any effect in terms of being seen as part of the country that to some degree see security? >> i think these attacks may damage recover tourism in turkey which has decline by 40% given the perceptions of instability and insecurity in the country. it may damage turkey's reputation abroad, especially among its nato partners. in the past turkey was seen as an island of stability in a volatile region. now it seems that this volatility is now encroaching within turkey itself.

[ sirens ] >> the scene at the moment is been pointed by an unnamed source in the government towards the pkk. that's not a huge surprise. but just remind us that there was a cease-fire up until last year. what happened, and how did we get to this place. >> there was a cease-fire that lasted for nearly two and a half years. there was also negotiations process going on between the pkk and the turkish. >> we saw that the pkk itself was returning back to violence. >> thank you very much for joining us. i'm sure we'll be talking about

this for the rest of the evening. thank you. >> now aid trucks have begun to enter towns and villages in syria loaded with food and humanitarian relief. we're in the city, and we have this report. >> it is a step forward. much needed aid reaching those trapped. it is part of what was agreed on by the u.s. russia and others in munich last week. u.n. trucks filled with supplies entering the towns in the north, which are besieged by the rebels. and opposition-held towns besieged by the government around the capital of damascus. among them, madaya where more

than 40 people died of malnutrition since october. >> the last time aid entered was 45 days ago. since then 15 people have died because of malnutrition and diseases. 450 people need urgent medical help. but only 10 were taken to hospitals outside. >> the latest aid deliveries will bring relief to thousands. aid agencies say that it is progress, but there is no deal to insure supplies will continue to be delivered to these villages and not of the sieged communities across syria have been reached. >> why doesn't the northern countryside of homes get aid? we call for aid to reach all areas. isn't the u.n. waiting for regimes to surrender before aid can enter? >> the northern country city has been a battleground for months. the united nations warn that the syrian government offensive in the area has cut off supply routes. it says food shortages are

likely to get worse for the 120,000 who get there, the last u.n. aid convoy to reach that part of the countryside was in october. >> the u.n. secretary general of ban ki-moon says that starvation as a weapon amounts to a war crime. many accuse the syrian government of using the tactic when they're unable to take or hold territory, and such a strategy has forced rebels to either surrender or accept local cease-fires. >> now tens of thousands of people live is close to being besiege: there is no sign of a pause in fighting by the end of this week. a task force will hold it's first meeting. they need to reach a consensus on who is the legitimate opposition and who are on the internationally agreed lists of terrorist groups.

>> the u.n. said it is concerned about hundreds of civilian who is have been stranded by fighting in the north of iraq. >> they have been unable to get fresh food and drinking ward for weeks now. >> china has been accused of deploying surface to air missiles on its secluded island in the south china sea. taiwan said that an unspecified number of missiles have been placed on the island. woody island shows considerable development by china including a runway. the island is part of a chain that has been under chinese control for over 40 years, but it is also claimed by vietnam.

>> this is much to the anger of the nearby philippines, malaysia. for more we go to harry pau. >> the woody island has been in beijing's hands since 1974. china formerly declared a city on this tiny speck of land home to more than a house people. now according to taiwan which claims the island with vietnam it is home to two advance surface to air missiles batteries. >> they blame the western medi media's appetite for creating news stories and it did not in so many words deny that the reports were true. >> as for the limited self defense facility that china has built on the islands stated by chinese personnel, this is consistent with self preservation an protection that china is entitled to understand

international law. >> the u.s. navy has twice sailed warships within a few kilometers that are controlled by china and president obama has promised more of the same. this is part of a trajectory towards china preparing these islands for possible deployment by the military fighters or missiles. and this has been a great fear in washington that this would deny these areas of the ability of u.s. navy ships. >> taiwan's president-elect is due to take over in may. in china is trying to change the situation and increase tension in the south china sea by carrying out rapid land

reclamation and utilizing them. we have concerns and we want to say that japan cannot accept this. >> the two largest powers in the region extend here to the korean peninsula as well. after north korea's recent nuclear test and rocket launch the u.s. is in talks with south korea by deploying an anti anti-missiles system known assed that. that is something that beijing is opposed to, seeing it as a direct threat to its own military interests: washington want to pressure china to reign in its ally in pyongyang. there was a show of force at the peninsula. american f-22 stealth fighters demonstrating what the u.s. calls commitment to defending it's ally in the face of north korean threats. but it's a show of force that will be noted just as much by the leadership in beijing. harry fawcett, al jazeera,

seoul. >> apple said it will fight a court order to crack the encryption on the iphone of one of the attackers in san bernardino. apple said breaking into his iphone would threaten the security of all of its users. >> the legal fight between apple and the u.s. justice department came to a head after the december 2nd attack when two people open fired at an office part in san bernardino, california. he left behind a facebook entry pledging loyalty to isil. the fbi tried to obtain evidence from the iphone that farouk used for work and asked apple for help in unlocking it. the iphone will permanently erase memory after ten failed tempt attempts to open the iphone.

the fbi said it wants what is called a back door. apple said they will fight the demand. apple's ceo said it was standing on principle and against government overreach. >> if those of us in position to responsibility failed to do everything in our power to protect the right of privacy, we risk something far more valuable than money. we risk our wayne of life. >> but fbi james comey said that it already has created a back door to the phone. >> a lot of people--for reasons i understand. i'm not questioning the motivation. the question we have to ask is

should they change their business model. >> but apple is not alone. a recent needing between silicon valley executives and senior justice officials produce nod consensus on how they might bridge their differences over cyber security. >> stay with us on the program. still ahead a missing mediterranean refugee who is have disappeared without a trace trying to reach europe. and the pope visiting inmates in what was once considered one of the world's most dangerous places.

>> welcome back. a reminder of our top stories. 18 people have been killed and 60 others injured in an explosion in the turkish capital of ankara. the city's government said that the blast appears to have been caused by a car bomb on a vehicle carrying military personnel. the red cross said that nine aid trucks have entered a besieged damascus suburb. and taiwan has accused china of deploying surface to air missiles from woody island in the south china seas. pope francis has arrived in war easjuarez. the latest stop on his trip through mexico. for years the city has been one of the most dangerous places on

earth. and synonymous with mexico's drug war. adam raney has the story. >> this is how father munoz tries to lift the spirits of kids in this poor neighborhood. the daily workouts keep them off the streets. >> i think that we have a lot of work to do. neither the church, me included, or the government is doing enough for them. >> there is still much to be done. for the police the first step was taking back control of the city by one measure they have. in 2010 more than 3,000 people were killed in juarez. last year just over 300 were killed. the lowest number in a decade. in fact, it's now safer than some american cities.

the police chief say the key to this happening is improved police and improved tactics. >> the visit from his holiness is important because it shows the world that this place has changed. >> by ending his trip here in juarez, pope francis is able to come right up to the u.s. border and be critical of immigration policy in the united states. thousands of my grants have died crossing the desert from mexico into the u.s. and he'll end this trip by saying a prayer here for migrants. the pain of loss is still seen throughout juarez. this woman's daughter was kidn kidnapped and forced into the sex trade. she was found dead in a mass grave. >> every day i'm just waiting to pick them up and hoping to find them there because juarez is

still not a safe place. even less if you're a woman or a girl. >> memories of the darkest days are fading for some. they're embracing if what feels like a new juarez. >> once it was lonely and sad, but now. >> adam raney, juarez. >> let's lesson in on prime ministe--let's listen in on an breaking news. >> i have to very clearly state this. nowhere in the whole world military organization in anywhere the world are comprising of just a few people

i would like to state that we have the power. we have the means to reveal whoever is behind this attack. i offer my condolences to those families who have lost their lives in this attack, and i wish a speedy recovery for those who have been injured in the attack. my dearest citizens in the aftermath of this attack we need to be strengthening our unity more than ever.

there have been terrorist activities, obviously multi facetted, and many terrorist organizations are trying to intimidate our country. they're trying to intimidate verb aintim turkey by means of this terrorist attacks. they're trying to drive turkey into muddy waters. we would like to state that every one of us have to have an approach not to suffer from

these terrorist attacks. without this approach we won't be able to succeed. all of our citizens must be fully aware of this matter and we should be united against terrorist actions. those citizens of us who were martyred as a result of this attack, it could happen to of us. it could happen to any individual citizens of turkey. the purpose of this attack is to intimidate our country and to cause and inflict fear in our citizen's minds. our security forces, our government, and our citizens should be united because the terrorists are aiming to divide

us. those who organize these terrorist actions, those who use these terrorists attack us. they will not be able to achieve what they really mean and our nation, the tourish nation, the owners of these lands will be united with our government, and our nations will continue to have whole hearted support of our government in terms of their campaigns against terrorist gangs, and they'll never be able to step back as a result of these attacks. in this respect i would like to to invite the international public to be with us, to be on our side but beyond just words.

so far as terrorist activities happens, keep happening in turkey we can see it's not just a matter of simply condemning the terrorist attacks. it's a matter of truly supporting each other against these terrorist attacks and to achieve peace. international law and human rights should be respected and true friendship requires to stand firmly against terror organizations. and friends of turkey should not

discriminate between terrorist organizations and they should not favor some of the forist organizations. we should not fall into these troubled spots. >> we're listening to the turkish prime minister who has been updating us in that situation in turkey an that explosion in ankara where 80 people were killed and 60 others--18 people were killed, and 60 others were injured. he has not pointed responsibility to those they blame for the attack, but he said that the government had the power and means to reveal who is mind the attack--behind the

attack. he offered his condolences and asked to keep the unity after athletes attacks. we'll be back in a couple of minutes with the headlines. this week on "talk to al jazeera" sinner song writer natalie merchant >> i stumbled into this as a way of life. i had no intention of being in a band or a singer. it happened to me by accident she has rerecorded her break through solo album tigerlily, but this time with a twist. the essence of the songs remains