a good person. jay is actually the personification of a good man. >> syrian surprise. >> i believe that the goals set out to the ministry of defense and the armed forces has in large part been fulfilled. >> vladimir putin orders russian troops to begin their withdrawal from syria as the civil war enters its sixth year and new peace talks get underway. ankara attack. funerals for victims of yesterday's car bombing in turkey's capital and the turkish

government launches new air strikes on kurdish targetse tarn northern iraq. hi alert, new video emerges of sunday's deadly hotel attack. and best teacher. a palestinian ex refugee wins global award for her work with students traumatized by violence. good evening i'm antonio mora, we begin al jazeera america international news hour by a surprise decision by russia, on the fifth anniversary of the war in syria. russian president vladimir putin announced this morning he is withdrawing most of russia's troops. gathering in geneva for a new round of talks to end the

conflict, it's unclear how many russian troops will remain in syria, it is unclear if russia will continue to conduct air strikes against terrorists, putin says he hopes the pullout is a step towards peace. >> translator: i hope this will significantly increase the level of trust of all participants in the political process in syria, and will help solve the syrian conflict peacefully. >> the u.s. has adopted a wait-and-see approach to the announced pullout. the white house has been against the russian deployment in syria from the start. al jazeera's jamie mcintire has more from the pentagon. >> well, antonio, putin is beginning to pull out most of his troops after a five month intervention, an intervention that he insisted was all about fighting terrorists but more, the united states feels, was

more about propping up bashar al-assad. the glim are of positive news, russia was limited to striking i.s.i.l. targets and it seemed to be doing so with gusto, targeting i.s.i.l. stron strongs in palmyra and ala boud. then came the totally unexpected statement from putin, the pullout of pain part of russian forces from syria saying their goal in large part has been fulfilled. a pentagon official admitted putin's pullout came as an utter advise and saying stay tuned. >> i'm going to have to reserve comment until we have a chance to take a look at it and make an assessment. >> the fact that the president will be speaking to vladimir

putin? >> i certainly wouldn't rule it out, we'll keen you posted. >> made a point of saying it will continue to have a presence at its long time naval base at tartus, newly established air base at latakia province. and the extension of runways and the installation of underground fuel tanks indicated a long term stay. also no surprise, the fact that with russia's oil dependent economy in decline the kremlin would need to end the expensive air war. the pentagon said the pace of the air campaign was unsustainable considering russia was not rotating in fresh aircraft nor performing routine maintenance on its war planes. still, administration critics such as senator john mccain said putin attained his goal and

lock in the spoils of war. in a staple, mccain said of the russians they have changed the military facts on the ground and created terms for a political statement more favorable to their interests. privately pentagon officials say aatacit missiona tacit mission,t i.s.i.l. while i.s.i.l. is nowhere near defeated. antonio. >> jamie mcintire at the pentagon.3 new round of talks aimed at ending the conflict in syria. al jazeera's diplomatic editor james bays is in mosk.

geneva. >> the u.n. negotiator bashar al jaffray has been here before. the man determined to be mediating between the two sides. >> this is a moment of truth. >> he told reporters there was no plan b for syria. if these talks fail there will be only more bloodshed. moving quickly to substantial issues. >> the mother of all issues, political transition. >> there was no sign they discussed that yet, ambassador jaffray says it's too early to discussion discuss transition, and the role of bashar al-assad is nonnegotiable. he spoke mostly of diplomatic issues. >> in diplomacy, the final framework is necessary to achieve success. no reaction to the

announcement from moscow but they're likely to be worried by the timing. because not only did the russian military intervention change things on the ground militarily, it also gave the assad regime extra diplomatic weight. meanwhile across town at the hotel where the main opposition block is staying, they say they are wary of anything the russians do but this could be a positive development for them. >> it will be important if this decision is taken, it will be more important if putin decide to really stand beside the syrian people, not beside the dictator. >> reporter: when the talks restart on tuesday the opposition side meet mr. de mistura, they are hoping the dynamics have just shifted in their favor. james bays, al jazeera at the united nations in geneva. a new report highlights the

impact of the war on syria's children. 3.7 million children were born since the conflict began. 300,000 of them were born as refugees. unicef says syria's 18 and under population is in urgent need of hiermhumanitarian aid, 8 million people. j.d, good to see you. in item world is vladimir putin suddenly doing this especially on the day peace talks are beginning? >> toint, great tantonio, great. he accomplished his objective, keeping bashar al-assad in power. basically last year we are talking about bashar al-assad falling any day. this military intervention kept him in power. even though bashar al-assad is not going to conquer all of syria, russian keeps their base

the only base outside of the soviet union and, is striking some of the i.s.i.s. targets, he accomplished all of his goals and now because his economy is in tatters because of the ukraine sanctions, he can pull out without achieving a victory. >> you're right, assad has not recovered most of the country nor will he, but about 5% more, but 5% is a big part of the populated areas. so from putin's standpoint. is it as he said, mission accomplished, he's propped up assad, keep the naval and air bases, and the base will be there if needor at least some of them will be? >> absolutely, he could send them back in a couple of days. this is a complete win for russia, a complete win for bashar al-assad and iran. >> on the other hand, to some extent at least doesn't it seem to pull the rug out from under

assad's negotiators for not having the russians fully committed? >> no i don't think so. they could come back in a few days. you mentioned that 5% of land that they took back, those were the terrorists according to putin. but according to us, the americans, those were the moderates that we were supporting. he was going against the moderates we liked. putin was going against them first and i.s.i.s. was really a secondary target for putin. >> not inclined transitioning away from assad. assad has sounded much more confident recently. do you think peace talks can go anywhere in that context? >> not really. peace will not be in syria or iraq for that matter, if the shia and the sunnies have their own anonymou autonomous region.

in iraq you had a majority shia being oppressed by a minority, sunni saddam hussein. once you take that out of syria, iraq it's just chaos. you have to separate them, like we separated yugoslavia, i was there in the '90s as a navy officer, there's peace because we killed the leaders and imprisoned them and made them seven different countries. the same should be in syria and iraq. >> the general argued that same last week, you would have these three states an alawite shia and sunni area, is there any way turkey would be open to any kind

of partition like that that would establish an independent kurdish land? >> well turkey wouldn't be for that but right now if you look at what's going on in syria and iraq, the kurds already have their own area there. turkey is a little different story, the pkk the terrorist group that are part of the kurds, over the decades with turkey they wouldn't want to have the kurds have their own land in turkey but wouldn't be so much against it if it was another land. america has much more for turkey. turkey believe it or not is being destabilized, a cult is led in the poconos of eight to 10,000. they have asked the u.s. to extradite him. he runs a large islamic uh islamist cult trying to establish a theocracy in turkey.

even though it's been on 60 minutes, this plan runs the largest charter school network. they're being investigated by the fbi for all sorts of abuse of the immigration system. there's a federal lawsuit saying he has kidnapped people for two years. we need him like a heart attack. we need to support turkey, we should deport patula kalin today. >> jd, really appreciate your insights, thank you. the source of the five year conflict and i.s.i.l.'s role in the country's civil war. we'll talk to an expert on the rebel group. and later, angela merkel's generous refugee policies come back to haunt her.

>> in tonight's in context statement. tonight parks the fifth anniversary of syria's war, armed conflict that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of syrians. for from al jazeera's zeina khodr. >> this is the way the war began syrians demanded freedom, reform, and this did so by peaceful protest, five years

later, he speaks to us behind one of the many front lines that divides the country. abdalla is a commander of one of the many armed groups on the ground. >> translator: i joined the revolution because we were living under oppression for years. for example we used to see people getting arrested for no reason and never leave prison. when protests began i was university student. at the start it was peaceful we asked for freedom a new constitution and end to the emergency law but they responded with violence. so we started to ask for the fall of the regime. there was more violence and woee were faced with no other choice but to carry arms. >> reporter: it didn't take long before the peaceful protesters disappeared, silencing the face of the opposition.abdalla like many other syrians found himself under fire and the popular uprising descending into an all

out civil war. abdalla says their goal has always been to achieve freedom and democracy but syrians now find themselves in the middle of a complex war that hat not only become sectarian but has drawn in regional and world powers. >> translator: we didn't think the struggle would last five years. we didn't ex expect this bloodsd or the point we are today, a divided syria. we didn't go out to the streets to divide syria. we took to the streets for a free syria. it was a great feeling back then. we were saying what we wanted to say and we felt free. >> reporter: a partial ceasefire that reduced the violence allowed them to return to the streets. these demonstrations from rebel held areas were a reminder to the world of the popular uprising that began in 2011. this slow begans and the chants were messages that said there is

still an opposition that still refuses to bend to the government. zeina khodr, al jazeera. the i.s.i.l. group still has strongholds and can roam freely mostly in iraq but mostly northern syria. i.s.i.l. has held ground in many areas but it is important to note some of the areas are empty dessert. desert. >> most recent book i.s.i.s. a history scheduled for release in april. he joins us from london. fawaz always good to have you with us. one point you make arab spring following decades of failure in the arab world and the economic popularization of arab societies played a role in the rise of i.s.i.l. >> absolutely antonio. the derailment of the arab

spring the hijacking of the arab spring by the old god by the old regimes by counter-revolutionary forces was one of the most important really significant factors in the rise or actually in the resurgence of i.s.i.s. or the so-called islamic state. i.s.i.s. is an extension of al qaeda in iraq. al qaeda in iraq was born as a result of the american-led invasion and occupation of iraq. al qaeda in iraq was defeated in 2010, 2011 when the americans left iraq in 2011, al qaeda in iraq was a spent force and what has happened is that al qaeda affiliated groups basically have hijacked the arab spring. what you have now is that i.s.i.s. is trying to say, trying the to take ownership of the arab spring, the millions of young and old arabs who basically risen against the failed political and economic order in the heart of the middle

east. >> one important point you make is that i.s.i.l.'s ideology is pretty much the destruction of civilization, and also, the destruction of civilizations. the ethnic cleansing of the yazidis, of the christians, drudes, kurds and of course how they're exploiting the shia-sunni divide and how you're describing the genocidal desires when it comes to the shia. >> antonio, i.s.i.l.'s very simple. whether it's a minority or whether it's sunni, i.s.i.s. is a hyper-sunni organization. any sunni, any sunni muslim any believer who does not accept who does not believe in its totalitarian ideology would be killed. so i.s.i.s. or the so-called islamic state does not really distinguish between minorities being the shias, the yazidis or

even the christians and the sunnies, anyone who doesn't accept its absolutist its any hilnilisticnilnilistic ideology. putting out the fires in the heart of the arab world of course i.s.i.s. will be able to succeed and find a base in the future. >> there was a vacuum of ideas and i.s.i.l. stepped into that vac up a and then you argue that woe need a revolution of ideas in order to defeat the group in the long term. is there any hope for such a revolution? >> not in the short term antonio. you're absolutely correct. i.s.i.s. is not only a symptom, the break down of institutions. it's about a governance void.

institutional void. developmental void. i mean the state system at the time heart of arab world has failed. has failed to offer, i mean, people and in particular young people, a kind of hope. you have a crisis of confidence, you have lack of opportunities. so in this particular sense what i.s.i.s. is trying to say well look, i have ideas. and the ideas are is to recess recollect the caliphate, the centralized islamic rule. but surely antonio we know from the arab spring millions of young and old arabs, men and women, old and young, basically called for freedom for justice for equality for dignity. we did not see many black flags of al qaeda or i.s.i.s. they did not call for the establishment of the caliphate. they called for establishment of a civil state. and the reason again why

i.s.i.s. has been able to do as well as it has is because it has tried to hijack the arab spring and because also the raging civil wars and the creeping sunni-shia basically tensions that have really ravaged arab and muslim societies in the last five years. >> how do these supposedly fanatically religious men justify the atrocities they commit, the organized rape the sexual slavery, you've described how they developed a bureaucracy of sexual slavery. >> absolutely, it's very simple antonio. they want to impose seventh century on the 21st century. basically they want to impose the past wholesale often the present. 14t14 centuries of islamic interpretation and reinterpretation toss it out of the window. they go back to seventh century

arabia. 99% of muslims live in the 21st century. the question antonio is not whether i.s.i.s. islamic or not. of course it's islamic but it's misleading, it distorts, it manipulates, takes certain and manipulates the past onto the present. in this fact i would argue that the overwhelming majority of muslims do not believe the ideology of i.s.i.s, it has a base, very small but very powerful base, people who believe in its ideology. >> you write about how i.s.i.l. is more focused on the near enemy than far enemy. you make it clear that even though i.s.i.l. is more dangerous to the west than al qaeda because of the thousands of foreign fighters who have joined and who could return. >> well, antonio, there is a

qualitative difference between al qaeda and osama bin laden that in fact the united states of america and the i.s.i.s. or the islamic state of ab abu bakr al baghdadi. while i.s.i.s. or the islamic state is focused on the near enemy on the syrian regime on the jordanian and the saudi regimes even though now it has begun to target the far enemy. the attacks on the russian plane, the attacks on suicide bombings in beirut, in the heart of paris. we're seeing a major major shift. yes, think antonio, it takes a few i mean recruits who basically terrorize paris and terrorize france in the last one year or so that we should not

lose sight of the strategic goal of i.s.i.s. i.s.i.s. or the islamic state is not focusing on western countries. it is focusing on home. the home front to establish an islamic state or the so-called caliphate and destroy the nation-state and replace it with a utopian totalitarian ideologic system like the one that exists in some parts of syria and iraq today. >> not just iraq and syria it's expanded to libya to yemen, to tunisia even pakistan and afghanistan, then aqap, aqim, and through middle east and central asia, is there a willingness to confront these groups in a way that could defeat them? >> first of all as you said antonio, it is a traveling ideology. it is expanding near and far. you have a lot of converts

throughout the world, especially the middle east and african, north african because it is offering a ideology. you need to rebuild the state on new foundation and offer the millions of young muslim men and women an alternative, an alternative, political and social order that gives them a stake in the future. that does not basically provide them with a utopia which is a mythology. without filling the vacuum ideas, the institutional ideas, the governance ideas, i believe that this ideology, celafhi jeefdishijihaddism will be withr years to come. >> always good to have you with us. it's a fascinating book. thank you for being with us.

>> thank you. >> hundreds of refugees formed a human change to cross a river to find a new home. and a prize for one of the best teachers in the world.

>> "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. welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm antonio mora. coming up in this half hour of

international news turkey strikes back aafter 30 were killed in a car bomb over the weekend. but first a look at the stories making headlines across the u.s. in our american minute. now to our global vie >> gop front runner donald trump was busy on the campaign trail today, he and his democratic counterpart, hillary clinton, hope to wrap up their respective nations if they can win the key states of ohio and florida . in kansas, an amtrak train derailed, from los angeles to chicago when eight cars left the traction. the national highway traffic safety administration indicated there was a misalignment on the rail. rivers rising to record levels in texas, louisiana and mississippi. more than 5,000 homes have been

damaged in louisiana alone, five deaths reported in that state. turkey is burying the victims of a bombing in its capital ankara. 17 people were laid to rest today, at least 37 died when a car bomb exploded at a busy bus station on sunday. al jazeera's mohammed jamjoom reports on the latest in a string of deadly bombings that are shocking turks. >> reporter: in ankara a palpable sense of worry, a visceral sense of fear. as investigators continue to comb the scene, residents were still reeling from the second such blast to rip through the heart of this city in less than a month. and the third attack to hit turkey's capital since october. >> translator: there are very serious and almost certain findings that point to the separatist terrorist organization but of course this

will be unveiled after the investigation is complete. >> reporter: in all, over 200 people have been killed in a string of suicide bombings in turkey since last summer. attacks that turkey blamed either on i.s.i.l. or kurdish militants. >> turkey i can say is under immense threat from various state and nonstate actors. the crisis in syria has put turkey at odds with russia with iran obviously syria as a state and some other countries in the region, as well as nonstate actors and terrorist organizations, and these terrorist organizations are all around the full spectrum with left wing pkk on the one hand and the islamist daesh on the odor hand. >> with fallout from the syrian civil war still affecting the country, turkey is fighting two conflicts at the same time.

one as the u.s. backed coalition against i.s.i.l. and the other against the pkk a group designated as a terrorist organization by turkey and its nato allies. no single recent tack has high leaded just how complicated the situation in turkey has become, more than the one in february. 29 people were killed, most of them members of turkey's military when a convoy of buses was targeted. while a small turkish separatist group known as the turkish freedom hawks were blamed for the bombing, the syrian force that works with the u.s. in the battle against i.s.i.l. turkish officials accuse this group of being a kurdish affiliate of the pkk. when a fragile truce fell apart in july, a conflict that began in 1984 and has led to the loss of tens of thousands of lives

was reignited. now, turkey is involved in battling kurdish militants both inside and outside its borders. the government has stated repeatedly that it will not be deterred in its fight against what it designates as terrorism, that it will do what needs to be done to protect the citizens of turkey but with the escalation in these types of attacks there's growing concern about the overall state of security. ftc while thwhile the shock pere cleanup continued and the shops opened. while some were removed into a sense of normality, others wonder if they will have to adjust to a frightening normality. mohammed jamjoom, al jazeera, ankara. 18 killed three gunmen shot in ivory coast, an al qaeda

affiliate is claiming responsibility. al jazeera's nicholas haque reports. >> selling jewelry to a young mother and her baby on the beach while she heard the first volley of shots. still shake.she has come to the tourist hotel to check up on the woman. >> they were shooting at her, she was holding her baby, she fell on the ground pretending to be dead. then they moved into the hotel. it was so scary. >> reporter: this video surveillance footage shows the moment staff and guests realize gunmen were storming the hotel. moments after the bar clears you see one of the attackers brandishing a machine gun. simultaneous assault on three beach hotels lasted for hours. we walked inside one of them. the panic and the carnage that followed is still visible. dozens were killed and more injured. some eyewitnesses believe the

attackers may have been local. >> we are worried. they were speaking english. but also, in french, like we do. >> the survivors of the killings mostly french ex patriots and ivorians have left the hotel heading home. >> translator: i heard what was happening and we hid in the toilets, i waited there and didn't want to leave. it seemed next to us the people were dying. >> armed personnel continue to secure and clear the hotel. security forces have just found a suspicious device buried in the sand. they think it's an explosive device so they have asked us to leave the beach. al qaeda in the islamic maghreb claimed responsibility for the attack. security forces are organizing a reenactment of the events, asking forces for as much

information as possible, trying to assemble clues so something like this doesn't happen again. she hopes she's safe. nicholas haque, al jazeera, ivory coast. jason rezaian was released in january after being held for 18 months on espionage charges. he met with the president at the state department. the visit comes on the heels of a new state department warning about traveling to iran. the warning reiterates and highlights the risk of arrest and die tension of u.s. citizens especially dual national iranian americans. iranian government has come under fire for letting people in but german chancellor angela merkel says she will continue

with her policy despite heavy losses in the election. al jazeera's dominic cain reports. >> monday morning and people are enjoying the late winter sunshine. outwardly life is going on as normal but politically the landscape has shifted. now nearly 1 in 4 people in this state supports the right wing antirefugee party, afd. >> i have voted afd because i don't agree with the policies of the chancellor. she must learn first and foremost to think of her own people. >> reporter: german media has called this a referendum on angela merkel's sluangela merke. they say her stance is costing her and her party's votes. but she say her policies won't change. >> it was a hard day for us. the refugee policy was the defining policy, people say there's no viable solution to

it. it impacted on everything. we're working on a solution but not there yet. >> reporter: no such doubts for the afd. they see sunday's results as a vindication. >> germany and greece are the only two states in europe that have not realized what the other 28 countries want to control. european and national borders again to achieve that we can help asylum seekers real asylum seekers and refugees but keep out migrants in the first place because to treat migration we need migration laws and we haven't got a proar proper migrn law in germany any. >> despite their pattern success the road ahead is rocky. none of the other main parties will work with them. and the majority of voters do not support them. >> translator: that the afd has performed so well i'm not

happy about because they are too far to the right. >> reporter: in the last election the christian democrats governed this state in the grant coalition with the social democrats but sunday's results has made that combination impossible. what it means for federal grand coalition nationally is another question. dominic cain, al jazeera dmm saxon anheld. >> new worry about brazilian presidendilma rousseff. macedonia has been detaining migrants trying to cross from greece, crossed the river near the border today. macedonia's government has vowed

them to return them to greece. al jazeera's mohammad adow has our report. >> reporter: desperate with their journey north wards, hundreds make a dramatic crossing of the river from greece to macedonia, helping the women and children cross the fast-moving river. hundreds were successful, holding their children and belongings over their head as they waded across. >> we don't have the option, we have children and not the most basic of is provisions, toilets or nothing. >> 1,000 migrants including children left the sprawling camp in the greek village of idomeni, they walked the border, in a hope to find a way into macedonia, this is what they are trying to leave behind.

refugee camp at idomeni a byword for agony, for these people life is a daily endurance, days and months of rainfall have also added on to their misery. the flimsy tents they live in offer them little protect from the rain and cold. to stay warm they burn wood donated by the villages as well as plastic and old clothes. >> look at how we are living, our children are sick, no tents no assistance all we want to do is to get to germany. >> health officials say they have treated over 100 children. >> they have upper respiratory disease, some infections or

lower respiratory disease. we have gastroenteritis, and a few parasitical disease. >> hepatitis a has medical workers worried most. >> what we don't know and we are worried, the vaccination status of the children because coming from a war area, the vaccination is not complete or is, they're undervaccinated. so we can have some sporadic case of vaccine preventible disease. >> they say they're planning a vaccination campaign for all the children in the camp. mohammad adow, al jazeera, idomeni on the greece-macedonia border. >> thousands of iranian asylum seekers are anxiously watching a meeting between the iranian mirntseministers tomorrow.

>> these protesters see it as a case of love denied. fled iran in 2012, after she says she was raped by her stepfather. she came to australia by boat anet an iranian refugee has a visa to stay in australia permanently. the two fell in love and married. they rejected her claim to be a refugee. they put her in a detention center a prison in darwin and wants to deport her back to iran. for her husband who has her photos her weddin wedding veil t her body. >> my heart would break. she already lived there with me, part of our family. we love her, both my parents

they love her and we really want her to come back. >> this week though deportation could get closer. the nuclear deal with tehran and the lifting of sanctions has warmed relations between australia and iran. today iran has refused to accept deportees from australia, australia's foreign minister hopes a deal can be done. >> it's certainly a goal but not something i'm personally negotiating with foreign minister zarif. it will be done by officials. >> if it happens, many families will be divided. there are thousands of other iranians who could be sent back from australia to iran if a deal is reached. about 9,000 iranians who came to australia by boat are not australia says refugees. sending them home would be a signal to others not to try to

come. but human rights activists are outraged. >> one of the fundamental principles of refugee law is nonreferment. that means a individual who is at risk should not be returned to a country where they may be put at further risk. >> she is convinced if she is put back his wife will be put straight in an iranian prison or worse. andrew thomas, al jazeera, brisbane. >> 8,000 applied but only with you was named the world's best teacher. up next a million dollar prize for a palestinian teacher. and also an paper sport hits the road finding more and more fans in south africa. bmx bike racing. and join us tomorrow for special coverage waf could be for whata

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>> recognition and riches for a palestinian educator who promotes peace in her classroom. it's called the global teacher prize and comes with a check for a million u.s. dollars.

joanna blendell as the story of the woman considered the best teacher in the world. >> the global teacher prize, when the winner was announced, a few hundred kilometers away in dubai, the celebration broke out, hannah an educator from west bank accepted the prize for all teachers. >> you are the power, you are the true power. believe in your ideas, work on them. challenge the world, convince people of your ideas so you can spread them and you will find yourself here. >> she grew up in a refugee camp near bethlehem. she has acclaimed for teacher on nonviolence and ethics. a book called we play and learn. she received honors from her

colleagues and the palestinian ministry of education. >> this is a victory for palestine which adds palestine on the international flag of knowledge. >> the $1 million prize she says she will promote educational methods and support her colleagues in the palestinian territories. now to our global view segment with a look at how news outlets across the world are reacting to various events. germany's der spiegel, pop lasts and demagogues, the country's nazi past kept them away from office but the refugee situation brought them to the mainstream. cool headed realist thinkers someone who has a true

understanding of the limits of power of. the paper says the u.s. president thinks long and hard about foreign policy, the appropriate use of power and the u.s. leadership roots role in the world anrole in theworld. the irish times, says shows that despite the outpouring of support after the photo last september of the drown boy who washed up on turkey's shores, the eu sees the refugees as problems, not as people. an american sport is taking off in south africa, bmx racing originated in the u.s. but its appeal is going global. tanya page has the story. >> it's soccer not cycling that most south african young sisters are inspired by but here bmx

biking has a shawl but passionate following. this place is a small place that is safe to hang out after school. the academy's manager says many young sisters come here with physical and meantal scars, in need of guidance off the bike. >> the perseverance and patience of the kids, leaving his or her household hungry but coming to train just to make sure he achieves his goal, issues at home maybe the guardian or whatever was drunk last night. he will make sure he is here at 4:00. >> reporter: this is more than just a cycling academy. there is a lot of emphasis on academic achievement as well. the excitement of riding and the potential to be sports stars that draws these children in. but if they don't maintain good academic standards they could have their bicycles taken off them. so before they're allowed to ride they have to study.

the academy provides tutors often saturdays to help kids struggling with their lessons. jim is the biggest star, both parents were killed by the hiv virus, grew up in a shack and now he lives in italy. he says he's the biggest fan of the star rider. from the cool bu school bus he a quick stop at the one bedroom house he shares with his grandmother. his mother died when he i was a baby. he is happiest on his bike. >> there is a lot of violence especially here, that's why i chose the academy to take me away from the bad stuff outside. >> reporter: last year he was stabbed in the back by a gang member who thought he was someone else.

he feels much safer on a bike, training with friends who sawl awl have the same dream. -- all have the same dream. tanya page, south africa.. >> a businessman in sweden has opened the first unmanned convenience store. once inside, they scan what they want, the store manager said he was inspired by one night he needed baby food and had to drive 20 miles to the first open shop. his store is open 24-7, security cameras are installed to discourage theft. next, how climate change could force millions of people from their homes. i'll be back with more news in two minutes.

good evening, i'm antonio mora, this is al jazeera america. presidential contest in the united states on tuesday could lead to a decisive day for both parties. >> tomorrow's the day we'll start the country plenty of enthusiasm from senator marco rubio - successes and regrets as his campaign searches for a win withdrawing forces from syria, the factors that have russian president vladimir putin changing strategy. >> what the intention is is to look for traces of methane gas. a new mission to mars - a two-pronged attack to better