russian jets pound northwest syria as government forces try to make more ground ahead of a planned halt in the fighting. ♪ hell throw -- hello there. as more boat loads of refugees land on less lesvos, a warning that the system could break down. plus -- >> this report makes sorry

reading for the bbc. >> reporter: an investigation finds the bbc missed several chances to stop sexual abuse by the presenter. and we talk to one of the digital bodyguards hired by hollywood after sony's infamous hack attack. ♪ hello, thank you for joining us. the syrian observatory for human rights says government forces have taken back a town from isil fighters. control of it is important for president assad and his troops because it's their only access to rebel-held aleppo. the government is said to have had help from russian air strikes to recapture the area. and dozens of people have been killed in russian air strikes on the damascus countryside. syria's opposition says moscow

has increased attacks ahead of a planned cessation of hostilities due to start on saturday. russia's military says it has reduced strikes over the last two days. and 21 tons of food, medicine, and other supplies has been lost. it was air dropped on wednesday, but failed to meet its target. >> pallets were drifting in with their parachutes, so that some missed target, and others of the pallets -- the parachutes did not open, and the food were destroyed. >> reporter: the u.n. special envoy to syria says more aid will reach syrians in need if the planned cessation of hostilities takes place on saturday. >> more needs to be done, more

effectively, and certainly, if as we all hope, the cessation of hostilities take hold effectively, they will have an impact on the acceleration of reaching the people in need in syria. >> james bayes is at the united nations in new york, and joins us live now. james quite a lot of talk about lots of developments. let's start with the most heart breaking of stories, that is the aid that was meant to be dropped in deir al-zour, and it didn't get there. did they say they are going to attempt another drop soon? >> they are going to try again. this was really a last resort. they don't like to deliver aid from the air. they would much rather deliver it with trucks on the ground, because the aid in this case, the 21 tons that the kwif

-- equivalent of a truckload of aid. this is something they practiced. i'm told there were a number of trial air drops that took place outside of syria to see that they could do this, and those were a success, but on this occasion, gusts of wind that they hadn't predicted, and when they pushed the pallets of aid out of the plane the gusts of wind took some of the aid where it was not supposed to go, and other parts of aid, the parachutes off, and that meant the aid fell to the ground and was destroyed when it hit the ground. >> and i guess crucial to all of this would be the cessation of hostilities planned for saturday. saturday is still a long way

away. how likely do you think it is, that it is going to go ahead? >> the humanitarian aid is part of this, and so is the cessation of host itties. the deal in munich was to try to get aid to people, and the idea to get peace talks going again in geneva. so the humanitarian part, they have partly been successful in getting the aid, now as you say, cessation of hostilities is supposed to start at the start of saturday, damascus time, midnight friday going into saturday. a great deal of work being done behind the scenes as we speak right now with all of the different groups, trying to get them on board. they have until midday on friday, damascus time to sign up, 12 hours before the cessation is supposed to start. so this is going to be crucial hours for syria, and the plan is, if the cessation then holds

that within about seven days, maybe ten days, they will try to get the peace talks underway in geneva, so that is something they are hoping, maybe next week, maybe the beginning of the following week. >> james bayes thank you. ♪ the e.u.'s top migration official is warning that if rapid progress isn't made to slow the flow of refugees in the next ten days, there is a risk that the whole system will break down. he says the e.u. has only ten days left to significantly reduce the numbers of people arriving from turkey. he issued a warning after the interior and justice ministers met in brussels to discuss their response to the crisis. our correspondent hoda abdel

hamid joins us live now from the border. we can see behind you the real example of refugee crisis. what do you understand they meant hoda? >> reporter: i think they meant there are already 12,000 people that are stranded here in greece who want to continue their journey, hundreds more arrive on a daily basis, and as you said, people are stranded behind me because the border with macedonia is closed and there's no real indication on when it will open again. macedonia has said it has closed its border, because the transit camps are at full capacity, and serbia is not allowing anyone in. and while the european union is trying to find a unified position on how to deal with this crisis, serbia has just

announced that the president has also arrived, sending military forces to the border here between greece and macedonia, to fortify that border. i have to tell you that there is already austrians, hungarian, that with working to make sure people don't go through the border. people are all worried because many don't want to stay in greece. many want to continue their journey, and greece also cannot really afford to have all of these people here. just to give you an example, some 2,000 were relocated to a reception center, while many of them did not want to stay there, and are walking towards the border here. everybody is hearing about this march 1st deadline, that maybe the borders will be completely

shut at that point, and everybody wants to get in as quick as possible. >> hoda abdel hamid, on the greece macedonia border. thank you. as hoda was saying a lot of migrants and refugees don't want to stay in greece, they want to go to other parts of europe. a french court has now ordered the government to clear the camp known as the jungle and partially demolish it. the deadline for the camp's 1,000 or so residents leave has already expired and authorities say if necessary it will use force to relocate remaining refugees to nearby centers. let's go live to calais, where we can speak to nadim baba, a lot of people obviously were hoping this ruling wouldn't have.com that. what are they saying to you now?

>> reporter: well, barbara, i think the people had seen this coming. i should specify that the plan concerns the area behind me. it's called -- it's the southern part of the so-called jungle camp, and the local authorities have been planning for sometime to clear the area, firstly, by evicting people, and then by getting rid of all of the structures, the tents that you can see. but in the last hour, a local court has given them the green light to do so. the local authorities have made it clear to us that they won't be calling on any police or any other forces as they call them, the forces of order. they won't be using force for at least three weeks, and what they will be moving is the accommodation center, so tents, and we believe caravans as well, where people actually stay. but they are suggesting they will leave in place what they

call social spaces. we take that to mean makeshift mo mosq mosques, and areas for children to play in. so it is a very important place for the people who live here, but the authorities say they have an alternative, which is just a very short distance away. it's a center made up of shipping containers, where they say people can live in safety, and it's cleaner for them. some say they will take them up on that offer, others say going there means giving up on their dream of getting to great britain. so for many people the plan is, once the shelters have gone, to move on to where they can stay along the coast of france still trying to get to great britain, barbara. thank you.

somali's president said that there was an attack by al-shabab last month. and the death toll may be as high as 100. the soldiers were part of an african union force fighting the armed group. four people have been killed in a mortar attack in the somali capitol, mogadishu. al-shabab has claimed responsibility for that attack, aimed at the presidential palace. witnesses say some of those hurt were children. students have stepped up their protests on university campuses across south africa. now the issue of language is also come into the spotlight, and it is causing tensions between black and white students. still to come on the program, why the egyptian president was on sale on ebay. plus, how a series of oil

spills have contaminated an area in the amazon. ♪

♪ welcome back. here is a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. syrian government forces have reportedly taken control of a sfreejic town from the islamic state of iraq and the levant. opening roots to rebel-held aleppo. the e.u. migration commission has warned that the e.u. has ten days to reduce the number of refugees coming to europe or its whole migration system could break down. and a french court has

ordered that the government clear the refugee camp known as the jungle. and the u.n. secretary general is visiting south sudan to try to ensure a shaky peace deal continues. the u.s. has threatened individual sanctions if peace different delivered. ban ki-moon's visit comes a week after 19 people were killed when they thought they were under the u.n.'s protection. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: the smoke from 20,000 burning homes filled the skies for days. people who were already displaced from their homes to a camp were again made homeless. this time they found little more than a dusty roadside between a u.n. base and their former

homes. they moved here because they believed the u.n. would keep them safe. the attack revealed how vulnerable they still are. >> translator: the fences are all open. you have to close the fences. now look at this. the people's health has deteriorated. their health is fragile. look at what they eat and drink. look at where they now sleep. >> reporter: almost 200,000 people live in u.n. protection. the u.n. mission to south sudan has mandate to use force when needed to protect people. however, this is the third time people have been slaughtered under the protection of the u.n. >> you have a huge u.n. presence here. but we don't know what they are doing exactly. you see what happened. a civilian died and the u.n. is there, then why are they giving millions of dollars.

they should withdraw from south sudan if they aren't going to protect the civilians. >> reporter: people are starting to ask is this u.n. mission simply unwilling to use force to protect civilians? earlier we interviewed the spokesman for the south sudan ez government and he denied responsibility of the attack. >> i don't know where this information came from. the attack came from inside the camp. the camp, the entrance are actually manned by the [ inaudible ] which is none of the business of the government

of the south sudan. we condemn the atrocities that happened, and we are urging united nations to -- to reveal why, you know, the guns were -- how the guns were smuggled into the camp, and it was a fight that was erupting inside, and there was no trace of anybody coming from outside to fight inside the camp. egypt's president has offered an unusual solution to the country's economic problems. in a speech on wednesday, he said that if it would help he would sell himself. >> translator: let me say something quite difficult, it is difficult to say that, but let me be clear, by god all mighty, if i could sell myself to benefit this nation, i would have done it. if only 10 million of us wake up every day and donate by sms one egyptian pound for the take of this homeland, that's 10 million

pounds a day. egypt is a great country. if you truly love egypt, i'm telling you, all gimeegyptians listening to me, only my words. >> it didn't take long before a ebay user put that to a test. more than a hundred people placed a bid for sisi onee bay. the ad description read: the ad was taken down a little later on wednesday. the u.k. nation's public broadcaster the bbc is facing severe criticism once again as part of an investigation into historical sexual abuse. the report accuses of serious

failing of a high-profile presenter who has been revealed as a prolific sex offender. >> this report makes sorry reading for the bbc. problems of reporting were compounded in the case of the talent. celebrities were treated with kid gloves, one witness told me the talent were more valuable to the bbc, than their own values. a series of tornados has been reeking havoc across the united states. three people were killed in virginia. this comes a day after three others were killed in tornados along the gulf coast.

a state of emergency has been declared in virginia where thousands are without power. women in countries hit by the zika virus can still breastfeed their babies as there is no proof that the disease can spread that way. mar margo ortegas reports. >> reporter: much is still unknown about the zika virus. initially authorities suspected a link between the virus and the steep rice in the number of babies born with neurological disorders and malformations. >> microcephaly can be caused by other causes. it is important to realize that. and the evidence coming out of this country, brazil, points to

the direction that zika is a possible cause. and how w.h.o. operate is, we have been saying this: zika is guilty until proven innocent. >> reporter: doctor chan, however, did come mend brazilian officials for the handle of the situation. but there is still much confusion and uncertainty. some local reports said brazilian red tape contributed to delays in research. this has been denied by the government and the w.h.o., which says there must be nation cooperation to deal with the situation. doctors here are already working on a vaccine, but it would take at least three years before it can be available to the public. regardless, officials say there is no cause for concern about coming to rio for the olympics in august. they are working on a plan to

make sure everyone gets the maximum protection. but for those here now, there is little comfort from zika, and it's uncertainties. in peru they are assessing the damage after a series of oil spills contaminated an area in the amazon. a water quality emergency has been declared in the remote area, where thousands of people defend on the water for their livelihoods. >> reporter: it's crude, dark and heavy, polluting land and rivers in the amazon rain forest, 3,000 barrels spilled from pipelines, causing an ecological disaster. the tribes living along the rivers are desperate. >> translator: neither municipal authorities nor health authorities have told us not to eat the fish. >> reporter: more than 8,000

people in this region have been effected. they rely on the river for water. >> translator: it's effecting everything, our crops, the animals, the people, the fish, we grow rice, the children bathe there, the animals drink that water. >> reporter: these children say they were given tips to help cleanup, despite the health risks. the state-owned oil company denies using children. teams of villagers are working 12-hour shifts to remove the oil, bucket by bucket. >> translator: most important is the fact is the fact it's in the biodiverse amazon region. the question is what measures will they take so it doesn't happen again? >> reporter: the pipelines are more than 40 years old. it's not the first time they have ruptured.

indigenous groups say there have been more than 20 oil spills in the last few years. the minister of the environment says the company is responsible for at least the last three, and will face a fine of nearly $70 million. the environmental regulator can't yet say what the extent of the damage is this time. it has ordered the company to replace parts of the pipeline and improve its maintenance. >> translator: the strong corrosion caused failures in some parts. we'll oversee that the company complies by fixing the problem. it will take some time. >> reporter: heavy rain is complicating the situation. nearly 1,000 kilometers of pipeline are vulnerable, and at risk of causing another spill. top hacker has told al jazeera that hollywood doesn't have a clue when it comes to

protecting itself against cyber crime. it is more than a year since sony was hit by a devastating attack, and criminals are increasingly turning their attention to the studios. >> reporter: this is edward snowden. and there is hollywood director, oliver stone. he is making a film about edward snowden. and this is ralph. the man oliver stone has hired to keep his film away from prying eyes. >> this industry doesn't know what it's doing. >> reporter: ralph is a hacker, turned hacker detector. he is helping hollywood make sense of a world where it is more than film fans watching very closely. >> they still have this idea of, you know, the film is in the can, as if it were a physical thing, and it's not. it's a file, and gets duplicated and multiplied so many times. well, that didn't happen with a physical piece of film. >> reporter: hacking is big

business. just ask sony. remember in 2014, cyber criminacrimina criminals breached their system. five out of every six businesses here in the united states have fallen victim of cyber attacks at some point. as you can see this is a problem that is getting worse, not better, and of course, hollywood is a major target. in previous years the studios could control who saw what and when they saw it. nowadays you have so many people involved in that production process, and they are all accessing networks and files using their own phones, their own tablets, in some cases their own laptops, you can see how keeping those prioring eyes is out almost impossible. this is one of the top cyber crime experts. try aiming for the stars. >> you have talent which might

go to the store and buy an iphone, and might set the pass word to their dog's name, and then do an interview, talking about their dog's name, and then somebody can pretty much figure out how to get things off of their system. >> reporter: for this digital bodyguard it's all about damage limitation. >> there is no such thing as 100% guarantee. so it's a matter of identifying a potential threat early enough. >> reporter: the hackers are in hollywood, metaphorically, at least. there may be no happy ending in sight here. one of the world's most famous steam locomotives is back on the rails after a decade's long restoration. the flying scotsman set off from london, on a 300-kilometer

journey to a museum. it is recognized as the first locomotive to exceed speeds of 100 miles an hour, or 160 kilometers an hour. the 10-year restoration has cost almost $6 million. more on the website, aljazeera.com. ♪ deadly storms tear up property and take out power up and down the east coast. [ cheers ] bernie sanders takes his campaign west, days before the south carolina primary. this case is about the future. >> apple versus the fbi. the company's ceo comparing hacking a phone to cancer, and now it's working on a new phone that you won't be able to hack at all. and an ancient type of