al jazeera america. ♪ hello there, i'm barbara sarah, you are watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up on the program, russia beginning pulling out its military from syria, as talks on how to end the conflict enter their second day. heavy fighting in ta'izz and government forces launch a campaign to recapture the third largest city of yemen.

and a new president for myanmar after more than half a century of military rule. and we'll turn to ohio, the state that has picked the republican candidate who has ended up in the white house every time since 1964. ♪ thank you for joining us. we start with the developing news story out of belgium. three police officers have been wounded in a shooting in the capitol brussels. it happened during a raid linked to the paris attacks in november. police have blocked off cities where events are still unfolding. for more let's go live to jacky rowland who is in paris where the attacks took place. what is the latest coming out of

brussels? >> we're told that this operation was directly linked to the ongoing investigation into those attacks on paris on november 13th, in which 130 people were killed and about 300 others injured. now according to the latest information that we're getting here, there were actually two separate exchanges of fire. the first shooting injured the two police officers, then there was another shooting in which the third police officer was injured. now one of those officers is in critical condition. he was apparently shot in the head. eyewitnesss say suspects escaped over the roof tops, and at the moment there is no more word on their whereabouts, as far as we know. french police are also on the scene, which indicates an cooperation between the belgian and french police in the ongoing search for suspects in this attack. >> what is the actual link to

the paris attacks as far as we know? >> reporter: we know that a number of the suspects involved in the attacks, including the man i just mentioned, but also some of those who were killed on the night of november 13th were closely linked to brussels. and in particular to one district in brussels. and in fact there have been a lot of comments and criticisms about perceived lacks of shared intelligence between the belgian and paris french police forces and also in particular the fact that the prime suspect was able to escape from paris on the night of the attacks. was actually -- the car in which he was traveling was actually stopped by police. his image, his face was captured on cctv cameras at a service station on the motorway, and there were questions about how

such a wanted man could pass through the police's fingers and still be on the lose several months later, so clearly there are still not only this man, but also a friend of his who is also linked to the attacks, another person who is still at large. we have no information about whether or not this current operation has been linked specifically to the suspect, but the operation is ongoing. there is tight security in the area, although it has not actually been locked down, but children were told earlier on to remain within schools. people were told to stay inside buildings, because obviously those suspects are very dangerous. >> jacky rowland with the latest from paris. jacky, thank you. ♪ russia war planes have started withdrawing from syria, following president vladimir

putin's announcement that he was scaling back his country's military intervention. bombers have started arriving back on russian soil, the pilots being cheered by ground crew and supporters. but some aircraft will remain at an air base in sir and continue bombing missions. they bombed isil positions in palmyra on tuesday. the decision to pull out comes as a syrian government delegation and the opposition meet in geneva to try tend to the war. tuesday marks exactly five years since it began, so far a quarter of a million people have been killed and half of the country's 23 million population have been displaced. zana hoda has more. >> reporter: russian troops are arriving home a day after a surprise announcement by

president putin. no details have been given on how many planes and troops are to be withdrawn. putin says they have achieved what they came to achieve. back in september that was helping president bashar al-assad fight what they called terrorists. >> translator: i believe that the goal set out by the ministry of defense and armed forces have overall been fulfilled and that's why i order the minister of defense as of tomorrow to start the pullout of the main part of our military grouping. >> reporter: the move has been welcomed by the syrian opposition as well as by the white house. they believe it will put pressure on the damascus government to be more flexible, and agree to a political transition. the timing was significanting can't, it coincided with resumed u.n.-lead talks in geneva. the message from putin to its diplomats, it's your turn. >> i think that it should be -- >> reporter: [ inaudible ]?

>> well, we believe we have helped undercut their infrastructure and destroy much of their infrastructure. the fight against terrorists there is going to continue. >> reporter: russian air strikes in syria have allowed the syrian government to regain lost ground. the syrian government was told about the decision to pull out, a statement from assad said it was taken jointly. >> they used military force, but 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 process. >> reporter: moscow, however, will not end its military presence in syria, it will keep control of an air base and have control of a port further south. >> it's a good timing because of

the talks. the air strikes have already declined, so pulling out the air forces is not a major -- won't have much effect on the battle. plus they made clear -- putin made clear that russia will keep access to its bases, so they can easily come back in, in the future. >> reporter: putin's announcement after syrian officials ruled -- resumed talks. the military pullback could be a message to the damascus regime to be more flexible. after all, russia doesn't want, and cannot afford an open-ended conflict. it remains to be seen whether putin was right when he said the russian military has created the conditions for a peace process. james bayes is following events in geneva with those talks are taking place, and joins us now. so impact, james has been news

of the russian withdrawal had on the second day of talks in geneva now? >> reporter: well it certainly changes the dynamics for these talks, but no one is quite clear how much. remember, russia has not just been a military ally of the syrian government, it has also been a diplomatic ally, and i suspect the government delegation are somewhat uneasy right now. the opposition delegation, although they are still wary of moscow, see this as positive news. i spoke to the high negotiations committee leader. he was holding a rose, because of course this is the anniversary of the start of the conflict in syria five years ago. and she was urging everyone to grab this moment. >> this is the fifth year of anniversary. we want to show the world, we want to show your people that we

want to stop the killing. we want to look towards the future. we want to live together, and it's a memory for all of the beautiful people were lost. 400,000 people who died, this is for them. >> reporter: do you think now, and we have had so many efforts at dip massey over the last five years. do you think there is a real chance? >> of course. the world now is tired. everybody is tired. the refugees, it's a proxy war, so, yes, i think this is the time to sit down and start negotiationing. >> and the your side prepared to compromise too. because there is some suggestion that perhaps president assad could stay on for a bit. >> this is what we're going to discuss. the problem is, we have the people who are our boss. i take the order from the syrian

people. it's not me. it's not one of anybody. when the people -- what they want, and we have to think about the people and what they want. if they don't want assad. we don't want assad. >> reporter: what is the vision of the hnc for a new syria? what should a new syria be like? >> what you saw, christian, muslim, kurdish, jews, alawites, we're all together. we have a vision to have a freedom. to have a civil state. a rule of law. this is our vision of syria, peace and building together and there will be equality, and we are going to have freedom. >> and barbara she and she and the other members of that committee have gone in for their meeting with the u.n. special

envoy, on monday it was the government. we expect to hear from the opposition delegation after that meeting, and from stephane daff mistura in the next couple of hours. >> james thank you. back in court. norway's mass murderer, claims he is being held in conditions that breach his human rights. and we meet the people behind the bear story, the first chilean film to win an academy award. ♪

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time now for a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. three belgian police have been shot during a raid in brussels, connected to november's attacks in paris. russia's defense ministry says it has already pulled the first group of its war planes out of syria. the withdrawal came as peace talks continues in geneva. fighting continues yemen's third biggest city, ta'izz. it's a setback for the houthis who had held ta'izz for nearly a year. forces loyal to president hadi are now pushing for the huhthy-held capitol sana'a. hashem ahelbarra reports. >> reporter: troops loyal to president hadi on the offensive. they have recently retaken

strategic hill tops and no they are hoping to break through houthi lines in the north. ta'izz is yemen's third-largest city. its capture would pave the way for government troops to advance towards the capitol, sana'a. a push fraught with risks. the houthi rebels and their ally, former president saleh still hold ground, rejecting calls for a political compromise. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: pro-government militias, shelling a houthi military base. >> reporter: we are hoping to take over the base in coming days. our fighters are clearing the area. >> reporter: fighting in ta'izz has turned into street battles. the roads are blocked. some are booby trapped to halt the army's advance. >> translator: the reason we can't move forward is the explosives planted by the houthis. >> reporter: fighting in ta'izz

isn't the army's only priority. further south the situation in aden remains delicate. this is the aftermath of clashes between security forces and armed groups. the government says its military campaign is aimed at driving fighters affiliated with isil and al-qaeda out of the city. helicopters with saudi-lead forces are taking part in the offensive. there are concerns that aden could fall into the hands of fighters of al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula and isil if security isn't stepped up across the city. these are newly recruited policemen tasked with securing the sea port city of aden, building a modern army and police force won't be an easy task in a count friday still averaged by armed conflict and political divides.

mine's parliament has elected its first civilian president after nearly 50 years of military rule. he is a close ally of aung san suu kyi, the leader of the national league for democracy party, which swept to power in november's elections. suu kyi is banned from office under the constitution, to kyaw will make the job instead. he has a reputation for honesty, and loyalty. he has also worked as suu kyi's driver from time to time. wayne haye has more now from bangkok. >> reporter: this was a major milestone in mine's political transition. members of parliament voted decisively for the man they want to lead the country into a new era. >> translator: we announce that htin kyaw wins the majority of 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 dominates both houses of parliament, but the 69 year old is expected to be a figure head only. the party leader has made it clear she will be the one calling the shots. she is barred by the constitution 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 the nld will not take long to make another attempt. the armed forces will remain very powerful, maintaining control of three security ministries and veto power over constitutional change. their presidential contamination who will now become vice president is a former general known to be a hard liner.

he oversaw a violent crackdown on an anti government protest in 2007. his nomination is being seen as a sign that the military will not let the nld have its own way completely, for now, though, the ruling party will celebrate its victory in parliament. hundreds of mourners have marched in the west bank in a funeral procession for two palestinian men killed by israeli forces on monday. the two men were shot after they opened fire on people waiting at a bus stop outside of an israeli settlement near hebron. three afghan refugees have drowned. 23 people were rescued from the water, hundreds of others who managed to make it on to macedonian territory were

retained for the night. alex sus tsipras says the chaos is being caused because of the fact that refugees are not given the right information. >> translator: they remain for days at the border under terrible conditions. they are being encouraged by unknown people. by misinforming them with fliers that if they go to reception centers they will be detained and reported. but that are also being encouraged to walk under unpresent conditions. especially for the children to lose their lives, pass the frontier and find themselves on the other side. my view is this is criminal behavior towards people who are suffering and this behavior must stop. the norwegian mass murdered anders has appeared in court.

he claims his human rights are being violated. >> reporter: there was no sign of remorse or rehabilitation as extreme right-winger, anders breivik made his way into court. a nazi salute from the mass murder. responsible for the worst atrocity in norway since world war ii, argues that his solitary confinement in jail is in violation of the european convention on human rights. >> translator: many think that this is a case that has been race sod that breivik can return to the public eye. but it's a simply a case about his incarceration for the rest of his life. and that is most important to establish. >> reporter: what happened nearly five years ago still haunts norway. on july 22nd, 2011, anders

breivik set off a car bomb in the capitol before traveling to a youth camp. he was dressed as a policemen and told teenagers he had come to protect them. instead he opened fire at point-blank range. some survivors hid under bodies to try to hide from him. in breivik killed 77 people and wounded hundreds more. he said he was trying to perfect norway from multi-culturalism. at the end of his trial he was sentenced to a maximum 21 years, but can be held indefinitely if deemed unfit to be released. breivik is held apart from other prisoners. the state will argue that the prison conditions are lawful. emma hayward, al jazeera. german police say that they

expect an explosionive device was the source of a blast in central berlin. the driver was killed in the suburb. officers say the volkswagen was heading towards the city center, but police believe the incident was part of an organized attack. the u.s. general election is gearing up for another crucial day. on tuesday voters in ohio go to the polls, knowing that whoever wins in this state has gone on to win the presidency in every single election since 1964, so the candidates are unsurprisingly spending a lot of time and money trying to win voters in this midwestern state. kimberly halkett reports from columbus, in ohio. >> reporter: scott and his family have been working this 400 heck tar corn and wheat farm for five generations. and like their commitment to

farming their political views has changed little. >> it's agriculture. it's conservative. there are a lot of electoral votes up for grab. and that could sway the election. >> reporter: he hasn't decided which candidate he will support. still on tuesday when the republicans and democrats hold their contests, scott says he will vote like so many in this part of ohio for a conservative candidate. but ohio's population isn't primarily rural. two thirds of the residents are concentrated in cities, and many vote on the opposite end of the political spectrum. this is one of them. he grew up in a rural part of the state but moved to the city as a young man. he says the move helped shape his political views. he'll vote for a democratic candidate, because he believes the party's platform is more inclusive. >> you look across the isle and you see an entire party that is

still widely discriminatory against minorities, women, against people with disabilities. america is a very diverse place now. it's a place filled with a number of different ethnic groups. >> reporter: these polarizing political interests are what make ohio one of handful of what is known as swing states. candidates battle for the support of each and every voter, but lately ohio has become a political battleground for another reason. over the weekend, a protester stormed the stage at a republican rally for donald trump. it's one reason the governor of ohio, republican john kasiches is hoping the state's primary is where he will establish himself as the alternative candidate. >> a lot of the national republicans have been asking him to get out of the race, and he is saying i can't do that. i'm the only person that can win

ohio. >> reporter: trump's surge in support is one reason why republicans and democratic candidates have spent millions in recent weeks reaching out to ohio voters. in a state with such divergent views they know a win will come down to turnout. kimberly halkett, al jazeera, columbus, ohio. "the bear story," a chilean animated story is the first film from the country to wing home an oscar nomination. >> reporter: this film director is received as a hero in this chile neighborhood where he was raised. it's the same lower-middle-class neighborhood that you recognize in his academy award winning animated film, "the bear story."

for 10 and a half minutes it takes the viewer from joy to heart break, to intense nostalgia. >> the idea was to portray a character separated from his family. it was the story of the grandfather. but it was important that this not be literal, for the fill tom be universal, so people from anywhere could relate to it. ♪ >> reporter: the theme of families and forced separation does strike a chord anywhere, but especially in countries that have or still are living in war or oppression. their story is also a david versus goliath tail. a small film company defeating animation giants to win chile its first oscar for a locally

made film. right here where he grew up, the message is quite clear, and translates more or less into yes, we can. "the bear story" took almost four years to make. >> translator: having a small budget means you have to finance it as you go. often stopping to do other things to pay for your project. >> reporter: now even quentin tarantino's executive producer is reportedly eager to make a feature film inspired by "the bear story." >> translator: it show there is interest in investing in latin america cinema, and the type 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. >> looks amazing. you can find out more about "the bear story," and everything we have been covering on our website. the address is on your screen right you, and it's aljazeera.com. ♪ i'm very, very humbled by the campaign, and the experience. >> john kasich and marco rubio battling for their political lives with winner take all contests for both of them. while bernie sanders's supporters are pinning their hopes on a political upset against hillary clinton. and for the first time ever, an nfl firm confirming