welcome. you're watching al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. myanmar's parliament elects a civilian president after almost half a century of military rule. refugees stranded in greece make a desperate attempt to cross over into macedonia. also this hour we're in the state of ohio. a must win for u.s. hopefuls in

the race for the white house the russian president vladimir putin says hits forces have begun their partial withdrawal from syria. the announcement comes as u.n. brokered talks aimed at ending the five year old conflict enter a second day in geneva. >> reporter: russian air strikes in syria have allowed the syrian government to regain lost ground while also killing hundreds of people. that appears to be coming to an end. vladimir putin says they have achieved what they came to achieve. back in september that was helping syrian president bashar al-assad fight what he calls terrorists. >> translation: i believe that the goals set out the ministry of defense and the armed forces have overall been fulfilled. that's why i ordered the pull out of our military group

possessing from the area. >> reporter: the syrian government told the decision and said it was a joint one. the syrian opposition is cautious. the timing of the announcement was significant. it was made at the same time as u.n.-led talks were going on in geneva. the message from putin to his diplomats, it's their turn. >> our diplomacy has received a time to march. so it should be - we believe that we have helped undercut their infrastructure, under mine their infrastructure, destroy much of their infrastructure. the fight against terrorists there is going to continue. >> reporter: moscow will keep control of an air base in latakia and they still have control of another area >> the air strikes have already declined, so pulling out the air force is not a major - it won't have much effect on the battle. plus they made clear - vladimir putin made clear that russia

will keep access to the space so they can easily come back in, in the future. >> reporter: russia's air strikes were expensive, but they might have bought moscow something bsh shall priceless. they used military force but they did as part of creating a diplomatic political process where now russia co chairs the political process with the u.s., which is a dramatic increase in russian power and influence over this process. >> reporter: but a military pull back from russia does not mean there will be progress in talks on syria. there are many other players in the war and many of them are still on the ground willing to fight or senior correspondent joins us live. she has reported extensively on the war in syria. 166/167 days of bombing. what has it achieved? >> undoubtedly the syrian government is in a stronger

position and what the syrian government and its allies have been trying to do is to use the strategic efforts made on the ground as diplomatic leverage. now we have heard putin's announcement. many say this will help the peace process. the white house said that the russian's military intervention made it more difficult to bring about the political transition. so a lot of people are seeing this as a message, really. first, to the west international community. this is not going to be an open-ended conflict. we don't want another afghanistan. a few weeks ago the russian u.n. envoy staffan de mistura told the syrian president when he said he wanted to recapture the whole country, he said this is not in line with our policies. is russia saying we don't want a military solution, but a political settlement. it needs to be flexible. it is about political transition, something the government does not want to discuss, but the government has been saying from day one, this

is a fight against terrorism. we have to remember this is not an end to the military presence and the fact that the s4 hundreds are still on the ground means russia is still the maybe external player in syria there are so many potential microcosms of the syrian conflict within the country. aleppo, a city that came close to being totally destroyed. it is still ongoing >> definitely. many layers to the conflict. this is not just the opposition versus the government. there is a new layer of conflict which is brewing right now in idlib close to aleppo. the al-nusra front is going after the remaining groups allied with the pre-syrian army allied with the west. they have clamped down to suppress protests in the streets. they have looted the warehouses of the 13 divisions.

al-nusra is approaching another position. they have been weakened by the syrian government and now you have the opposition being weakened by al-nusra. the questioning is if a political deal is reached in geneva, then we're going to see more war between al-nusra and the rebel groups as well as the government on the ground for the west they had to negotiate with the key makers, with the kremlin, they changed their language in some of the communiques to bring it into line with what lavrov was saying. mr putin gets a seat at the big table. how does that need into the peace process? >> at the end of the day there is cooperation. there is russian-american cooperation on the ground. we were both on air on that day when it was announced the cessation of hostilities. he was announcing it from jordan, a country which was supposed to put the list of terrorist groups in syria. there is some sort of agreement between the russians and the americans. you talk to anyone in the open

silgs and they will tell you they are worried and that the world has abandoned them. no doubt we are at least over the past five years many turning points, but this is different. we've seen military gains on the ground as well as a real push by the international community to try to find some sort of political settlement in syria thank you. three refugees have died wading across the river trying to get into macedonia. hundreds made the attempt and many of them are being held by the police there. the group had abandoned a makeshift camp in greece where thousands were stranded after the border was closed. >> reporter: desperate to continue with their journey northwards, hundreds of refugees make a dramatic crossing here. young men formed a human chain helping the women, children and elderly cross the fast-moving river.

hundreds were successful carrying their children and belongings over their head >> translation: we have no option but to go on. we have children and we don't have the basic services, no toilets, nothing. >> reporter: police have confirmed they're holding about 400 refugees who breached their border with greece. some one now migrants including children left this sprawling camp in idomeni. they walked along the fence on the border that keeps them back in the hope that they will find a way into macedonia. this is what they're trying to leave behind, the camp here that is fast becoming a word for misery. humanitarian agencies here offer a place to sleep for some, but thousands spend the night in small tents pitched around the fields while others don't have an at any particular time. it has added to their misery.

the flimsy tents offer them little protection from the rain and cold. to stay warm they burn wood as well as pieces of plastic and old clothes. ic along at how we're-- look at how we're living. our children are sick. we have no assistance. we just went to get to germ yee. >> reporter: 100 children have been treated for different ailments in the last few days. >> now they have respiratory diseases. some infections or lower respiratory disease. we have some gastro and a few disease. >> reporter: it is a case of a nine year old girl who tested positive for hepatitis a that has medical workers worried most. >> what we don't know and we are worried, the vaccination status

of the p children because coming from a war area, the vaccinations is not complete or they're undervaccinated so we can have sporadic case of preventible disease within the last hour or so myanmar's parliament has elected a new president. he is the country's first democratically leader after more than 50 years of military rule. he is a long-time confidente of aung san suu kyi. the constitution aung san suu kyi from the role of president because her two sons of british passports. the new president will take office on 1 april. joining us from bangkok is our correspondent wayne hay. who is he? >> reporter: he is a 69-year-old member of the n.l.d. party of

aung san suu kyi, the leader of that party. he is not a member of parliament, which has caused some consternation within the military which, of course, remains a very powerful political force. he has strong connections to the party. his father was a member of the party, his father-in-law was one of the founding members of the n.l.d. so strong connections to that. as you say, very close to the party leader aung san suu kyi. in fact, they went to school together many years ago. he is an entrusted ally of her. he is very loyal to her. that is important because there is a feeling that the n.l.d. hasn't given up hope that aung san suu kyi can become president. they might push for constitutional amendment again. if that is possible, he will need to step aside for her is he a proxy or is he his own man? >> reporter: i think he will very much be a proxy. i think that she has made it

very clear, aung san suu kyi, that she will be above the president. she said that pretty soon after november's election, but she hadn't said what her role will be, what title she will have. there is some speculation that she could be prime minister, but it is clear that sympathy will be in charge-- she will be in charge and he will be a proxy to do what he is told, basically, and even last week we saw that when the nominations were made in the upper and lower houses of parliament, that the members of the n.l.d. were told after those nominations were made by aung san suu kyi why these people were put forward, why he was their pressed candidate. it appears within that party it wasn't a democratic process. it will be an interesting situation going force that process is really the military being involved in change, how predisposed are they of changing the constitution, not straightaway, but in six to

12 months? >> reporter: we have no idea. what we do know is there have been negotiations since the election between aung san suu kyi and the military. those negotiations clearly were unsuccessful because she hasn't been able to get them to agree to setting aside that section of the constitution which prevents her from becoming the president. she is not saying publicly that she still wants to do that, but there have been comments from within the n.l.d. from other senior figures that they still want her to be the president of myanmar. in fact, that it could happen within the next 12 months. that could also cause even more problems with the military. the man that they have chosen for vice president or their presidential nomination, is a hard liner, a former general within the military, a close ally of the former military dictator. so that in itself is being seen as a push back against the n.l.d.

it will be very tough for aung san suu kyi and the n.l.d. as a whole to amend that constitution in the near future, i would imagine thank you very much. still to come for you here on al jazeera, tourists in the ivory coast pack up and leave after sunday's deadly attack. we will meet the team behind chile's first oscar success. oscar success.

welcome back. top stories. russia withdrawing the main part of its forces from syria. the russian military began an

air campaign in september to support bashar al-assad. mr putin says most of the military's goals have been achieved. three refugees have died wading across the border trying to get into macedonia. many are being held by the police. the first democratically leader in myanmar. it's not just russia that has been involved in the conflict in sar. saudi arabia and u.s. have funded and trained opposition fighters. >> reporter: syrian rebels shoot down a military plane from the skies are over this province. five years since the start of the uprising in syria. neither bashar al-assad nor the rebels seem to have the upper hand.

what started as an art cry against-- out cry against oppression turned into a full blow conflict. these are hezbollah fighters. they say they prevent rebels running into lebanon. hezbollah has been labelled a terrorist organization, a group accused of killing groups in syria. the hezbollah leader says it won't deter his group from sending fighters to syria >> translation: we are not ashamed. we don't have to justify our fight in syria. no-one gave us orders to send troops, not even iran. going there was our decision. it was our will. >> reporter: the army of islam is one of the opposition's largest fighting groups. based on the outskirts of the

capital, it is backed mainly by saudi arabia. it is one of the many rebel factions trained and financed by rich gulf countries and turkey. >> in syria we are working to bring about change, political change, if possible, to what is happening in syria in order to remove a man who was responsible for the murder of 300,000 people, the displacement of 12 million and the destruction of a nation. >> reporter: but many regional players are involved in the conflict. iran and russia are bad's main backers-- bashar al-assad's main backers. when the turks shot down a russian military plane, they said it had violated their airspace. the u.s. is another major player in the conflict.

it says it wants bashar al-assad to go and now appears to think that can be achieved by diplomatic means, but the bashar al-assad's fate may not be beside any time soon amid growing differences, this will be the key actors in the syrian conflict the police in it you are key broke up two separate demonstrations in istanbul on monday. people were protesting about sunday's car bomb attack in the capital that kilted at least 37 people. chanted slogans for the government to design. government ministers from france are travelling to the ivory coast. it is a show of support following an attack on a beach resort on sunday. 18 people were killed. >> reporter: this woman was selling jewellery to a young mother with her baby on the

beach. she has come back to the hotel to check up on the woman. >> translation: they were shooting at her. she was holding her baby and she fell on the ground pretending to be dead. then they moved inside the hotel. it was so scary. >> reporter: this video surveillance footage shows the moment staff and guests realized gunmen were storming the hotel. moments after, you see one of the attackers brandishing a machine gun. there was a simultaneous assault on three beach hotel lasted for hours. the carnage that followed is visible. >> translation: we are worried. they were speaking english, but also in french like we do. >> reporter: the survivors of the killings, mostly french expa

tree on thes-- expa tree on thes-- exp, atrions have left. >> translation: people seemed to be dying all around. >> reporter: personnel continued to clean and secure the hotel. security forces have found a suspicious device buried in the sand. they think it's an explosive device so we have been asked to move away. french intelligence officers warned there could be more attacks on the way. security forces are organising a reenactment of the event asking those eyewitnesses for as much information as possible trying to find clues as to what the security lapses were to ensure this doesn't happen again. this lady is still looking for the young woman on the beach hoping she is safe

the north korean leader says pyongyang will be conducting nuclear war head tests soon. the country will also fire ballistic missiles to test their ability to carry nuclear warheads. he made the announcement as he was over seeing a simulation for reentry technology of a ballistic rocket test. immigration topped the agenda as iran's foreign minister visited canberra. his australia counterpart julie bishop called the meeting positive and detailed. >> i've also discussed matters of concern to australia. iran's recent ballistic missile test. we've discussed human rights issues. we have discussed issues relating to iran's relationships with other countries in the region, particularly israel, saudi arabia and in yemen. overall, it has been a very

positive discussion. we have also touched on issues of concern to australia, particularly on defeating the people smuggling trade and issues of illegal immigration into our country the president of el salvador is considering whether to declare a state of emergency to tackle gang violence. the country's judge has called on the forces to use the military. 140 people have been killed since january. to the u.s. where presidential candidates are busy preparing ahead of an important round of primaries on tuesday. special attention is being paid to ohio. the state has supported the nominee that has become president since 1964. >> reporter: this man and his family have been working this 4000-hectare corn and wheat farm

for four generations. their political views have also changed little >> there is a lot of business in the state. its agricultural and conservative. there are a lot of votes up for grabs. >> reporter: he hasn't decided which candidate he will support. he says he will vote like so many here for a conservative candidate. ohio's population isn't primarily rural. two-thirds of the state residents are concentrated in cities, and many votes on the opposite end of the political spectrum. >> reporter: this woman is one-- man is one of them. he moved to the city as a young man. he says the move helped shape his political views to vote for a democratic candidate because he believes the party's platform is more inclusive

>> you have to look across the aisle and you see a party that is stilly discriminately against minorities, against women, against people with disabilities. america is a very diverse place now. it is a place that stood with a number of different ethnic groups. >> reporter: his polarizing political interests is what makes one of the states here swing states. it is often too hard to predict. so their battle is to support every and every voter. it has become a political battleground for another reason. over the weekend a protester stormed the stage at a republican rally for donald trump. one reason john kasich is hoping the state's primary is where he sl finally establish himself as the alternative candidate >> a lot have been getting him to get out of the race and he is

saying i can't do it, i'm the only one person who can win ohio and if i don't, donald trump has it. >> reporter: this is why millions have been spent reaching out to voters here. they know a win will come down to turn out, and which candidate can best convince ohio residents to vote a chilian an mated short inspired by history of war and separation, the film is meant to offer some degree of hope. our correspondent has been meeting the team being hailed as heros in their neighborhood in the capital city. >> reporter: surrounded by school children, film director is received an a hero in this neighborhood where he was raised. it is the same lower middle class neighborhood that you

recognise in his animated film the bear story. a ten and a half minutes it takes the viewer on a roller coaster of emotions, joy, hard break to intense nostalgia. >> translation: the idea was to portray a character separated from his family. it was inspired by the exile of my grandfather who was arrested during the dictatorship and ex-island in england. it was important that this not be literal. for the film to be universal so anybody from anywhere could relate to it. >> reporter: the theme of families and forced separation does strike a cord anywhere, but especially in countries that have or still are living in war or oppression. bear's story is a david very suss golliath tale, to win

chile's its first oscar for a locally-made film. right here in the neighborhood, this message is quite clear and translates more or less into yes, we can, a message to these young people to follow their dreams. >> reporter: the bear story took almost four years to make. >> translation: having a small budget means you have to finance it as you go. often stopping to do other things to pay for your projects. >> reporter: now even quentin taratino is reported to be inspired to make a feature film about the bear story. >> translation: these are the types of stories we propose >> reporter: a story that few dreamed could win an oscar and which now could inspire others who thought it was impossible to compete with hollywood

lots more news for you whenever you want it on our website, aljazeera.com, including the latest there. you can talk to us on facebook and twitter as well. in a race against time, scientists are working on a lab-based rhino alternative >> we want to preserve traditions and animals will it pass as real, will it satisfy the demand, will it help save the species?