battle for taiz, government takes back parts of city from houthi fighters welcome to al jazeera headquarters. also ahead fighting breaks out at a rally for u.s. republican presidential hopeful donald trump forcing him to cancel the event. north korea threatens retaliation as the u sment and south korea stage a huge military exercise - u.s. we meet these teenagers from

afghanistan whose dreams of a better life in europe have turned to a nightmare. we begin in yemen where governs forces say they have retap toured parts of taiz-- recaptured. they took key areas in the west and the south of the city. >> reporter: cheering crowds welcome the news that the president and to control western and southern parts of yemen's third largest city. >> the houthis are in shock. this was not expected. over 24 hours they were in control of many parts of taiz where today they have only - they said they're defeated in the strategic areas of taez.

>> reporter: they are said to have broep through the houthi blockade and opened a key southern supply route. >> hundreds of fighters who were troops allied with the houthi switched sides and this is the main reason why taiz was able to fall into the hands of the government forces so quickly. the houthis are blaming each other, trying to find answers of why this happened. >> reporter: desperately needed medical supplies and food and oil may now be delivered. hospitals have struggled for months to treat the sick and injured tropd inside the blockade. in november porhordy forces forced them back. troops took back from the

houthis in july. coalition air strikes and government forces are said to be targeting houthi bases to the east of taiz. >> translation: the siege of taiz was broken. this is a big issue. the wheels have started to roll. it might seem slow, but efforts are huge. >> reporter: the rebels say they're sending for reinforcements and intend to take back the areas they held. rob matheson al jazeera correspondent joins us here. how significant is this for all sides? >> it is significant for government forces because now they are going to be able to send more weapons and humanitarian aid to people in the city of taiz from aden. in the past the rebels back episode by the president have maintained a complete siege of the city of taiz. they were basically in control. they had the upper hand.

by losing the southern part of the taiz that could pave the way for government troops to send more enforcement and maintain their fight to control the whole of taiz which is the third largest city third largest city, but a small part of the bigger battle. who controls what? >> looking at the map of yemen, the houthis do control a large area, all the border. that's really a huge area. the government troops have controlled the southern part of country and aden and also they're present in the eastern part of the country. that's where they're trying to maintain the build-up so that it can push towards the capital. there are areas under control of al-qaeda, the islamic state is

maintaining a presence in aden. it is a very tough situation for the international community which is trying to find a way out of the crisis thank you. u.s. secretary of state john kerry says talk to end syria's conflict should go ahead on march 14, but monitors from russia and u.s. will first meet to discuss truce violations. this is according to a reporter who met the king at a military base near the saudi- iraqi border. the saudis have offered to send in ground forces to syria. for the second time in two weeks demonstrators took advantage of the ceasefire against the bashar al-assad government. marches were held against the country in at least 15 cities, including azaz where people were chanting slogans against the

government. north korea says its military is ready for an attack against the south. it comes as the naval exercises takes place. the duals are being sdrind as the biggest every following pyongyang's nuclear and long-range rocket launch. >> reporter: this exercise is a show of force that is always meant to impress. the u.s. say it is non-provocative. they have told the north koreans about exactly what is taking place here. they also say it contributes to the stability of the region and does not undermine it from the north koreans point of view though they suspect this is a prelude to some type of invasion, this is used for a cover of a build-up of forces. those fears are not helped by the fact that this year the u.s. is 17,000 forces taking part,

working alongside 300,000 of their south korean allies in this exercise. it comes against a backdrop of worsening relations. we have had the nuclear weapons test earlier this year and then last month the long range rocket launch. all of this has worsened relations. we've had the punitive sanctions imposed by the u.n. and the south korea donald trump was forced to call off his rally in chicago friday night. it came off violent clashes between his supporters and protesters. he has also cancelled his rally scheduled for sunday. >> reporter: people protesting against republican presidential front runner donald trump lined the side walks outside the university of illinois in chicago university pavilli no further questions it didn't take long to get heated inside.

the crowd seemed to be 40% opposers and 60% supporters. >> the security forces have decided that the rally will be postponed until another day. thank you for your attendance. please go in peace >> reporter: that didn't happen. protesters and donald trump's supporters exchanged angry words. fights broke out. a man tried to take the stage. after a struggle security officers removed him. a large contingent of police eventually came in and cleared the arena but the battles moved on outside. some of the thousands who were inside the arena clashed with some of the thousands of people outside and with police. in an interview with ns n.b.c., donald trump said he made the right decision to cancel but said the anger wasn't directed at him. >> you have people that are

very, very upset about what's happening with the country as a country and you have other people that just don't feel right about things. those people were outside and coming inside and rather than having everybody get in and mix it up, i thought it would be a ways thing. >> reporter: protesters gathered outside the arena long before the event. dozen of faculty and staff at the university of illinois at chicago had petitioned school administrative stators to cancel the rally. they were concerned it would create a hostile and physically dangerous environment for students. when it was all over trump supporters were disappointed. opponents were ee lated. >> i think it was a good thing. that type of hate speech and rhetoric has no place here >> it was disappointing. i wish he came and supported us, but at the end of the day i'm still voting for donald trump.

nothing has changed we have syria's foreign minister speaking. let's listen in to see what he has to say. >> translation: an inland invasion, then they spoke about decision. no-one can dare to send boots on the ground in syria. that's why these reports. they spoke about all the coalition countries to be present on the ground at the last statement made by the president obama he made it clear that he is not going to send troops. those willing to enter on their own let them have advancement in yemen first. a few days ago they spoke about plan b. two days ago u.s. secretary of

state john kerry says there is no plan b. that's why all these media reports are false. however, to those i say, and i remind them of history, what happened in syria in 1925. when the major syrian revolution erupted as a result of the attempts made by the french imperialism to divide syria into small states. the major revolution erupted them, and i would say in confidence that our people will reject any attempt of division and our president in all his statements stated we would

liberate every inch of the syrian soil from the blasphemism. the last propaganda made was made about dissisin that they must agree. me as a syrian citizen and i'm sure you share the same view. we speak any report or any statement about kon federalism. we are adamant on holding the integrity and sovereignty of syria as one state. at least this is what has been reiterated by the international documents released, including those released in an attempt to resolve the situation in syria. now i hand over the floor to

yoyou syria's foreign minister speaking ahead of the peace talks saying that the government is still committed to the ceasefi ceasefire. an update there. localities more still to come, including a turkish town has been nominated for the noble peace prize by its own government. trying to get rich in sudan, the new reality business that's encouraging start-up businesses. inesses.

top stories on al jazeera.

yemen's vice president has announced that the houthi siege of taiz has been broken after his forces advanced in parts of the city. he said relief efforts will begin immediately but fighting continues in many areas. presidential hopeful donald trump has cancelled his campaign rally in chicago. fights broke out between his supporters an demonstrators. he also cancelled his rally scheduled for sundays. north korea says its military is ready for a pre-emptive attack against the south. the announcement comes as exercises between the u.s. south korea, australia and new zealand takes place. drills are being described as the biggest ever. the greek government says it plans to carry out a-- tear out the makeshift camp on the

macedonia camp on friday. macedonia have shut their borders to refugees as have others. afghanistan refugees are also in search of a new life in europe. our correspondent has been meeting some of them. >> reporter: it is a moment of respite for these teenagers, who dare to dream about a fresh start far away in europe. >> reporter: like 17-year-old would left sfwan with his parents and smuggled his ways to the shores of greece >> translation: they buried me to bury my hand in snow and i have not seen my family since. i don't know how to find them >> reporter: he is receiving medical treatment.

he is unable to move forward as they're not longer welcome on the balkan route. of 16-year-old is in the same situation. he first worked in eye rap as a janitor. >> translation: they were trying to deport me because i did not have a passport, so i left. i want to be in a place with no weapons where i feel safe. i saved the money to pay smugglers. i also borrowed money from my friends and now i'm so sad to be stuck here. >> reporter: along the way he became friends with this boy who is aer older. together they sneaked across borders and splept along the way, picking up clothes left by other refugees and hoping to go undetected. they relied on food left by compassion nature people looping the their-- compassionate people along the trail.

>> translation: our friends were kidnapped and taken away. we don't know where they are. >> reporter: the camp is teaming from children. many are fearing they will end up in shelters. they say they're travelling with relatives. >> reporter: every day there is a count about how many are in the camp. people here want to reach their designation, so some take their chance at crossing the borderline. it is what these and many others are considering. for $1800 they're promised safe passage all the way to germany. it will mean more deaths and more suffering. he is overwhelmed by a sense of loss. at 17 he has little to live for. >> translation: if they don't open the border, i will kill myself. if i have to go back to afghanistan, i will die there. so i might as well end it here. >> reporter: europe is crumbling

under the endless flow of refugees, but the lonely children have been abandoned by everyone. the border closures only increasing the vulnerability and the very real risk of them ending in the wrong hands the refugee crisis is a major issue in regional elections taking place. angela merkel is holding a final campaign rally. new parliaments will be elected in three states where a key talking point is the refugee crisis. since the massive influx of refugees, the right wing party alternative for germany has surged in popularity. dominic kane reports. >> reporter: this lady and her party are riding high on the polls with local elections just around the corner. with popularity has come greater scrutiny. the afd one crated on opposing--

concentrated opposing the euro. >> having taken more than one million asylum seekers and many more awaiting families as well, it is going to cause huge problems in germany on all sorts of levels in politics. >> reporter: shifting their focus onto immigration has won the afd few friends among the political parties, but it does appear to have gained them popularity with voters. before the influx of refugees started last summer, they were receiving less than 5% in the opinion polls. fast forward no now and that number has more than doubled. one leading academic told me he thinks the coalition government's immigration policy is the main reason why. >> the afd have had really a good opportunity to get profile as an important and necessary

part of the german spectrum which gives voice to those citizens in increasing numbers who are not represented by the politics. >> reporter: for now the test for the party is in the state parliament. the german federal system gives the states considerable powers and elections there matter. the eastern state is one of three to hold elections on march 13. a recent survey suggests the afd has now supplanned the main social democratic party here, a point some afd supporters were keen to make at a rally. >> translation: we know that they're not all war refugees. we're also human and we want to help, but we will not be made fools of. that's exactly what is happening and that's why we're here to support the afd. with the old parties it's over >> reporter: the people at this rally clearly believe that the

afd speaks to their concerns. the question for the party will be whether they can translate their opinion poll performances into actual votes the town of killis has been nominated for the noble peace prize. they're almost twice as many syrian refugees than locals living there. the ruling party put in the bid and says europe should look to the town as a model of human rights protection. >> reporter: you can see refugees camps inside syria. just a few kilometers to the north is the turkish town of kill >> translation: s which serves as an example of what can be done to help outside syria if the will is there. 90,000 who live here have been joined by 120,000 syrians who turkey has refused to turn its back on. they in turn have set up businesses and work together

with their hosts. just outside the center these women were making firewood with their children. they have been here for four years. it is not an easy life but, said this woman, they have been welcomed. she said she has no intention of crossing from turkey to greece. that is likely to be because killis has opened its doors to these people. so they believe their efforts is so deserving, it would be good for angela merkel to come and visit. the contrast between the way in which turkey is managing the refugee crisis and the chaos of the european union couldn't be any greater. frankly, it's hard to think of a single european town or city that could be tom natured for the noble peace prize in the way that killis has been.

so what, then, do the authorities say to a europe of increasingly closed borders. >> translation: killis today hosts more syrians than its own population. citizens of killis share their industry, streets and air with refugees. the efforts should be recognised by a noble peace prize >> reporter: of course elsewhere there's huge resentment to the refugees, but not here. lawrence lee in peru hundreds of people have marched to demand the qualification of the presidential front runner. protesters say there's evidence that she gave out gifts at rallies in violation of a law against vote buying. her chief rival party's failed

to comply with regulations. a show giving 12 people to pitch their idea and get funding in sudan. a report on how people are taking advantage of the opportunity. >> reporter: this man's business is not even a year old, but he can already see it dominating the african continent. he poured his savings into this app. it allows users to call for a taxi and pay for their ride in cash. it was inspired by the car service uber. >> we are pioneering sudan to make this business model. >> reporter: in order to expand, he says he needs to launch and advertising campaign beyond social media. that's why he is competing on this reality show. it is called my project and it is sponsored by the british government. the first prize is $35,000.

he is one of six finalists whittled down from about 15 hundred applicants. as pie are entrepreneurs in sudan can't get a loan without collateral. there are no venture capitalists looking for their next project. business owner says he created the reality show to nurture talent. sudan is one of the poorest did you notice in africa. the official unemployment rate is 15%. a reality colliding with the optimism of mogadishuuls in the making >> if you don't have a job where you can erp an income or family support, the consequences can be very, very dire. this is a fact of life. we do not have a social security system. you have to temper the enthusiasm a bit and not go

overboard. >> reporter: he says he has already won because of the training he has received and the name recognition. >> really, i'm feeling happy now. a lot of people know what is my business and what their services are. >> reporter: even so he says he will continue working two other jobs as he has a family to support a palestinian teacher has been short listed for the global teacher of the year award. it is given to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution. al jazeera met one of the finalists from romala. >> translation: i'm a second grade teacher. i had a personal experience with my children due to the surrounding violence. it affected their behaviour and

chooechts, but by playing games i was able to get them out of the shock-- achievements. the dominant thing in our class is violence mainly acquired by what they see and hear. playing games make them happy. happiness that they miss because of the israeli occupation. i make that they're happy. they play, have fun and learn. through games i was able to change their attitudes and as a result their academic achievements. having a palestinian teacher among the finalists for the global teacher prize proves that we can compete, succeed, compel and develop our methods and tools, teach and learn. we can build our state. i focus on children with special needs. they are marginalised mainly because of the high student

classes. they need special education and i'm confident they would be creative if they were given enough potential that's it for this bulletin, but you can always keep up-to-date with all these stories by logging onto other website at aljazeera.com plaguing america that goes by pass passion street names of k 2, spice, skooby snacks and green giant. they are synthetic can