leaders joining in the calls for change. have a great day. turkey blames kurdish groups for a bomb attack in ankara and says bashar al assad is behind it. here are the rest of the top stories on al jazeera. 16 more suspected isil members are sentenced to death over one of iraq's most notorious massacres. claims are voting irregularities in uganda as the president seeks to extend his 30 year rule. the berlin film festival showcases work by child refugees.

turkey's blaming kurdish rebels for wednesday's car bomb attack in ankara, but the y.p.g. armed group has denied responsibility. at least 28 people are now confirmed dead and 81 injured in wednesday's blast. it targeted a convoy of military service vehicles waiting at a traffic signal near the turkish parliament. the prime said syrian president bashar al assad is ultimately to blame for the attack. >> the syrian regime is behind the y.p.g. and turkey has of every right to take steps against the syrian regime, given they receive instructions from him. from this moment on within the syrian regime is responsible for this act.

>> let's go to the capital ankara joined now live. jamal, do we know anything more about the claims and who is allegedly behind this? >> well, as far as the government is concerned here, jane, they say they've detained 14 suspects behind yet's attack, wednesday's attack. they claim that the leader or main perpetrator behind it is a 24-year-old syrian occurred who was behind the attack. obviously the y.p.g. have denied any responsibility, but they've also said that this attack is almost justified in terms of a retaliation, seen as a retall areas for what they claim of crimes committed in kurdish areas. that in terms of where the responsibility lice, the government blaming the kurds and the kurdish groups, rather, kurdish groups, the armed kurdish groups, out it. >> rejecting involvement.

that's neither here or there in terms of the wider picture of things. this is all about the conflict in syria, the war in syria. the turkish government saying it is on a continueual basis. it is targeted by these armed groups, not only isil as we saw in istanbul a few weeks ago, but also by kurdish groups. if the international community is serious about combating terrorism, it has to agree to send in ground troops and create a buffer zone on the border with syria. until that happens, this type of violence will continue. >> do turks feel the government has got their back, that they are making them safe and secure? they must be pretty frightened after what happened. >> of course this is the latest in a string of attacks as we've been saying. it was just in october that the twin bomb blasts here in ankara, just a couple of kilometers away

killed rough live about 100 people, but as far as the general population is concerned, obviously it's a bit early to matter the causes because of the attack. the p.k.k. considers it a terrorist organization and therefore the government should deal with them in the strongest force. it's important to note that this particular government over the past 10 years has probably given more in political rights, media freedoms and others toward kurdish areas in terms of investing and infrastructure and other things. that brought about a peace process that was going well until the past few months. whether it is going to try to reignite that, have diplomacy with the kind of strong arm of the security forces, we're not quite sure, but in terms of public perception towards this issue, they believe that the armed kurdish groups should be

dealt with so far in a strong manner. >> thanks, jamal. another 16 people have been sentenced to death in iraq for a massacre carried out by isil in 2014. it brings the total number convicted to 40. as many as 1,700 soldiers were killed after the camp former military base was overrun bit the armed group. we have the latest from baghdad. >> it took the judge a little over an hour and a half to deliver the guilty verdict and he passed the sentence on 16 men accused of the camp massacre and handed doubt death sentences. he dismissed the case against seven of the men for lack of evidence. evidence is really the key thing that's caused a lot of controversy here in iraq. iraqis haven't been able to see what evidence there is against these men and why they've been convicted of this massacre. when this massacre occurred it

was hugely controversy. isil massacred up to 1700 iraqi air force cadets. the numbers vary. these cadets were unarmed or lightly armed and simply over run. i've seen released pictures of this and they were extremely brutal and controversy at the time. you speak to a lot of the people from the militias, from the iraqi army and they'll tell you one of the reasons they're fighting against isil is because of this massacre. for that reason, this trial has been highly politically charged. this has been going on for a year and a half, it's been adjourned, delayed, we've never been given the reasons it has been adjourned or delayed. back in june, 2015. we did see 24 people convicted of the massacre and they were sentenced, but those sentences haven't been carried out yet. it is controversial. it's been away very political

charged trial. >> the united nations said aid trucks have reached several besieged towns in syria. the agreement is part of an agreement with the syrian government to allow aid into areas where people are trapped, as rob matson reports. >> a ray of hope in the midst of war, over 100 trucks carrying humanitarian aid spreading out towards syria's besieged towns. in madaya, they're bringing medical supplies and a mobile clinic, as well as food. thousands here are trapped by forces supporting penalty assad, which include hezbollah fighters. aid workers say 40 people have died of malnutrition in the town since october. >> we'll have people who are able to not only bring the medical support kits but make assessments for people in need who have often been in extreme and nutritional and food shortage. >> this convoy is headed for

towns in the north, around 20,000 people have been cut off by armed rebel groups. heavy gunfire rattles close to damascus. rebels guard the entrance to the city, where trucks line up carrying supplies for at least 30,000 people trapped here. more aid is he is expected in the east, parts of which of held by isil. the convoys are part of an agreement reached last week in munich by over a dozen countries, including the u.s. and russia. there is no deal to make sure the supplies keep coming and not all the towns under siege can be reached. >> why doesn't the northern countryside of homs get aid? u.n. resolutions call for aid to reach all areas. is the u.n. waiting for the regime to force rebels to surrender and agree toe ceasefires before aid can enter? >> the northern countryside of homs has been a battleground for months. the united nations warns that local supply routes have been

cut off by a syrian government offensive. the u.n. said food shortages could get worse for the 120,000 who live here, the last u.n. aid convoy to reach this part of the countryside was in october. least of aleppo city where tens of thousands live is close to being besieged. an international task force will hold its first meeting on friday to discuss the practicalities are ending hostilities in syria. first they have to decide who is on the list of terrorist groups. more than 60 health care facilities run by doctors without borders in sir why was hit in attacks last year. a new report issued by the medical charity said the entire country's health infrastructure has been complete decimated. the head of programs at drills without borders in london spoke

the us. >> the hospital that was destroyed in the airstrikes are what's presumed to be airstrikes on monday had 30 beds, had two operating theaters, had emergency room, outpatient department and served over 1500 people a month, offering 140 approximately major surgical interventions for population of 40,000 people surrounding it. the medical workers on the ground inside syria whom we endeavor to support and where does it leave the population trapped in these areas with already extreme amount of pressure on them with limited amounts of food, difficulty with that accessing holt care already, now this continues and more and more structures destroyed, displacement has increased over recent periods with increased fighting. the question is what will happen next. the pressure continues to increase on the population. even when we think it can't get any worse, it sinks to a new

depth. talks to end the war in yemen have to happen by march after renewed fighting and airstrikes. >> deep divisions persist which prevent me from calling talks. the parties of divided over whether a new round of talks should be convened with or without an end to the has at this time. i have not unfortunately received shut assurances that a new ceasefire should i call for one would be respected. >> israel's high court rejected a request by a hunger striking palestinian journalists to be moved from an israeli hospital to one in the west bank. demonstrations have been held in gaza to support a journalists accused of being a hamas member.

seeking to extend his 30 year rule, his opponents are both former allies of the resident. we have that update. >> this polling station by the side of the road in the suburb, the people lining up here, many got here at sunrise and are waiting until lunch time in the hot sun, it's hot today, before materials arrived and they could vote. they did come and now people are coming here, checking their name on the register and if everything's in order, they proceed to vote for members of the parliament, a councilors and their president. the opposition alleges there i also already widespread rigging. we spoke to another polling station, saying the register had been tampered with and they were taken away by police. the ruling party at that station denied foul play and said anyone who is disturbing the voting

process would be dealt with by the law. the electoral commission apologized and asked everyone to be patient with the delays and assured everyone that they will get a chance to vote. social media's been turned off, facebook and twitter aren't accessible on most of the mobile phone networks. the government said that's for security, but social media are skeptical. they believe that that lacks transparency because the government's trying to hide something. still to come, squinting at your screens? why digital devices are doing damage to your eyesight. >> find out why a rising number of drug democrat babies are born in the u.s. every day.

hello again, let's take a quick look at the top stories on al jazeera. turkey said kurdish rebels were behind an attack that killed 28 in ankara. the suicide car bomber has been confirmed as a syrian national. the syrian based y.p.g. group denied responsibility. it targeted military buses. a sentencing for massacre in an iraq camp.

venezuela's raised petrol prices from the equivalent of 2 cents to 94 cents a liter. it is the first rise in 20 years. virginia lopez reports from caracas. >> according to the state run oil company, fuel subsidies can cost the country as much as $15 billion a year. president maduro said at the current prices, the state was paying to fill up people's tanks. >> this national fund for missions will receive every extra resource needed generated by the venezuelan gasoline prices. >> the magnitude of this price increase in a country that sees

cheap petrol as a national right, people didn't wait for president maduro to finish his speech before rushing to petrol stations to fill up one last time. while people want to take advantage of cheap fuel, most feel the increase was long overdue. >> i think it comes too late and it should have been done slowly, not so suddenly, because the effect will be greater. >> the move comes as president maduro faces a strength they understand political opposition. two months ago, his ruling socialist party suffered a major defeat in parliamentary elections due to anger over the crisis. raising the price of fuel isn't easy. in 1989, a similar increase in food and gasoline prices led thousands to the streets to protest. so traumatic were the events of those days that fears of a

repeat have kept prices frozen for close to 20 years. battling food shortages, salaries that are worthless, and now power cuts, venezuelans fear an increase in petrol prices will naturally lead to an increase in the cost of transport, food and basic services. economists say the measures, though welcomed, could still fall short in the country that even at the new price still have the world's cheapest petrol. half the wormed population will be shoring sighted with many at risk of blindness, according to a new study on the eye condition called my open i can't. it's a common vision loss. the leading cause of distance vision impairment globally, researchers estimate nearly 50% of the world's population, around 5 billion people will be short sighted in 30 years. up to 15th of them will have a significantly increased risk of

blindness if current trends continue. the increase is thought to be largely from environmental factors, such as people spending less time outdoors and more time with electronic devices. the c.e.o. of australia's vision institute said the findings came as a surprise. >> it's amazing results. i think it even shocked the authors when the final analysis occurred, considering that in 2010, we had 2 billion myops in the world and by 2050 we will have move billion. at that point, that would be 50% of the world's population. any public health problem or issues that affects 50% of the world's population is a catastrophic issue. i think the worst part of the story is that 1 billion of those who are affected will have what we call high my open i can't. they will be at increased risk of visual impairment and

blindness, increased risk of glaucoma and cataracts, et cetera and at a result. we need to aggressively respond to this challenge. what we can do is to firstly encourage our children in particular to engage in life tile changes. that means spending increased time outdoors. there is much agreement by researchers that at least two hours or more of time spent outdoors is protective. it slows down the onset of my open i can't. it prevents onset of my open i can't. a rising number of drug democrat babies are born every day in the u.s. >> michael george makes this two hour long trip, his first stop

to a methadone treatment, to withdraw from heroin. his next stop is visiting his newborn daughter, who is also withdrawing from drugs. isabella was worn hooked on heroin and other drugs her mother was hooked on during pregnancy. she still suffers from from mothers, deeding difficulties and distress. >> when you see your baby withdrawing, it hurts a lot. it does. >> in the united states, the number of drug dependent babies is soaring, quadrupling in the past decade. many argue the reason is the increasing number of prescriptions written for pain killers. in 2012, u.s. doctors wrote 259 million prescriptions for opioids, often considered the

gateway drug to heroin. >> this past year, we admitted about 100 babies with withdrawal. that ends to be about 20% of the total infant population here. >> what baltimore's mount washington hospital, special units now equipped with low light to help babies wean off opiate dependencies, their first few hours are often spent in agony. >> my addiction was so bad that i really didn't stop and think what i was doing to my child, but when she was born, that's when it really opened my eyes. >> to the outcome of their dictions, michael is now jobless, facing jail time for drug use. amanda must submit to random drug tests. if she tests positive, she could lose custody of her child. sobriety is now their own goal. >> i want the best for her as any mom does. i just have to keep myself

together so she can have that. >> still, isabella faces challenges. she remains in intensive care, spending another night in the hospital without her parents, adjusting to a life without drugs. kimberly hallcut, al jazeera, baltimore issues president obama will be the first u.s. penalty to set foot in cuba in seven decades, marking a further thawing of relations between the countries. obama faces a u.s. battle to have the economic embargo lifted. more than 200 people are protesting in zimbabwe, the unpaid salaries by the government. the president intends to throw an extended party for his birthday on sunday. >> they used to work for zimbabwe's grain marketing

board. they have sleeping on the streets for more than a week, protesting. they were fired last year because of budget cuts. they say the company still owes them 10 months' salary and severance pay. margaret is worried about her son. >> we are sleeping in the open with our children. many of us women here to bring our children, because there is no one to leave them with at home. we have to be here. we want our money. we need our money. >> the company says times tough economically. it's struggling to pay its former employees. >> it's getting dark and the we may not light the fire. dinner will feed more than 200 people out here outside the offices of the grain marketing board. this is where some of the men have been sleeping and they are trying to make themselves comfortable. they are sleeping inside cardboard boxes. it's not ideal, but it's their

way of protesting. until they get their money, they say they are not going anywhere. >> we need to get food for the children. >> the issue has been discussed in parliament. the government is telling workers the problem will be sorted. >> those people have a right to be paid. it's unfortunate that it has come to where it is now, where people with beaks are sleeping outside. it's inhuman and we cannot condone that level of treatment of workers. we are a government that was created. we represent the workers. >> it's not clear where the money will come from. like many companies in zimbabwe, the government is also struggling to pay its workers. since the first time since independence in 1980, civil servants were paid late last year. all this is before the president

turns 92. his birthday celebration is estimated to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. meanwhile, many across the country struggle to make it through the day. one of the themes at this year's berlin film festival is a search for a better life. thursday, the festival is hosting a special screening for one high profile film, but it's young directors won't be there. >> strictly speaking, it's not a documentary, but it's probably as close as you can get to experiencing this refugee camp without traveling to the syria-turkish border. life on the border was filmed by children living in syrian camps. a group of kurdish filmmakers

taught them to use cameras and helped to script scenes. some of the stories that emerged were just too traumatic to show. >> some of the kids we wanted to make, to give them the camera to talk about themselves. we didn't want to tell them to shoot this story what's happened before, it's like two times happened to them. the movie does feature harrowing scenes like where this child and his sister return to kobani looking forego their parents' home. there are lighter moments, like when they get to see a hollywood blockbuster. now the children's own film is

getting a special screening in berlin, thanks to some rule bending. >> it goes against our regulations. we don't screen films made by children, there are films world wild made by young people, but this is so strong and the theme so strong, that is what is coming out is as to strong and necessary, we really do need to show that here in berlin, so we created a platform for it. >> the experience was intense for all involved and for one member of the team has actually led to death threats. he is now seeking asylum in germany. >> i had to leave iraq and kurdistan. i went to turkey and on top greece by boat. as a filmmaker, it's hard for me doing that great work and then forced to leave my country. >> the issue of immigration has become a lot more controversy here in germany since the country took in more than a million refugees in 2015.

with films like life on the border, this year's film festival is providing a reminder the conditions many of those refugees have left behind. al jazeera, berlin. that news from berlin ends this bulletin. led me remind you of our website, aljazeera.com. the final stretch, donald trump and ted cruz facing barbs as voters in south carolina head at the polls. a colorado hospital gave hackers big money trying to get its computers back on line. containing the zika virus outbreak, rio and olympic organizers saying it is safe to go to the games, but the world health