♪ shots are fired in the belgian capitol, following a police raid related to last year's deadly attacks in paris. ♪ hello, i'm barbara sarah, you are watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up, russia begins pulling out its military from syria, as talks on how to end the conflict enter their second day. and a new president for myanmar after more than half a century of military rule. back in court, norway's mass murderer, claims he is being held in conditions that breach

his human rights. ♪ thank you for joining us. we start with a developing news story coming out of belgium. three police officers have been wounded in a shooting in the capitol brussels. it happened during a raid linked to the investigation into the paris attacks in november which left 130 people dead, and hundreds injured. police have blocked off road theres the city's southern suburb where events are still unfolding. major of the area where the raid has taken place says it is centered on a building in the suburb. >> translator: shots were fired this afternoon, and there were two people hiding in a building. the security perimeter was set up by the police, and then the security forces arrived. operations are still ongoing. the situation is calm.

there is a police presence, and the local residents have been staying in doors. there is a [ inaudible ] nearby and this building is now totally secured. parents are waiting to be reunited with their children. we are in contact with them, and everything is fine. >> let's go live to our correspondent who joins us on the phone from the police cordon in brussels. what can you have see? >> i just saw a police car rushing off in high speed, but believe it is something very important. i'm standing maybe a hundred meters away from the street where is it all happens. and we see a lot of worried parents here, because inside the pyramid there are two schools where the children are still in there. also all of the people who live in the area are still inside their houses, and they are

hiding because there was a lot of shooting going on earlier in the afternoon. but now it's very, very quiet. the parents are obviously very worried. the police said they are all fine. but the parents are complaining to me. i just talked to a lady, and she said but nobody is calling me. i don't know anything. i managed to talk to the school, and they have apparently all of the children in safety, but they are not telling the children what is going on. >> tell us a little bit about that part of brussels. there have been links between brussels and the paris attacks before. what can you tell us about the area? >> reporter: yeah, it is remarkable. because this is a totally different area. this is very nice. sort of middle -- almost -- yeah, middle-class area, nice streets, nice bar, park, everything you definitely don't expect anything

happening in an area like this. it is different to the previous area where you have a very high community of immigrant people. there's nothing like that here. >> daniel reporting live from inside the police chord done in brussels, thank you. now let's go live to jacky rowland who joins us from the french capitol. just remind us again, jacky what the link is between brussels and similar raids we have seen and of course the paris attacks. >> reporter: well, there has been a very important brusse brussels-paris access throughout. for start there are important connections between many of the attackers and the belgium capitol. some were actually belgian citizens. others, such as the man still on the lose was a french national,

but resident of brussels. on the night of november 13th, the attackers used three rental cars that they had hired in brussels, and in fact that main attacker, on the night of the of november into the 14th, he fled. some friends came and picked him up, and he was able to escape from paris back to brussels. so clearly there was a very important cooperation. the fact that these raids have happened on tuesday in brussels and again, indicates the extent to which there appears to be a broader network of people involved in supporting those attacks. afterwards we're being told this raid was in direct connection with the attacks that involved both the belgian and french police. so clearly part of this ongoing operation, which involved both police forces and security from

both countries, and which unfortunately has not been without criticism, because there have been many observations of intelligence failings both before and after the attacks. >> i was just going to ask you about that jacky, because as you mentioned there were criticisms where he was allowed effectively to leave or disappear after the attacks in november in paris. so tell us a little bit more about the criticism, and also the evidence that you see of increased cooperation between the two police forces. >> reporter: well, the very fact that french and belgium police were carrying this out together on tuesday, is an indication clearly that they are coordinating on an intelligence gathering level and operational level, the fact that there were police united involved in this operation in the belgian capitol. but certainly you are right to turn your attention to the

escape of the main suspect. he was the man who was one of the attackers on the november 13th. most of the attackers were either killed by french special forces or blew themselves up at the places where they carried out their attacks. he was able to escape, according to police, he acquired a similar card, abandoned the car, acquired a sim card, and during his journey back to brussels, the car he was in was stopped by police. and there was also cctv footage of him on the way from paris to brussels. on another occasion it is understood that belgium police felt like they had located him to a certain apartment block, but there were some kind of

operational rules which prevented them from carrying out an operation before dawn, and with daylight, they showed up at the building, and by that time, he had disappeared. so the very fact that this operation appears to have been carried out on tuesday, does appear the forces may be working together more closely now. >> jacky rowland with the latest from paris. thank you. ♪ russia war planes have started withdrawing from syria, following president vladimir putin's announcement that we was scaling back his country's military intervention. bombers have started arriving back on russia soil. the pilots being cheered by ground crew and supporters. but some aircraft will remain at

the air base this syria, 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 to end the war. tuesday marks exactly five years since the war began. so far a quarter of a million people have been killed, and half of the country's 23 million population have been displaced. our diplomatic editor is following events in geneva and joins us now. potentially a huge development the fact that russia is withdrewing at least a big part of its military from syria. what impact is it having on the talks in geneva now? >> reporter: it is certainly changing the dynamics and atmosphere of these talks. no one is quite clear how much it will change things, though,

and that depends really on participate putin and what he has planned next. they know the russian president may have more surprises. no comment at all coming from the united states government delegation, but the developments come on the fifth anniversary of the start of the war in syria. i spoke to one member of the main opposition block, the high negotiations committee, and she was telling me that given so many people have died, everyone needs to grab this moment. >> this is the fifth year of anniversary. we want to show the world. we want to show our people. what we want is peace. 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 people we lost in this beautiful revolution. 400,000 people who died and this is for them. >> reporter: do you think, now,

and we have had so many efforts at diplomacy 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. the problems. it's a proxy war. even is tired from the war in syria, so, yes, i think this is the time to sit down and start negotiating. >> reporter: and is your side prepared to compromise too? there is some suggestion that perhaps president assad could stay on for a bit in a transitional period. >> there is what we're going to discuss. the problem is, we have the people who are our boss. it's not me. it's not one of anybody. when the people -- what they want, and we have to think about the people power, and the people what they want. if they don't want assad. we don't want assad.

>> what is the vision of the hnc for a new syria? what should a new syria be like? >> christian, muslim, kurdish, jews, alawites, we're all together. we have a vision to have freedom, to have civil state, to have a rule of law. this is our vision, to have a better syria that we live all together in peace, and there will be equality and freedom. >> james that was very interesting listening to that interest, saying that everyone is tired and wants it to end. even staffan de mistura says these talks were a moment of truth. do you get a sense that there is a special momentum right now? >> reporter: there certainly is some momentum behind these

talks. because of the military situation, because of russia now with its development of pulling out its troops because the opposition is here now with armed groups represented, but all of that doesn't necessarily mean they are going to be able to come up to a solution to this. they are working as i speak on mob we have the government side here seeing mr. de mistura. an hour ago the opposition went into their parallel meeting with mr. de mistura, and we with expecting the social envoy to come brief reporters on the latest. i'm sure he will be asked about the russian position, and we'll also hear again from the hnc. >> james bayes live in geneva. james, thank you. and still to come on al jazeera, we report from ohio, the midwestern swing state that has picked the candidate who has ended up in the white house every single time since 1964. bringing a new meaning to

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♪ time now for a reminder of the stop stories on al jazeera. three belgium police officers have been shot in brussels in a raid connected to paris's attacks. the russian foreign minister says it has already pulls its fist group of war planes out of

syria. myanmar's parliament has elected its first civilian president after nearly 50 years of military rule. htin kyaw is a close colleague aung san suu kyi. he is the son of a prominent poet who was himself elected an mp back in 1990. he has a reputation for honesty and loyalty. he has also worked as suu kyi's driver from time to time. >> reporter: this was a major milestone in myanmar'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 mine. [ applause ] >> reporter: it was no surprise, given he was from the national democracy league party that dominates 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 the nld may not wait long to make another attempt, but relations with the military have reportedly soured in recent months. the armed forces will remain very powerful. their presidential nomination, who will now become vice president is this former general who is known to be a hard liner.

he oversaw a violent crackdown of an anti government protest in 2007. his nomination is a sign that the military will not let the nshs n -- nldhave its own way completely. al-qaeda has threatened france and its allies fighting armed groups in west africa. the group, which was behind sunday's attack on an ivory coast beach resort has warned that more could come. the threat comes as french government ministers visit the ivory coast as a show of support for the mourning nation. nicklas hawk has this update. >> reporter: another injured from this attack has succumbed to his wound. there are many more injured in hospital, so we expect the death toll to rise. we have a little bit more

information regarding the investigation. there weren't six attackers but three. this investigation is ongoing. the ivorian 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, such as more beefed up military personnel at border areas, and at strategic locations such as banks, schools, and government offices. the west africa body here came under heavy criticism from the local press. they were saying there wasn't enough concerted effort to prevent such attacks. the u.s. general election is gearing up for another crucial day. on tuesday voters in ohio go to the polls knowing whoever wins this state has gone on to win the presidency in every election

since 1964. so they are spending a lot of time and money trying to win voters in this state. kimberly halkett joins us now from ohio. this is very important for both democrats and republicans. it is crucial for the republicans, because one of the runners, kasick actually comes from ohio. so if he loses his home state not a good sign for him. great sign for donald trump. >> reporter: indeed. we are standing outside of a polling station. we have had a number of opportunities to talk to those voting. if john kasich can't win here, it is impossible for him to go on. it is certainly the establishments hope that he can stop donald trump. what is positive news is there seems to be an awful lot of people who typically aren't involved in the political process, who have been coming.

many have privately told me the reason they are voting is because they are voting in opposition to donald trump. the campaigning and message that has been going on be think kasick campaign is that he is the establishment alternative to donald trump. it appears that may be resinating. >> reporter: and let's look at the democrats now. why is it important for them? >> reporter: well, it's very important for one candidate on the democratic side in particular, and that is bernie sanders. very much like the case of john kasich, this is really another situation where bernie sanders really needs a victory in this state, and although the polls tend to suggest, still, that hillary clinton is still in the lead, he is hoping for a victory not unlike the one we saw a week ago in michigan. he really defied expectation, and came out winning the state of michigan. what is good for bernie sanders here is the fact that the demographics are very similar and mirror michigan in many

ways, it is another so-called rust belt say there has been a decline in manufacturing, and job losses have been felt. the state tends to be typically more white, less diverse. so he is hoping he can have a win here as well as missouri, and illinois, again, very similar demographics. this would certainly bring him closer to the delegates he needs. we see a similar phenomenon going on. there are a couple of campaigns that are really counting on a win in this state to boost them and move forward. >> kimberly halkett with the latest from cleveland in ohio, thank you. five mexican marines are to be tried in a civilian court for the alleged forced disappearance of a man in northern mexico in

2013. >> reporter: this case dates back to 2013 when the man filed a criminal complaint to local police and the navy in the northern state. he disappeared just after that in the hands, allegedly in the hands of five naval officers. it's also worth noting that since 2014, military personnel face charges in civilian courts whenever a civilian is involved in the alleged crimes. that's why this case has been handed over to civilian court. and amnesty international told us why this is so important. >> i believe if they are held accountable for all of the actions they -- they do, and the actions are openly divisive

in -- not just in courts but in a democratic debate that could lead to a situation in which they refrain from committing crimes while doing their -- their job. >> reporter: this case could stretch on for years as evidence is presented and until a final decision is reached. it shows how military personnel will increasingly be put on trial in civilian courts in the wake of this law, and also because of the fact that thousands of soldiers and thousands of members of the marines have been deployed into the streets of mexico to wage this ongoing battle against organized crime. norway's mass urder, anders breivik has returned to court accusing a violation of his human rights. he is serving 21 years for killing 77 people in bomb and gun attacks. he claims the prison conditions violate the european convention

on human rights. the government rejects his claims saying he is being treated humanely and with dignity. >> he is very eager on communicating to the outside world, but it can also be made less pressure, better conditions inside. it is both things, the ability to communicate out, and also the conditions inside. for instance contact with other prisoners. >> reporter: german police say they suspect an explosionive device was the source of a blast in a vehicle in central berlin. the driver was killed in the incident. officers say the volkswagen was heading towards the city center, but police do not believe the explosion was part of an organized attack. hundreds of mourners marched in the west bank in a funeral procession for two palestinian men killed by israeli forces on monday. palestinians chanted for revenge, and waves flags of

palestinian political parties during the procession. though two men were shot after they open ed fire on people waiting at a bus stop outside of an israeli settlement here hebron. an unlikely partnership has been formed to try to grow vegetables in space. yeah, nasa has teamed with up the international potato center in peru, to develop a potato that could be grown on mars. our correspondent reports now from the desert in southern peru. >> reporter: it's billions of years old, the oldest desert on earth. this patch of the desert in southern peru even looks like it could be from another world. nasa scientist says change the sky to orange and you are on mars. >> translator: we found here the closest similarity to the soil on mars. the organic matter, which is the

base for life is almost non-existent here. >> reporter: and that's why scientists believe it is the perfect soil to breed a potato that could grow in extreme conditions as on mars. >> translator: the potato is an ideal candidate, because it has concurred all of the ecosystems on this planet. now there are more than 4,000 varieties in peru. >> reporter: researchers say the martian atmosphere has high levels of carbon dioxide which will help the potato grow. scientists and students are collecting soil samples. researchers will build a greenhouse simulating mars. 100 varieties have already been chosen for the experiment. >> translator: they will not be genetically modified by transformed by traditional

breeding, pairing male and female plants to obtain a new variety, a new clone. we hope and we are sure it will be positive, because potatoes have a high ability to adapt. >> reporter: because the soil, scene, and antique witty of this desert, is closest to mars, sciencists believe it is crucial to the research on mars. scientists want the government to stop squatters who could destroy the soil. they say this land must be protected, because if the the experiment succeeds a variety of new potatoes could grow anywhere. at least now growing them on mars is not completely science fiction. as seen in hollywood movies.

more on that story and everything else we have been covering on the program on the website. you can see it on your screens right now, and the front page, obviously dedicated to our top story. police raid prompts a shootout in brussels. more on that in a few minutes. ♪ ♪ . >> i am very very humbled by the campaign, and the experience. >> john kasich and marco rubio battle for their political lives with winner take all contest in both of their home states. while bernie sanders supporters pinning their hopes on hillary clinton. the united states taking significant steps for re-establishing normal diplomatic ties with cuba, and for the time ever, an nfl official confirming the link between concussions and brain damage.