you're watching al jazeera live from our headquarters in tow. also coming-- in doha. also coming up at least 15 people killed in pakistan as an explosion rips through a bus carrying government employees. the republican race for the white house narrows to three canneders while democrat hillary clinton extends her lead. a direct postal service between cuba and the u.s. for the first time in 50 years in another sign

of warming relations the u.n. special envoy to syria is due to meet government representatives in geneva where a third day of talks are getting underway. the latest meeting may have a different tone. staffan de mistura says he has proposals from the government and main opposition outlining their ideas for a political transition. all of this as russia pulls another batch of jets out of syria >> reporter: the man charged with negotiating, staffan de mistura, said he didn't believe that the timing of the russian announcement as his talks were restarting was a coincidence. >> we've considered this a significant, i repeat, a significant development, and now we hope and we shall be

expecting and hoping that this will be happening, that we will be seeing this decision bringing some positive influence on the actual progress of the talks. >> reporter: mr staffan de mistura had a meeting with the main opposition block, the high negotiations committee on this the fifth anniversary of the start of the war. they believe the russian pull out is positive news >> this will help us to reach a political agreement and achieve something for our own people there, and i hope it will be an end to all these fights in syria >> reporter: there have been some suggestions that maybe there's a deal between u.s. and russia. if part of that deal was for the president to stay on for a time, would you be prepared to compromise on that? >> we don't know if there is such a deal, but we know there are big efforts from the states, from european countries that

made him take this decision >> reporter: a diplomatic answer, but one of those representing the armed groups in the hnc in his first television interview in geneva was more forthright. >> translation: we are for a political transition, but without the presence of bashar al-assad. we will not accept him having a role let's talk about these developments. what do we expect out of that meeting between staffan de mistura and representatives from the syrian government? >> reporter: that meeting will be happening in the next few minutes, in about 20 minutes time. in fact, i'm going to run from here around the other side of the building and try and shout some questions to the chief negotiator of the syrian gove governant when he arrives here. he has said absolutely nothing since the news of the russian pull-out was announced and since

we've seen these phases of russian military hardware leaving syria. remember the financial line from the syrian government is this was an agreement that was done with president putin and bashar al-assad, they were both on board. i have to tell you, diplomats i've been speaking to say they're sceptical of that, most telling me that it is the one thing the syrian government wouldn't have wanted at this time as talks were started to have the rug pulled from under them by removing that military backing of russia, which i think also affects their diplomatic weight around the negotiating table. i think it's a key day today because i think staffan de mistura will be seeing whether he can get concessions on some key issues on which there haven't been movement in the past and perhaps, now, the russians have used their leverage and the syrian government may be prepared to talk about things they haven't talked about in the past i think one of the biggest obstacles has been the future of

bashar al-assad in syria. are both sides coming any closer when it comes to any role that bashar al-assad might be playing going forward? >> that is the absolutely key crunch issue at the end of this. so, yes, that's something they're going to be talking about. he has had both sides now in staffan de mistura, both have produced their own discussion paper on the way forward. mr staffan de mistura says he may well take those two papers, take ideas, whether there's agreement in those two papers, and put them together as a sort of u.n. paper. one other issue that will be discussed is the issue of detainees. this has been a constant demand by the opposition to release some of the detainees, particularly women and children who have been held in will jails because they say their report suggests up to 50 people in those jails are being executed every single day. they want that right at the top

of the list. what staffan de mistura has decided on this, it is a key issue, but he doesn't want it to detract from his discussions about political transition. there were two task forces set up, one to monitor the cessation of hostilities, the other one to look at humanitarian affairs. he has now added the detainee issue to the work of the task force on humanitarian affairs thank you for that update. it has been five years since anti-government protests began in syria eventually leading to the all-out war that diplomats are now trying to end. demonstrators have returned to the streets to mark that anniversary. the protests took place in a number of towns and cities with many chanting for the removal of president bashar al-assad. the protesters also demanding an investigation into what necessity say are crimes committed by-- they say are criming committed by syrian forces and russia's bombing campaign. saudi-led strikes have killed

more than 100 civilians in yemen. that is according to the houthis. the saudi-led coalition says it is looking into the reports. the charity doctors without borders says that more than 40 civilians were taken to hospital after that attack. according to the u.n. more than 6,000 people, half of them civilians, have been killed in the conflict since the saudi-led intervention began in march of last year. at least 15 people have been killed by pay bomb that engs employeeded in a bus in northern pakistan. it happened in peshawa after the government carrying bus. >> reporter: a powerful explosion on a bus carrying government officials appears to be a timed device according to the security forces. the bottom being placed close to the tool box. also reports that the bus driver was still able to drive, although he was critically

wounded. the bus drove to a nearby police facility so rescue efforts to get underway. there are dozens who are in serious condition in hospital, sot likelihood of the death toll going higher cannot be ruled out. at the moment no-one has taken responsibility, but this is, indeed, a second deadly attack against the government officials even in 2013. such an attack took place against such officials, loss travelling on a bus in which 17 people were killed five big statements have been choosing their preferred candidate for november's american presidential election and the two front runners have pulled further ahead. donald trump pushed one of his rivals out of the race. democrat hillary clinton built on her lead as well. here are the latest numbers. donald trump has now secured 621st thousand 237 delegates that that that he needs to win.

john kasich won in his home state of ohio. the other remaining challenger ted cruz hasn't won any more states, although missouri has yet to declare its results. on the democratic side hillary clinton has 1094 delegates after taking florida, north carolina, illinois as well. that stretched her lead over bernie sanders who has 774. john hendron reports with the latest candidate to pull out >> reporter: in florida favorite sons go down fast >> while it is not god's plan that i don't be president in 2016 or ever, and today my campaign is suspended, the fact that i have come this far is evidence of how special america is. >> reporter: he had a crushing

defeat. the >> the fact is we have to bring our party together. we have to bring it together. >> reporter: then there were three. narrowing the republican race to a contest between donald trump, ted cruz and john kasich. who won in his home state beating donald trump breathing new life into a campaign. >> i have to thank the people of the great state of ohio. i love you. we are going to go all the way to cleveland and secure the republican nomination. >> reporter: his victory could lead to a potentially messy fight all played out in public that hasn't happened in decades >> if we do have a contested election on the republican sides, it will go back to the old way where there weren't primary electionss and the

parties got together and make their own decision as to who the nominee would be >> reporter: in the democratic race hillary clinton had successes. bernie sanders, the math just got harder for him. it makes him more likely the democratic front runner will seize the nomination and perhaps less likely the republican front runner will. >> our commander in chief has to be able to defend our country not embarrass it. engage our allies, not alienate them, defeat our adversaries, not embolden them >> reporter: a preview, perhaps, the race to come lots more coming up,

including staying behind and risk it all. the volunteers in the ruins of syria's largest city help with the casualties of war. plus china's target and five year plan, but is beijing being too cautious. details in a moment.

the top stories on al jazeera. the u.n. special for envoy for syria says he has received proposals from both sides of the conflict outlining their visions for a political transition.

staffan de mistura will shortly hold talks of the representatives of the government. at least 15 people have been killed in a bomb explosion in pakistan. the bus was taking government workers to work. american republican republican donald trump has won in the latest round of primaries. it was goodnight for hillary clinton too returning to syria where the front lines have become the world's most danger out areas forcing millions to leave their homes with some in aleppo refusing to go. they've taken up voluntary relief work to help the casualties of war. >> reporter: this there may be a cessation of hostilities in syria, but the violence is far from over. this man and his team are heading to the district in aleppo to put out a fire. their team is three years old now and they've dug out and

rescued hundreds of people. opposition areas in aleppo have been hit the hardest by government and i.s.i.l. many leave here >> translation: we are helping people. if we all left who would remain? we help our people despite the shelling and fires and bombardments. >> reporter: snipers are not the only daerner they face. double tack strikes are carried out where they hit a location twice but after an interval when rescuers arrive. they're not the only ones staying here. this man an his sons wants to help and help their neighbors. >> translation: the regime has

been shelling these areas for the past five years with the aim to force us out. we're not leaving. we will stay and keep serving our fellow residents. if everyone leaves their homes, who would leave. >> reporter: the his son helps him document what has been happening around them. he runs a local bakery. he lost his brother who was killed in a regime jail. he admits it is dangerous to live here, but they continue hoping that one day they will we build what has been lost at least 20 people have been arrested in turkey during police raids in istanbul focusing on the p.k.k. those detained included lawyers associated with the p.k.k. according to turkish media reports. the arrests come as confrontations continue between security forces and p.k.k. armed groups following the suicide bombing in ankara on sunday. four police officers have been wounded in a shooting in the

belgium capital during a raid. they were investigating suspected links to november's paris attacks. at least one suspect has been killed. >> reporter: the raid was coordinated by the belgium and french police working together to search for suspects linked to the paris attacks that killed 130 people in november. armed officers surrounded a building in the forest district of brussels. gunmen holed up inside and then opened fire. >> translation: 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. >> reporter: at least four officers were injured. witnesses say they saw two suspects escape over the roof tops. snipers position themselves above ground as the area went into lock down.

during another round of gunfire a suspect was killed. he was found with an naum automatic rifle. the police had blocked the street. we got out of the bus, walked and then heard gun shots near the church, near the skol. i got careful and walked away. in this walmart of brussels there is deep shock at the events unfolding here. children who have been separated from their families the lock down returned home, but many of the areas streets were deserted. parts of this brussels neighborhood are still cordoned off as police continue to search the streets and people are being told to remain on their guard. several of the pafrise attackers are known to have come from brussels, including 26 year old suspect salah abdeslam who is still on the run. but it's understood he was not the target of this raid. the resistance which the police encountered in forest seems to have taken many here by

surprise. there will be questions about why those involved in the police search were not better prepared for what they found a u.s. student has been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in north korea for crimes against the state. he was arrested in january for stealing a propaganda slogan poster in the capital of pyongyang. the 21-year-old student confessed to his crime in february and he said he wanted to take it home as a souvenir. the chinese premier has defended his government's ability to keep the economy growing fast enough. he spoke after parliament approved the broad agenda for the next five years. the government says that the economy expanded by 6.9% last year. it is the slowest rate of growth in 25 years. beijing has set targets averaging 6.5% going forward. here is our china correspondent with more. >> reporter: china's national people's congress, the country's

are rubber stamp parliament has approved the country's next five-year plan, it's 13th since the foundation of the people's republic of china. after that happened china's premier met the media. this happens once a year when he takes questions from select journalists, questions which are generally vetted in advance. most of those questions concerned the economy. the premier said he was convinced there would be no hard landing for china's economy. he also said while there would be ups and downs, if things got serious, china's government had the means to deal with that, throwing more money into the system. he touched on the sensitive issue of what to do with workers in loss making state-owned industries like the mines and steel mills. there have been protests involving thousands of miners who say they haven't been paid for weeks. the government knows it has to deal with these bloated

enterprises. they absorb billions of dollars of money and they're incredibly inefficient. the government is beginning to wield an axe. that means that many mines and steel mills are going to have to close and, of course, tens of thousands of workers are going to be made redundant. the government has set aside aid fund of some 20 billion dollars to cover things like redundancy and retraining and says if more money is needed, it will be found. the premier has said this will be a difficult year for china. that is especially true for miners and steel workers argentina's coast guards have sunk a chinese fishing boat for operating illegally in its water. they chased the vessel firing warning shots. the boat did not respond and tried to ram one of its vessels at which point the coast guard shot at it several times. four crew members were rescued. those who abandoned the boat

were picked up by a chinese vessels the former president in brazil has been appointed to cabinet. it is to protect him against money laundering charges. he informed his closest advisers that he would accept the cabinet post. ahead of the meeting on tuesday. he was recently questioned by police as part of a probe into krepgs at the state--- corruption at the state-run oil company. >> reporter: rumors and speculation have been circulating that the former president would be accepting a position in the cabinet of his successor because this would give him a form of immunity against any kind of charges that might be lobbied against him and state prosecutors have charged him with having hidden wealth. this is to do a rather it runs parallel to a wider corruption

investigation in relation to at the time state-owned oil company petrobras. that has been ongoing for two years and voefls many high-level politicians. as much as people were expecting an announcement on tuesday, it looks like this might be put on hold again because it turns out the supreme court has now accepted a plea bargain from a senator that was previously detained for obstructing this very same corruption investigation, supposedly in this plea bargain he names the former president as well as rousef as being involved in wrongdoings. it is to be decided whether the plea gar baning and the doctor doctor bargaining and the details are to be made public. they say any announcement will be put on hold and at the moment people are feeling the administrative tryings is on

very shaky ground the second biggest subway system in the u.s. has been shut down for 24 hours. the metro train network across the capital washington dc is under going an emergency safety investigation. on line taxi services like uber are offering discounts to get to work but several businesses have left it up to their employees to decide if they show up at all. >> i to do what i do and stay there until the metro opens up >> i told my boss and he said nobody come in tomorrow. treat it like a snow day in less than a week president obama will make an historic trip to cuba whose government is lifting restrictions on trade and travel to the island after half a century of hostilities and embargos. >> reporter: for the first time in 50 years americans can send letters to cuba, a full and

direct mail service has been reintroduced. one of the latest steps to improve ties. after the restoration of full diplomatic relations last year. the u.s. is also allowing americans to travel to the island on what are being called people-to-people exchanges, side stepping the continuing legal bars to tourism. americans will now be free to spend u.s. dollars in cuba and airlines are already set to expand direct commercial flight schedules between the countries. these steps come just ahead of obama's visit to the island. the first by a sitting american president in nearly a century >> we are hopeful that these chings will bring about some of the progress and reform that americans have long sought in cuba. >> reporter: the measures will also permit cubans to hold u.s. bank accounts and earn wages while living in the u.s. they will be able to accept educational grants and humanitarian awards from the u.s.

it is all welcome news to the american internet contractor who spent five years in a cuban prison before obama arranged his exchange for three cubans accused of spying. he says only an end to the u.s. economic embargo will give cuba the means to break out of its isolation. that's why he says supporters of the half century ol embargo are wrong-- old >> >> we need to be focused on instructive engagement. what these folks are not talking about are not constructive. it is very very very short sighted. >> reporter: this is an important point of the legacy obama hopes to leave >> reporter: both presidential conditioneders support lifting the embargo, but if the republicans take both the congress and white house this year, that legacy may be left undone an all female peace-keeping force is now on the ground in

south sudan's capital. they patrol camps where displaced people are sheltering, keeping an eye out for trouble an making sure everybody gets a fair share of food and water. >> reporter: this lady is the leader of a team of female peacekeepers protecting families at this camp in south sudan. she says she want to give a message of peace to her community >> translation: we don't want women fighting each other. >> reporter: she and her colleagues are trying to reduce the violence that happens often in these camped conditions. people around here for safety when the war started more than two years ago, and most are afraid to leave. the people who live here are from the trab which is associated with the opposition. because the town outside the gate is controlled by government, people here say it's not safe to venture out. the women peacekeepers coming from the community so it's easy for them to hear about what is going on. they stop people in the street,

catch up on the news and lookout for any potential problems. after years of living under tarpaulin and existing on minimum food and water, crowds can turn angry very quickly. in a situation one like this where food is being distributed and tempers are running high, the women peace-keeping force can be a soothing presence. they come unarmed in contrast to the u.n. peacekeepers and are not threatening to the crowd. on this day it was a boy being bullied by his friends and on others it could be domestic violence or reuniting lost children with their families. at the end of her patrol, mary reflects on the benefits she and her colleagues have brought to the camp. >> translation: my job is positive. why? because since we started, no woman has fought with another woman. the women wearing these pink shirts, if we find people fighting, we stop them. >> reporter: the people in this camp say they want their leaders to stop fighting so they can return to their homes.

until they can do so, mary and her team are doing their part to make sure they're safe where they are just a reminder, you can keep up-to-date with all the latest news on our website, aljazeera.com >> this is "techknow". a show about innovations that can change lives. >> the science of fighting a wildfire. >> we're going to explore the intersection of hardware and humanity, but we're doing it in a unique way. this is a show about science... >> oh! >> oh my god! >> by scientists. >> tonight, techknow investigates shrimp safety. >> seafood by nature is a high risk commodity. >> americans love their shrimp, but most of it comes from countries that usext