united states bombs isil targets in libya, killing as many as 40 people. ♪ you are with me david foster, you are watching al jazeera, live from london nfl also coming up in this program, anger in uganda, as police arrest the main opposition candidate for the third time this week. the day after a policeman kills a taxi driver bringing angry protests to egypt, the president orders a crackdown on police who attack citizens. and we're examine what the

fighting between turkey and kurdish fighters means in efforts to bring peace to syria. as virgin galactic aims to take tourists to space, we look at whether the space industry is actually taking off. ♪ the united states has carried out multiple air strikes in libya in the west of the country, targeting islamic state of iraq and the levant. libyan officials say at least 40 people were killed in the attacks west of the cap tol tripoli. the pentagon says the operation hit an isil training camp and specifically aimed at killing a senior tunisian operative who is accused of helping organize deadly attacks in tunis, and a beach resort of zeus last year. rosiland jordan joins us now

live from washington, d.c. what are you hearing from the authorities where you are, ros? >> reporter: well, the pentagon spokesperson has said that the air strikes were aimed after going after the tunisian who was said to have been a senior isil facilitator inside libya. they have not physically confirmed that he is dead, but he was definitely the target. the pentagon also has not confirmed how many people, how many isil fighters were killed in this attack, or whether there might have been any civilian casualties. we are expecting to hear from peter cook at the pentagon in the next hour. we do understand, though, from pentagon sources that the air strikes were carried out by two f-15e, air force fighter jets flying out of the united kingdom, and they carried out the strikes and apparently have

returned to base without any harm to the jets and to the crew. we don't know again, how many people were killed, but the pentagon is saying that this was a significant strike against isil which has been trying to establish a beach head of sorts inside libya, and peter cook did say earlier in a statement that the u.s. is committed to going after isil where it is. the u.s. has been very concerned about isil expanding his territorial control beyond parts of iraq and syria. >> what do we know about any cooperation there may be been with libya authorities? or was it without their knowledge? >> reporter: we don't know whether or not the in-coming government approved of this. we do know u.s. officials have been very, very cautious about launching these sorts of strikes, because of the fragile political situation inside

libya. it is worth noting david that as the various parties in this in-coming unity government have been working out the terms of their governance, that the u.s. has been very vocal in applauding their efforts, to have the political cover as it were to carry out this sort of air strike, but when you take a look at what has been happening in syria, the u.s. coalition has been conducting air strikes there without permission from the government, so the u.s. is prepared to act without a government's permission, but the u.s. has made it very plain that it considers having the authority risation from the libyan authorities essential to however they want to go after isil in that country. >> ros, thank you, and i understand a briefing may be expected within the next hour or so. rosiland jordan there in washington, d.c. ♪

the main opposition candidate in uganda's presidential race has been arrested for the third time in a week,. the ballots are now being counted but some polling stations in and around the capitol are still actually open after election papers arrived too late on thursday, leaving people unable then to cast their vote. these are some of the results, so far the president looks to extend his 30 years in office. he has 62%. veteran opposition figure we just mentioned has 33.5%. and a former prime minister and close ally before they fell out has just 1.7%.

let's hear from our correspondent malcolm webb. besigye and some of his supporters called press, they say the election commission and its results are rigged. the lexer toal commission denies it. they say the president is in the lead. the opposition says that besigye is in the lead. the police came to the fdc's party headquarters, fired tear gas, and broke up the meeting there. besigye and some other party officials were taken away in a police van. that prompted some protesting in that neighborhood and other areas. tear gas and guns were fired to break up the crowds and the burning roadblocks that they set up. the city remains tense as people are waiting to find out what will happen and if results from either side will be accepted.

>> malcolm webb reporting there. the egyptian president has announced tougher sanctions to bring an end to police brutality. a day ago a police officer shot dead a taxicab driver after an argument. doctors have also been protesting against police say they beat two doctors at a hoopt for refusing to falsify medical records. >> reporter: fury on the streets of cairo. angry crowds gather after an officer shoots and kills a 24-year-old taxi driver. the head of the security service has promised the officer will be arrested. the pressure on egypt's police is growing. public protests against them are increasing, even though the government of president sisi has effectively banned large demonstrations. >> the fact that they are protesting shows there are some very serious concerns, because

at this moment everyone who has been protesting has been jailed, and this should be a signal to the government that things are not good from the populous perspective. >> reporter: only a week ago thousands of medics filled stleets accusing the police of brutality. two doctors are said to have been beaten up by officers in january. the doctors have said in television interviews that the police pulled a gun after a dispute about treatment for an injured officer. medical staff are tlent -- threatening to go on strike if the officers aren't held to account. and they say they will defy the government again with large very public demonstrations. u.s. and russian military officials have been having talks in geneva to try to secure that's fire we have talked about in syria. they are trying to narrow their positions down before they jointly chair a wider meeting

that will be at the united nations later on. russia's president vladimir putin's discussed the syrian crisis in a telephone call that has been reported with saudi king salmon. the kremlin saying those two leaders who are backing opposing sides in this conflict, expressed interest in settling the crisis and ensuring security and stability in the entire region. and russia says it will be call for a u.n. security council meeting, because it is worried that turkey could launch a ground invasion of syria. russia wants an end to action that it says undermines syria's sovereignty. turkey blaming the ypg for an attack on wednesday. the ypg says it wasn't his

group. zana hoda reports. >> reporter: intense artillery shelling across the border. the government says it has evidence the suicide car bomber who targeted a bus full of soldiers on wednesday was a ypg member, and that he received help from the outlawed pkk inside turkey. >> translator: we have critical data on who is responsible for this attack. turkey is facing an attack organized by the pkk and ypg once again. turkey's friends should stand with turkey, against all terrorist organizations. >> security is increasingly a concern in turkey. the bombing in ankara wasn't the first, and since july the southeast of the country has been a battleground between security forces and pkk affiliates. turkish officials want their western allies to sever their links with the syrian kurdish fighters.

>> translator: the u.s. must clarify its stance on terrorism. washington's statements are conflicted on the ypg. it's a sign of weakness to act with a terror organization like the ypg, and the fight against daesh. >> reporter: but on the ground the u.s. continues to provide air cover to the ypg and its ally, as they push deeper into isil-held territory. in syria's eastern province, the kurdish fighters are closing in on a main supply route that isil, also known as daesh, uses to move between its strong holds in syria and neighboring iraq. >> it's not about choosing sides here. there's no doubt about turkey's membership in the coalition. obviously there is no doubt about our commitment to a fellow nato ally, and there's no doubt that some of the strongest fighters against daesh inside syria has been kurdish fighters. >> reporter: in recent weeks

they have also been taking ground from opposition groups backed by turkey. for turkey that is a red line. ankara wants to prevent further ypg advances, particularly in aleppo's northern corridor close to its border. ankara considers that a threat to its national security, and it has made clear that it will take all necessary measures to prevent this. for now turkey's options are to tin the cross-border shelling and provide support to the non-kurdish syrian opposition. the west has signaled it won't back turkey's call for a ground operation inside syria, and the u.s. has signaled that it won't choose sides. the tensions are straining long-time alliances, and complicating an already difficult process aimed at ending syria's war. coming up in this program, will he stay or will he go in

we'll have all the latest as cameron tries to secure a deal to keep britain in the european union. and mass protester over a student leader in india, triggers a debate on nationalism. ♪

♪ >> let's give you the headlines. the u.s. has launched air strikes in libya, hitting an isil training base. american military sources say a tunisian man who was behind tourist attacks in tu nia is

dead. a opposition leader in uganda has been arrested for the third time in a week. and the egyptian president, has announced tougher sanctions, he says to bring an end to police brutality, a day after a police officer shot dead a taxi driver after an argument. britain's prime minister appears to be digging in for the long haul in brussels, trying to convince other e.u. leaders to change the u.k.'s terms of the union. he had hoped he would already be back in london briefing his cabinet. but he now says he is happy to stay until sunday. the german chancellor, angela merkel, warned that reaching an agreement with all of the other 27-member states won't be easy. and it won't be easy to summarize this in two and a half

minutes. you are in brussels, hearing about this and that. what appears to be the main sticking points? >> reporter: there are several stumbling blocks and a downing street official just came behind me and said there was still a number of outstanding issues. and i think we're going to have a long night. of course there have been some depriving opposition today, not the least from the greeks who said they couldn't support david cameron's position unless they got assurances from the rest of the e.u. that the e.u. members will keep their borders open. greece has been at the front of the refugee crisis, and they are very concerned that some countries will build fences and stop refugees from passing through europe. but here a lot of the stumbling blocks are to do with what is in david cameron's proposals, those cuts to migrant benefits, but also on financial regulations. but i think we're going to be in for a long night again.

they were supposed to have a breakfast this morning, that became a lunch and then dinner, and they have been told they should be booking hotel rooms for tonight. >> as you know, mr. cameron wants to keep the u.k. in the european union, but those who want to take the country out of the e.u. are actually sort of pulling ahead, i think in polls back in britain. >> reporter: yeah, a poll came out today which suggested that 36% of people wanted to leave, 34% were in favorite of staying, now there's 23% of people who said they were undecided. this is one poll, but it shows that david cameron has a lot to do when he gets back to try to persuade people to stay in the

e.u. that referendum could be as early as june this year. >> it will be a long hall indeed. emma thank you. european union leaders have been working with turkey to try to limit the flow of refugees into europe. angela merkel says the plan is a priority. now austria has started imposing its new quota system. it said it will allow no more than 80 asylum seekers a day as of friday. but the top migration official says austria has a legal obligation to accept any asylum requests made on its territory. let's go to hoda abdel hamid now. you are on the greek side. so let's talk about the greek concern that if other countries shut their borders, then greece which is in a terrible financial

state anyway, is going to have to find for these refugees who have got nowhere else to go. >> reporter: that's absolutely right. what greece is worried about is the domino effect. when you speak to people they tell you, austria is going to close its boarder, there was a group of refugees who were sent back from slovenia, and the concern is that everybody will be sent back to the entry point, which is greece or the islands of greece, and then what will greece do with that? as you said, it has its own financial problems and crisis here, and the number of refugees coming is not as high as it was six months ago, but it is still very high. today at the border there was about 2,000 people who throughout the day were shipped in -- were bussed in, i would say, to cross into macedonia. greece has also another problem, is that -- at the moment only

nationals from iraq, syria, and afghanistan are able to cross into macedonia, and continue their journey. there are people here that are called the economic migrant, and they are mainly from north africa, from iran, from pakistan, who are already stranded in greece who have been trying to get across in a legal ways, and they have been saying -- some manage to cross, manage to go as far as the macedonian capitol, or further into serbia, and when they are caught they are brought all the way back here to greece, and remain stranded here. so this is a huge issue for the greeks, so if the borders close or if there are quotas on the number of refugees that can go through, then all of these people will stay here. to control the arrival on the islands is extremely complica d complicated, and greece officials will tell you that

control needs to happen on the beaches of turkey. >> thank you. that's hoda abdel hamid on the greece mass zonia border. at least 19 people have been killed and more than 50 have been hurt in a suicide explosion in northern cameroon. it is on the border with nigeria. it is not known who is behind the attack. the bombing is a string of recent incidents suspected to have been carried out by the armed group, boko haram. supporters of south africa's ruling party the anc have been marching against racism in the capitol. the issue is back in the spotlight for the anc party more than two decades after the end of apartheid. main opposition party in kosovo has employed unusual tactics to deplay a parliament session. tear gas was released three times to put pressure on the government to denounce deals with serbia and montenegro.

after the third incident, police removed all of the opposition lawmakers. but the government has said the session will resume. the supreme court in india has referred the case of a student union leader awaiting trial on sedition charges back to a lower court. he was charged after anti-india slogans were allegedly chanted at a university event in new delhi. it brought with it days of violent protests across the country. let's hear from our correspondent in new delhi. >> reporter: he is in judicial custody until march 2nd. he has been accused of holding an event at his university in which anti-india slogans were allegedly used. he is facing charges of

sedition, charges which could lead to life in prison. the university is one of india's most lobal and socially diverse, and has produced some of the country's top diplomats, and journalists. they are linking the police crackdown on students at the university to what they say is a rising tide of intolerance within india's governing party. the protests have spread across the country, despite warnings from government ministers that any anti-india sentiments will be not tolerated. students academics and people from all walks of life took part, demanding he be released and for the anti-sedition law to be repealed. but his bail plea has yet to be heard. on wednesday he himself was

assaulted on his way to the courthouse, despite being flanked by police. his lawyers have now lodged a bail application with deli high courts saying they fear for his life. the link between the zika virus and the brain disorder in babies could make months to establish if it exists at all. it could take four to six months from now to prove conclusively. thousands of pregnant women, particularly in brazil have been infected. the world health organization declared the spread of the virus, a global emergency, thereby unlocking billions in funding. harper lee has died at the age of 89. she is best known for her first book "to kill a mocking bird."

a second book featuring the same characters was published 55 years later in july of 2015. she died in a nursing home in monroe, alabama, just a few miles from the house where she grew up. a spokesman for pope francis says the pontiff's comments on donald trump were in no way an attack on the businessman. rather a comment on his belief that migrants should be helped not prosecuted. he said it was no christian to put up walls instead of building bridges. donald trump has promised a wall along the u.s.-mexican border if elected to the presidency. how long will it be before tourists can send a postcard from space? spaceship companies are working

hard to make it happen as soon as possible. here is our tech editor, tarek bazley. >> you might not ever considered taking on the view from cloud nine, traveling to jupiter, on board a balloon, or exploring the possibility of life on a moon. but nasa hopes these new travel posters will get us thinking and talking about the idea of taking a trip into space. a number of private companies have been working on the first step. >> reporter: virgin gal tick's new craft replaces an earlier model that broke apart and killed a pilot in 2014. they promise a ride that will take them beyond the internationally recognized boundary of space. once there, they will get a few minutes of weightlessness. x-core is also selling tickets for flights.

it has made advances on engine technology, but hasn't said when it will start flying the plane. blue origin recently tested its rocket launching technology in texas. another contender is world view, it's developing balloon trips will take passengers 26 kilometers above the earth. >> eventually the flights which at the moment are just up and down and land more or less in the same place. but in a few years we will be able to go in orbit around the earth, and perhaps in the future to build space stations which will be accommodating like a space hotel, if you would like. >> reporter: but it might be the cost of the ticket that holds you back. while one businessman paised about $20 million for his stay in space, virgin's tickets are

going for a quarter of a million. xcore is xarjing 150,000, and world view costs $75,000. there is plenty of testing to be done by all of these companies. so you might want to hold off until the technology has actually been proven. and in reference to that virgin galactic. it will roll out a new copy of its rocket as it gets ready to resume flight testing. that's the first time since a 2014 -- you may remember 2014, one of the ships had a terrible accident and one of the pilots died. so starting again there. now staying? space, something that is not quite as glamorous. a cargo ship full of garbage has left the international space station. the ship originally carrying

over 3,300 kilos of supplies to the space station. a lot of rubbish to get rid of. the garbage was released over bolivia. it is expected to burn up somewhere. aljazeera.com for all of the news. aljazeera.com. ♪ remembering a supreme court justice, antonin scalia lies in repose in the highest court in the land. new attacks, american aircraft strike isil posts in libya. the final push, the g.o.p. storms south carolina, while the democrats try their luck in nevada. and the driving danger. the tens of thousands of failing bridges across the country. ♪