♪ >> celebrations in russia as forces return back home from their military operations in syria. hello welcome to al jazeera, live from our headquarters in doha. i'm jane dutton. parliament has elected a civilian leader in myanmar after more than half a century of military rule. and we are in the u.s. state of chicago, and another big day in the race for the white house.

french government ministers arrive in ivory coast, which is mourning after an al-qaeda attack. ♪ russia has begun pulling some of its forces out of syria. the first group of war planes has already left. around a thousand troops are expected to stay in the country. the russian military began its air campaign in september. this comes as a syrian government delegation and the opposition meet in geneva to try to end the war. 250,000 people have been killed according to the underup. and half of the country's population has been displaced. zana hoda has more on the russian withdrawal. >> reporter: russian troops are arriving home, a day after a surprise announcement by president vladimir putin.

the russian leader said the main part of its forces would be pulled out nchltd -- no details have been given on how many planes will be pulled out. >> translator: i believe that the goals set out from the ministry of defense and armed forces has overall been fulfilled, and that's why i ordered the pullout of the main part of our grouping. >> reporter: the move has been welcomed by the syrian opposition as well as by the white house. they belief it will put pressure on the damascus government to be more flexible. the timing of the announcement was significant, it coincided with resumed u.n.-lead talks in geneva. the message, it's your turn. >> our diplomacy has received marching efforts to achieve

political settlement in syria. we believe we have helped undercut their infrastructure and destroy much of their infrastructure. the fight against terrorists is going to continue. >> reporter: russian air strike have allowed the syrian government to regain lost ground especially on front lines. >> they used military force, but more importantly, they did it as part of creating a diplomatic, political process, where now russia co-chairs the political process with the united states, which is a dramatic increase in russian power and influence over this proskesz. >> reporter: moscow will keep control of an air base in the mediterranean, and they still have control of the port further south. russian's intervention was expensive but bought moscow more

political influence, especially with the u.s. >> air strikes have already declined so pulling out the air force won't have much effect in the battle. plus putin made clear they russia will keep access to air spaces so they can easily come back in the future. >> reporter: a few weeks ago russia criticized assad for saying he would one day recapture the whole of syria. the military pullback could be another message to the damascus regime to be more flexible, after all russia does not want and cannot afford an open-ended conflict. it remains to be seen whether this creates a path to the peace process. >> james bayes joins us live

from geneva. james i'm wondering what sort of impact this news had there? >> reporter: it has had a big impact, everyone is talking about what the russians are starting to do. more importantly, they are asking why now? and what exactly is mr. president putin's aim in all of this? is it simply now to lock in the gains of the russian military involvement that have been made by the assad regime, or is it something different? is it now a jet onning of assad by president putin. it certainly changes the context for these talks. i got some reaction to the russian announcement from the spokesman for the main opposition block, the high negotiations committee. >> it could be a big relief for our people in syria, if we see this really on the ground, and we hope to see it, you know, very soon.

it's a positive step, a positive decision, and i believe it needs interpretation on the ground there. if we see it, then this will help us in this process here. and it will help, really, lift this suffer for the syrians, because assad, really commits a crime because he is defending on the support of the russians, support of putin, but if the decision of putin is to put these troops out, this will help us, really, to reach a political agreement and really achieve something for our own people there, and i hope it will be an end to all of the fights in syria? >> reporter: does it mean that president putin is still supporting president assad? >> until now, yes. yes, he is supporting. but we really want another good step from him, another good decision and brave decision to

really to be on the side of the syrian people instead of on the side of the dictator, you know, assad. >> reporter: there have been some suggestions that maybe there's a secret deal between the u.s. and russia. if part of that deal was for president assad to stay on for a time, would you be prepared to compromise on that? >> really, we don't know if there is such a deal. but we know there is big efforts from the states, from european countries, that really made putin to take this decision. there were, some -- i believe some talks between the states and -- and russia, and hopefully that, really, the big decision would be -- is to really bring democracy, bring freedom to syrians, away from this regime. i don't think it's acceptable amongst syrians to see assad any

longer. >> james what happens now after this move by russia, and the buzz around it? >> reporter: well, the talks continue, and we're really only very early into this round of talks. we have the government here on monday for their meeting with the mediator, stephane demistura, and now we have the parallel meeting, the first meeting in this round of negotiations with the main opposition block, the high negotiations committee, the man you just heard from, he'll be there, along with staffan de mistura, he has put out a statement welcoming the russian move. he says it is a significant development, at it hopes it will positively impact this talks process. >> thank you, james. myanmar's parliament has elected a new president, but he is already being called a proxy president. it is expected the real power

behind the thrown will be the ruling party leader. members of parliament voted decisively for the man they want to lead the country two a new era. >> translator: we announce that he wins the majority votes and is selected to be the president of myanmar. [ applause ] >> reporter: it was no surprise given he is from the national league for democracy party that won november's election and.com nights both houses of parliament. but he is expected to be a figure head only. the party leader has made it clear, she will be the one calls the shots. she is barred from becoming president because she has immediate family members who are foreigners. negotiations with the military to set aside that section of the constitution, failed.

it is believed that the nld will not wait long to make another attempt. the armed forces will remain very powerful, retaining control of three ministries and veto power over constitutional change. their presidential nomination is known to be a hard liner, under military rule, he oversaw a violent crackdown on an anti government protest lead by buddist monks in 2007. his nomination is being seen as a sign that the military will not let the nld have its own way completely. wayne haye, al jazeera, bangkok. in the u.s. voters in five states will get their chance to vote for their preferred presidential candidate on tuesday. polls are open in florida, ohio, illinois, missouri, and north

carolina, where republican and democratic vote escher -- voters are casting ballots. the winner in this state has gone on to win the race for the white house every time since 1964. our correspondent is in the state of north carolina. he sent this update. >> reporter: this could be one of the most critical days in the primary season thus far. we're here in the state of north carolina, one of the states where voters will be going to the polls, but we're also going to be watching the states of ohio and florida as well. marco rubio the senator of florida needs to win his home state. in ohio, the governor there, john kasich is hoping to win his home state of ohio. of course we have ted cruz who is also looking to win some states as well. everyone on the republican side trying to still catch the front runner, real estate mo gel

donald trump, who is still leading and hopes to win florida and other states for him and his supporters and essentially pull away from the rest of the pack to try to secure the republican nomination. on the democratic side they are going to the polls as well. hillary clinton still the front runner there. but bernie sanders coming off of his win last week in michigan, and he is doing very well in polls in ohio, missouri, and illinois. he is looking to continue some of his momentum to carry on his fight against hillary clinton as well. still to come, thailand vows to fight human trafficking with many powerful people implicated. i'm rob reynolds in austin, texas, the self-described live music capitol of the world. we'll take a look at how hard it is to make a living as a

musician here. ♪

♪ hello again, the top stories. russia has begun withdrawing his forces from syria, they were welcomed as they returned to their base in central russia. russia began their air campaign in september. myanmar's parliament has elected a new president. htin kyaw is the first democratically elected leader after more than 50 years of military rule. his long time ally of the ruling

party, aung san suu kyi, the constitution bars her from being president because her children are british citizens. and voters in the united states will choose their presidential candidate in florida, ohio, illinois, missouri, and north carolina. ohio is a key state. the republican candidate that wins ohio has won the white house every time since 1964. let's get more now on our top story. russia's decision to begin pulling its forces out of syria. let's take a look at moscow's military operation in the country. it has carried out an estimated 9,000 bombing raids over syria. spanning 10,000 square kilometers. but activists say many russian air strikes were in fact directed against syrian rebel groups that the western powers regard to as moderate, a it's

estimated that around a thousand civilians have been killed in russian bombing. a senior associate at the middle east center in beirut joins us live via skype. very good to have you with us. let me begin by asking you what sort of impact do you think this move by russia will have on negotiations? >> well, i'll flip that around. i think the real question is why has russia now ended its intervention? and my sense is there is only one of two plausible explanations. the first and most takt one is that putin has come to the conclusion that he will not be able to engineer a political deal in association with any u.s., et cetera, for whatever reason, probably because the positions are too far apart between the opposition, saudi

arabia, et cetera on the one side, and the assad regime on the other, possibly also because if russia feels it is not able to persuade the assad regime to give such concessions that are favorable even to the assad regime. so my sense is that the only reason to withdraw at this time, just on the eve of a major military operation to retake the city of palmyra, i think the only real explanation has to be that putin does not expect there to be a deal, and therefore, he is pulling out, saying we accomplished what we came to do, because that is the only political game he has been able to come away with. >> i'm asking you this as a former advisor and negotiator in the israeli peace process. what sort of impact do you think this would have had on the atmosphere today when this news

was delivered, because our correspondent tells us that nobody new this was going to happen. >> i just don't think the peace talks in geneva are relevant or important. the former diplomatic process was never going to be where a political deal was struck. the key issue is whether the reached a common ground on what a peace deal would look like, in order to sell it or force it on the opposition and on the assad regime, the fact that russia is pulling out, i suspect means they feel they have done as much as they can. they are not going to acquire further leverage, and investment of military force in syria, which apparently they are not willing to do. >> okay. >> so it is just not the point. >> and assad, where do you think it leaves him. >> right now -- well, this is an extremely interesting question. one of the factors that may have

pushed putin to take this decision may be that he was hoping for more willingness on the part of assad to engage in some sort of political process which russia could then take credit for, and deliver peace on terms that it realizes could require serious concessions on assad, including that at some point in time, within say 18 to 24 months, would have to accept not to become president anymore. and the fact that assad chose last month to announce parliamentary elections in syria in april, which obviously contradicted the peace plan that russia had put forward in vienna last november, this was, i think a signal of assad saying don't think you can twist my arm too far. i'm not going to be pulled into your scheme. and it may be that putin has found that his ability to leverage the assad regime is limited, and he is therefore faced either with playing along,

or saying very well then, we have done as much as with can for you. you still have a base, and we'll give you tanks and weapons, but we're not going to do the job for you anymore. but the fact that the russians have pulled out already, means that the sort of dialogue behind the scenes in which they were maybe trying to threaten assad, and persuade him to show more flexibility, has already failed. >> very interesting getting your thoughts. thank you. >> thank you. government ministers from france are in the ivory coast as a show of support following an al-qaeda attack. the french foreign minister is among those visiting the country. he met the president. at least 19 people died at a popular beach resort on sunday. the country has declared three days of mourning. nicklas hawk sent this update.

>> reporter: another injured has succumbed to their wounds, a military personnel involved in trying to neutralize the attackers. we expect the death toll to rise. we have a little bit more information regarding the investigation. there were three attackers. this investigation is ongoing. one president addressed the nation saying to the people here, not to give in to fear, trying to reassure foreign investors, there are a lot of them here. but as well, he said there were special measures put in place to reassure them such as more beefed up military personnel at border areas, and at banks, schools, and government offices. the west african body here came under heavy criticism from the local press. they were saying that there wasn't enough concerted effort to prevent such attacks. in norway the mass killer is

back in court accusing the government of treating him imhumanely. he is conflicted of bomb attacks and shooting 77 people dead five years ago. he says his solitary confinement is making him depressed. he is appealing to the european convention on human rights. in thailand, the first trial is getting underway in a special court set up to here cases of human trafficking. scott heidler reports from bangkok. >> reporter: this is thailand's largest human trafficking case. here in a new division created in bangkok's criminal court. those families impacted by these criminal gangs are still suffering. just over three years ago this person fled myanmar to join her husband in thailand to join her husband.

violence in recent year against this muslim minority has prompted many toot tempt to leave the country. but instead of the better life he sought, her husband landed in a jungle camp along with other migrants held by human traffickers looking to extort money. when she arrived, she was asked for ransom money she didn't have. her husband is now one witness in a trial of hundreds of others of human trafficking. but he is kept in a shelter away from his family. for safety, she didn't want to show her face. it's not her real name. >> translator: there are many traffickers still out there. we can't be here. if they find us, they will kill us. >> reporter: the case is based on mass graves discovered last may. hundreds of bodies were unearthed along the border.

there are 91 defendants listed in the case, the most high profile, this army lieutenant general. back in december, one of the most senior thai police investigators on the case fled to australia, he is seeking asylum, fearing for his life. the government's attention into the trial playing out in this courthouse, and human trafficking as an issue is unprecedented, but some feel it is not enough. >> the authorities are handling this in such a way that we believe it may amount to a show trial. there is evidence in some cases evidence, we believe, that is already in the courts, in the court's possession that would indicate a much broader list of people who should be brought to -- to -- to -- who should be held accountable. >> but he thinks thaier officials want to show they are progressing on their human trafficking crackdown, so they

needed the trial to move forward. even with the trial now underway, it is expected to take more than a year. not good news for this woman and her family, who not only remain separated during the trial, they don't know where they will go once it is over. as indicated by just how long the questioning is for the first witnesses, it is going to be slow going. but that is to be expected, because again, this is a new division in the court here. pope francis has confirmed that mother theresa will be declared a saint next september. she founded the ministries of charity order, which has operations worldwide. the noble peace prize winner died in 1997. the south by southwest music festival is underway in texas. it is one of the biggest events for young independent musicians, and a chance to perform and even

get a record deal, but while the record industry is changing, it is still tough for young artists to make a living. >> reporter: around sundown things start getting a little weird at south by southwest. making a living playing music has never been easy, but in today's shifting technological and business climate, it is more complicated than ever. this rapper says he works all of the angles. >> you have got to be out here every day trying to look for different gigs, trying to have your cds. i have everything. but sometimes nowadays, the club -- they ain't paying how they used to pay. >> reporter: the odds against young goths, or any of the acts playing here, becoming rich and famous are enormous. >> the majority of these people

have to be musicians, and artists. that is something that is down in their soul. as opposed to being a pop star. >> reporter: that's true for leslie of the moving panoramas. >> our ambition has nothing to do with money or fame. i think the average income of the every day musician is extremely unfair. we do work very hard. all of thesing bands are my friends, and they struggle. >> reporter: many musicians rely on day jobs and eke out cash selling cds and merchandise at their shows. the city's promoters call austin the live music capitol of the world, and live performances bring in about $1.5 billion every year. but the musicians who live and play here survive on quite meager earnings. >> we just did a survey, and the

average musician here in austin makes less than $25,000 a year. >> there are music streaming services, giants like youtube and apple are juggling revenue from advertising or subscriptions. a lot of money is flying around and out of the reach of many musicians. this old school punk rocker is a harsh critic of the tech takeover of music. >> there has been a lot of myths promoted by the tech industry that artists can connect directly with their fans, and that there's less gate keepers, but these were myths created by tech people. google makes more money off of dead kenendys than we do. >> reporter: veteran and newcomer alike, musicians walk a difficult path, but to this woman it's worth it.

>> i think the most important thing is playing more shows, because then you become a better musician. >> reporter: and so the bands play on. just remember, you can always log on to our website, there are the details at the bottom of your screen, aljazeera.com. ♪ pivotal primaries in five states today could be a game changer for some of the candidates who want to become president. and the nfl's admission, a league official confirms the link between concussions and brain damage. ♪