with fees as low as 3% down payment. we'll see you tomorrow. afghan forces pull out of a second district in southern helmand province in the space of a week, ceding control to the taliban. you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also coming up, deal in india to end protests by a group that disrupted water supply to the capital. from house arrest to police custody, uganda's opposition leader is taken away at his supporters plan to protest. 21 confirmed dead after a ferocious cyclone in fiji.

fears are growing of a health crisis. meet the 106-year-old woman whose visit with the obamas at white house got her dancing with joy. >> hello, afghan governments forces have pulled and you have to district in southern helmand province. in the past week, they have withdrawn from another district, hellman's seen some of the feesest battles pitting the taliban against local foreign forces since the u.s. led invasion in 2001. >> we have decided to pull troops out of from their defensive role and get them ready for an offensive. this move is part of a new strategy. troops who have been pulled from the district are still on the ground. they have not gone somewhere else. we are providing them with new

training and equipping them in order to get them ready for a spring offensive. officers have taken uganda's main opposition leader from his home and are holding him at a nearby police station. he was trained as he tried to leave his house where he's been under house arrest since saturday. he disputes the results of uganda's presidential election and has been detained several times on and off for the past week. malcolm webb has more. >> his driveway was blocked by police. they took him in a van and detained him. he wanted to go to the electoral commission to collect paperwork which would essentially be part of a petition to the supreme court where he may challenge the results of last thursday's presidential election, which he says was rigged. police brought him to this police station 40 kilometers from the capital. they say it's a preventative arrest because they received

intelligence that he was trying to create a protest. they say they have a responsibility to protect people and property and say this is something that can't be allowed and he should pursue his challenge through legal means. meanwhile, his supporters are waiting to find out what the next move will be and if he will be able to move around freely and pursue his challenge of the controversial election results. we were just telling you about the afghan troop withdrawal. officials are publicly saying that we have decided to pull out troops from a defensive role and get them into an offensive role. that's what's being said in public. what do we make of this move by afghan officials? >> let's clarify this, door rein, because we're getting two versions of what's happening. a military who wants to remain anonymous is telling us that the troops have pulled out of the

pivotal district in hellman province, suggesting that the taliban is gaining ground there, gaining momentum, and gaining territory. however, we spoke to the defense ministry just about 30 minutes ago and a spokesperson with the defense ministry acknowledges the troops have pulled out of the district, however, the spokesperson says this was a planned move to reorganization troops in preparation for an offensive that's coming, but what's happening, if indeed this is true, the afghan troops pulling out, this would be the second time in three days where afghan forces, afghan soldiers and police officers have pulled out of two pivotal districts in the critical province of helmund in southern afghanistan. this has been the heartland of the insurgency for many years, fierce fighting going on there.

numb results sources are telling us that troops have pulled out. >> thank you for that clarification from afghanistan. >> a deal's been reached in india to end days of protest by an influential farming community that cut water supplies to new delhi as well as blocked roads leading to the capital. the ja temperatures are the single biggest community with near 8 million members. they've protested against a policy based on india's centuries old cast system that gives special status to the lower cast who get easier access to government jobs and university places. the jats have been traditionally classified as a higher cast. they want an ensured share of the public jobs on offer. the protests turned violent. soldiers fired on demonstrators,

who talked minister's homes. the jat community wants an agreement in writing from the government. many people are saying they do not trust the government. they want it in writing, want it set in stone before they will call off action. the government wants to give them this, because the government promised during the election campaign that the jat community will get government status. it's put the government in a tight spot in that sense. the problem is now that whatever the government does, whether they are given this reservation status, it will still have to go to the supreme court, which has quashed several attempts before to give the jats residential

status. there is a tense standoff in new delhi between the government and students. the students are surrounded by officers at university. we have this report from the campus. >> police showed up on this campus early this morning after five students accused of sedition against india came on the campus last night. the five are accused of yelling anti national slogans which was against the execution of a man accused of attacking the indian parliament. six students have been in custody since that time. the five students over there say they went into hiding after receiving death threats against them and their families. despite video evidence that the allegation could be false. it has sparked outrage across the country particularly among rights groups and the right

wing. it has led to physical fighting. the whole issue, those on the other side say this whole thing has been blown out of proportion and is simply the government cracking down on criticism against it. they say that freedom of speech in india is being threatened. the students here have been holding a vigil since last night and are meeting with faculty and the vice chance lower on whether police should be allowed on to the campus to make the arrests. the five students have told us they do want to surrender to face charges against them. their fellow students will continue protesting those charges. >> a three day standoff between fighters and the government in indian-administered kashmir have ended. they entered a government office. five government forces and a civilian have been killed. a massive cleanup in fiji after sky clone winston flattened villages. 21 were killed after the

strongest storm on record to hit the nation. andrew tomas reports from fiji. >> the word being used around fiji in response to this aerial photography is flattened. these were villages on remotized. on fiji's main island, the damage is bad enough, but no news has come from some of the islands hit worst. phone lines are cut, boats haven't reached them yet, nor planes. it is not known how many here were injured or if people died. fiji's foreign minister warned people to expect bad news. >> it was the most devastating storm on record in the southern hemisphere. when it reached our shores in the last couple of days, the damage has been widespread. homes have been destroyed. many low lying areas have flooded and many people have been left stunned and confused

about what to do. >> two cities state the full force of the cyclone, but still an hour north of the tourist hub, there is widespread destruction. >> it's still pretty windy here now. this is nothing compared to when the cyclone was at its peak. this was a restaurant with a spectacular view down the valley. you see now half the roof is gone. it's destroyed inside and debris is everywhere. this swimming pool filled with bits of debris. there a guest house, totally destroyed. >> house us have been strewn down the hillside. her house survived, but only just. she and her friends of cleaning up, grateful to be alive. >> it was terror. we heard about hurricanes and we've been through so many, but this one was really terrible. it was horrible. >> in this part of fiji, already

crews are at work restoring fallen power lines and clam bothering up to repair mobile masks. there's fighting going on in several fraction around the syrian city of aleppo involving the syrian government, rebels, isil and kurdish fighters. this footage claims to show government dropping barrel bombs down to the north of aleppo. elsewhere in the northern aleppo countryside. russian airstrikes have reportedly targeted rebels. the opposition is trying to keep control of the border town of azaz. >> it's a battle front that is key to the opposition, survival in a town that's gained international attention, losing

azaz could be a set back for the rebels. just a few kilometers from the border crossing with turkey, it is a much needed gateway. the rebels are surrounded by two enemies, the syrian government led alliance and kurdish armed group, and its allies. >> the military situation is better after we received reinforcements from idlib. we fortified our positions and god willing will advance. you will hear about our victories and things will return to the way they were. >> last week's airstrikes believe to be carried out by russian war planes was a message that things can change. locations in azaz were targeted, including a hospital. aid agencies warned the health system is close to collapse. >> it's close to the border, so people think it's a safe place. that's why a lot of displaced people are here. we have more patients, not just

providing help to people in azaz. most places in the north no longer operate. we also lack staff. >> people lost their supply line to the northern countryside but still have access to strongholds in western syria. >> they want to besiege aleppo city but we are using all our strength to prevent this. the fact that the foreign regime is using foreign militias to fight for it show we are strong and they are weak. we are staying here. we liberated the city with our blood. >> azaz is not just home to thousands of syrians. it's now the opposition's last line of defense. they use it to receive supplies from turkey and could be used as a base to launch a counter offensive. >> the kurdish group and its allies, the syrian democratic forces are not far away.

they would threatened to advance into azaz, but for over a week, there has been no movement on that front. there was a risk of a wider global conflict and it seems that battle has now been put on hold, at least temporarily. >> the town is important to all sides, including international and regional stakeholders such as turkey. for those fighting against the opposition, azaz has lost its military importance, since rebel supply routes have already been cut south of the town. a bottle would jeopardize u.n. efforts for a ceasefire. we're in venezuela to find out why more people are turning to their garden to say feed their families. >> in spain, the latest and greatest technology on show at world's mobile congress.

>> "inside story" takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the soundbites. we're giving you a deeper dive

into the stories that are making our world what it is. >> hello again, the top stories on al jazeera, afghan government forces pulled out of a second district in helmand province, ceding cog to the taliban. the government says this is a tactical retreat. a deal's been reached in india to end protests by a farming community that cut water supplies to new delhi. the jat community wants access to more government jobs. their leaders want an agreement in writing before calling off those protests. uganda's main opposition

leader is being held by police after trying to leave his home where he's been under house arrest. he disputes the results of thursday's presidential election. >> now to the arguments in libya over forming a unity government. m.p.s in the internationally recognized parliament in tobruk can't agree whether to join or not. the united nations said it is vital because isil could build a stronger platform there. >> after two days of heated debate, it seems the tobruk parliament is no closer to backing the u.n. backed unity government and libya is no closer to political stability. it appears there are still many points of disagreement, including who makes up the 18 member cabinet. >> the chairman of the presidential council said that reconciliation will not involve exclusion or marginalization.

more than a third of libya's population are not represented. >> libya has been in turmoil with dozens of militias, each fighting for control since the overthrow of muammar gaddafi in 2011. since 2014, libya's had two competing governments, the u.n. backed parliament in the eastern city of tobruk and remnants of the general national congress based in tripoli. each has its own militia and foreign backers. the retired general hafta has been leading the government backed forces in tobruk. isil is stepping into an already crowded battlefield. uniony talks led to a presidential council formed last month. last week warring factions formed a unity government which still has to be endorsed by both sides. while talks continue, so does the fighting. forces have made gains in

eastern libya. it is under control of the libyan national army. it had been used to ship weapons to isil fighters. they have taken control 150 kilometers south of benghazi. the u.s. envoy to libya urges peace to support the uniony government not just to end the suffering of the people, but to prevent a power vacuum and prevent isil from gaining anymore ground. al jazeera. people in niger are getting a built of extra time to vote in their presidential and parliamentary elections after delays on sunday. the president hopes to secure a second term of five years and is up against 14 rivals. we have this report from the capital. >> in classroom without electricity, niger's future was decided by the ballot box. with the counting extending

through sunday, people were anxious for results. it had been a long and windy day. it began with sitting president celebrating the democratic process as he cast his vote. it tipped toward a victory in the first round, something that hasn't happened in previous elections. the election needs to be rewarded as fair and people happy with the outcome. >> so far, no case of fraud has been brought to my attention. i had calls rewarding logistical issues. as we are talking, those in charge of taken all the necessary dispositions to solve the problems. >> many polling stations were visited. the process was smooth and there were no complaints, but in others, there were long delays before voting started. some ran out of ballot papers and had to stop polling for several hours. >> it's a long and hot day here,

but as you can see, the crowd is only getting bigger and bigger as the day progresses. that's because people tell us here this election is before anything else about the future and stability of this nation. >> as the day progressed, the crowds swelled and patience waned. >> the lines haven't moved since the morning. i don't understand what's happening. i'll wait because i took the decision to vote and i will vote, even if i have to wait until 6:00 a.m., i will be here. i am determined. >> maybe the people who are put in charge were chosen deliberately so that they will not let us vote. so far, we haven't moved. we think it was done on purpose, because people know that here, we are supporters of the opposition. >> the opposition has issued a statement accusing the government of deliberately blocking the electoral pros. no significant violence has been reported, but the atmosphere is tense and uncertain.

south korea media are reporting that banks are frozen belonging to north koreans. we have the latest from beijing. >> this particular report has come from a south koreaen newspaper quoting unnamed sources, so we have to be careful. apparently, one of those sources was an official with the industrial commercial bank of china based on the bank's branch in the city on the border with north korea. according to this official, a number have north korea bank accounts were frozen in december. that's significant, because it is well before north korea carried out the first of its rocket tests in the early part of this year. according to this official, other north korean bank accounts have been frozen in other parts of china. china is about the only place where north koreans can put their money after macau was shut

down to them a number of years ago. the governments of the united states, korea and japan have been urging it to, and this action is correct and measured, because it will not be hurting ordinary koreans, rather those officials or those close to the regime in the regime who have money sorted away here in china. a spokesman for the ministry of foreign affairs said they have no knowledge of this particular matter. >> food shortages in venezuela are so severe that the president now keeps dozens of hens to lay eggs. president maduro is urging everyone to produce their own food. the plunging price of oil has sent the economy further near collapse. >> amidst the concrete jungle and oasis are locally grown vegetables. a public guard inn caracas where

venezuelans loyal to the government gather to learn how to grow their own food. suarez is hoping to replicate what she learns here in her struggling community. >> the price of the basic food items have risen out of control, so we have heeded the call of our president to grow. >> it's an idea the government is taking very seriously, with widespread shortages and out of control inflation, so seriously, that president nicholas maduro announced the creation of a ministry of urban farming, saying it is out to set a good example. >> the first lady and i have 60 laying hens that produce what we eat. >> just a few hours and you said the capital in once rich agricultural land, many believe the president should focus on the polite of traditional farmers. >> urban gardening is an interesting alternative but not

a way to solve such a big issue. >> farms are left idle. he blamed the lack have been seeds, pesticides and price control that forced farmers to sell their produce at a loss. >> we import 80% of all food items and the little we produce here is simply not enough to satisfactory national demand. we used to be self sufficient in white rice, but that's gone. >> venezuela could grow most of its own food thanks to large expansion of fertile lands but through the years, most of its agriculture has been abandoned and other families like this one exappropriated by the government. >> romero joined farmers a decade ago on land in government hands. while production soared at the start, in time, they've been left without resources. the little they grow now is usually stolen by hungry neighbors. >> there's nothing we can do to farm more. i'm not asking for me, but for

all of us. we owe this to our president chavez. what would he say if he'd see the level of abandonment? i think he'd die again. >> a declining food production, it risks turning into a full blown humanitarian crisis. now to spain where the latest in mobile technology is on show. the world's mobile congress is being held in barcelona and al jazeera is there. >> for years, mobile phone makers have enjoyed golden times. year on year increases in sales and billions of people around the world bought increasingly sophisticated hand sets. the trouble is those years appear to be over. just two out of the top five makers had sales increase in the last quarter. the reason, a slowing chinese market coupled with saturation in many of the markets mean these phone makers can't come up

with a significantly better model, most people are holding on to the one they have. why not put technology to other uses. this high tech collar allows you to track your dogs location at all times. >> location technology, the ability to tag and follow becomes really relevant. your animals, you can key equip them with a collar and follow them. the batteries last for up to 10 years. >> this particular application in bus stations and metro stations takes it to another level. not only can you look at the products you want to buy in three dimensions in this virtual situation, you can select them, put them in a basket. when you're heavy, you've got enough of a cad dose, you go to check out. this allows them to tend to your

confirmation text message and gives them a physical location where they can deliver the goods within a couple of hours. some of the smaller companies are still trying to pack more into less. this one has a video projector inside the hand set. there is seemingly endless innovation. with sales of new mobles down, broking new functionality into existing models seems to be the focus. al jazeera, the mobile world congress in barcelona. well, living until 106 years old is all right a pretty impressive feat, but take a look at this. >> virgin. >> mccarren. >> hi! >> how are you? >> i'm fine! >> oh, nice to see you. >> you wants to hi to michelle? >> yes! she's 106. >> you are not! you are not!

>> after a lengthy social media campaign, she finally got her wish to meet america's first black president. keep moving she says is the secret to a long life. that's according to her. more on that woman on the day's top stories on with our website, aljazeera.com. when i ran them individual besides to be evil, i don't know how you stop that. >> random rampage, the uber driver accused of a kill spree in kalamazoo goes before a judge today. campaign crunch, nevada prepares for republican