>> hello, welcome to the news hour. this is al jazeera live from doha. here's what's coming up in the next 60 minutes. the hunt is on for this suspect in the brussels airport attack and there are reports that another bomber is on the run. >> change of mind, paris bombing suspect saleh abdeslam will not challenge extradition to france. syrian government forces retake control of two isil positions in the ancient city of palmyra. verdict is due in the

genocide trial of former bosnian serb leader. >> i'll have all the sport, including a sad day for football, a former player passes away at the age of 68. it's been two days since the bombings in brussels airport and a crowded metro station claimed the lives of 31 and injured hundreds of others. a minute's silence will be held nationwide this hour as the country continues to observe three days have mourning, the hunt is still on for one of the suspected bombers seen on a security camera in brussels

airport. >> saleh abdeslam was arrested in the brussels neighborhood of malenbeek last week and told police he had plans to carry out a suicide bombing in parseries during the attacks loft november but then back tracked. >> i think we have to communicate that he wants to be extra dated to france as soon as possible. the case here is a small piece of the puzzle and he wants to explain himself in france, which is a very good thing. it will only take two weeks for him to go to france and there is no way to contest the extradition decision. we will follow his decision and work closely with him. he is clap rating and we will protect his confidentiality. i have no comments with how we will move forward. i have nothing more to say. >> as this unfolds, brussels remains on edge with that security has been tightened, people searched before entering metro stations. the capital's airport is expected to remain shut until at

least late friday and an impromptu memorial has arrived with flowers and flags from around the world. let's speak to our correspondent dominic cain in brussels. we'll talk about the mood behind you in a moment, first let me ask you about what police are saying about the two suspects linked to the airport and the metro attack in brussels who we understand are still at large. >> the first things to, it's been a day of developments. so far, we understand that the police are looking for a big suspect potentially, a man seen on that cctv. this man was seen on cctv and appeared to be carrying an identical rucksack to what the bomber had with him. we understand that the police issued an artists impression of that, this person, and clearly

are actively seeking to apprehend him. if it is accurate, it means there are two suicide bombers who the police will be wanting to get hold of. the point to make here is much of the evidence that the police have gathered in the aftermath of the attacks has come through a tipoff they got from a taxi driver who said that he drove three of the suspected bombers to zaventem airport. he said it was curious and strange that they did not want him to help them with the cases that they had. originally, they intended to go with five cases. eventually, they went with three because there wasn't the space in the fax see for four or five. the point is those three people are the people you see in the cctv images from the zaventem airport, the person with the hat and glasses and blue issue white shirt, the person who ran, fled

the scene because his device did not explode. the point about all this is that we now have ambiguity where these people are, who they are indeed and clearly these are questions that the police need to provide answers to as soon as possible. >> a lot of questions that need to be answered, dominic and what's going on behind you? we know that impromptu memorial has been set up. just tell us a little bit about the mood of the people and what they've been saying to you. >> well behind me you can see very many people indeed. this is a place where people have come, congregated to lay floral tributes, write messages on the ground here to basically come and show what kind of -- show their feeling that the feeling of solidarity they have and the sorrow they feel. we know there will be a moment of silence later this hour, which you've already referred to

across the country in commemoration for the victims of these attacks. i spoke earlier on to someone who had come here and wanted to write a message to his father, who died in the maelbeek explosions. some in the phlegmish media are beginning to ask questions about what the guest did and did not do about these attacks beforehand. the famous fletcher newspaper saying the government let these people go. the other thing to point out is that the cabinet of belgium has been meeting today. we understand that both the interior and justice ministers offered their resignations to the prime minister and that he refused to accept them. it's worth pointing out that a little later on, there will be a

meeting at the european level of e.u. interior and justice ministers, and clearly they will be looking to find whatever solution there are to be found at a european wide level. >> dominic, thank you for that update from brussels. one of the suspected suicide bombers had been arrested in turkey last year. he was picked up in a routine sweep of suspects near the syrian border. the turkish president said he was deported back to europe and officials there were warned. >> that one of the brussels attackers was caught in june 2015 and deported. we informed the authorities with a note about the deportation in 2014. they released the attacker despite our warnings that this person was a foreign fighter, they could not establish any links with terrorism. >> turkey has been in the spotlight for becoming the make that transit point for isil

recruits getting into syria, but the government said it is doing its part to shut it down. >> securing turkey's 900-kilometer border with syria is not easy. the government wants to seem it off completely with concrete walls, watch towers and more guards. the construction started about two years ago. some residents here say it's already made a difference. >> they were passing from here, terrorists, man, woman, smugglers. they were all passing from here. >> turkey says it fears isil fighters are crossing into its territory with the intent of carrying out attacks. this is the closest we can get to the border with syria and you can see right behind me the concrete wall. that wall was built about a month ago by the turkish authorities. the government said it wants to prevent all smuggling activities

and also prevent anyone from entering turkish territory illegally. >> western powers have accused turkey of turning a blind eye to the flow of foreign fighters in and out of syria. western intelligence services estimate more than 30,000 foreigners from 100 countries are fighting in syria, and that turkey was the entry point for many of them. the e.u. law enforcement agency estimates between 3,000 and 5,000 isil fighters have returned to their home countries in europe and could be planning attacks. the u.s. and nato said this 70-kilometer strip of the border is used by foreign fighters to go in and out of syria. an isil stronghold is just a few kilometers away. the governor has ridiculed all accusations. he said the concrete walls run over 800 kilometers through five

turkish cities bordering syria with cameras and radar. >> a man blows himself up in the middle of brussels at the metro at airport, so how did they get there and how did they get the bombs? why europe then doesn't protect its borders? instead of accusing us, let's work together to solve the problem. >> turkey has increased its military power and personnel along its border with syria, but even if it succeeds in sealing the border, isil and other foreign fighters will find another way to cross as long as there is war in syria. al jazeera, on the turkish-syrian border. we're crossing over in just a moment, but first let me tell you what is happening in syria because there is violence between the government and opposition fighters despite the on going ceasefire. the opposition has killed 20 members of the pro-government forces.

meanwhile, two opposition fighters have been killed and several injured in airstrikes which hit the damascus countryside. syrian government forces have taken control of two isil positions in the ancient city of palmyra. that operation was backed by russian airstrikes. isil has held palmyra since may destroying structures and artifacts. their destruction led to international outrage. let's now cross over to the turkey syrian bored every. give us clarification and detail on what exactly is happening in palmyra and what is behind the syrian government gains there. >> according to the syrian state televisions, they showed pictures of places where members of the syrian army inside palmyra. the government for the last

three days sent force trying to advance toward palmyra. act visits inside palmyra have told us that he denied basically that he was coming from the syrian television saying the fighting is outside and that outside of the city, and that the isil fighters are still positioned in palmyra, but described the fighting as very fierce. now why palmyra is important, of course always the historical aspect are sight--sites. to the east of it is it borders iraq and most of little under isil control. i think it's key both for the government of syrian president bashar al assad as well as the russians to achieve something in that area, because the russians,

when they entered syria' e. said it was targeting isil. >> the u.s. secretary of state john kerry said he wants to see further reduction in violence and greater humanitarian assistance flowing into syria, so kerry is pressing his russian counterpart over a political transition in as her i can't during a meeting in moscow. kerry is expected to discuss the future of bashar al assad with vladimir putin. we are following developments out of moscow. tell us what we expect to come out of the meetings that kerry is holding in moscow, and also you heard the report on the situation in palmyra. what are the russians saying about their involvement in the strikes there and what's going on. >> for the past few days, the russians have been saying that they were carrying out

airstrikes in and around palmyra. we also saw russian television reporters reporting from the hills surrounding palmyra. they have been announcing for a few days that soon the syrian government forces will be able to enter palmyra. now that news broke out to us a few hours ago. however, it is very possible that when john kerry met with sergey lavrov earlier today, they viewed two men that already knew that piece of information. we don't know what they were discussing during that meeting. what we do know from the spokeswoman of the foreign ministry the meeting lasted for hours as they discussed also ukraine, a very important issue for the rigses, at least. probably john kerry would want to see more involvement from the russians in the sense they would

like to see russia put its weight again, putting pressure on president bashar al assad. we know that the two sides are at adds on the future of bashar al assad in that transitional government, but at the moment, his frustration that the syrian part and the government side is procrastinating in tackling the core issue of these geneva talks. i think also probably, john kerry would like to understand really how much pressure or much protection would i say is vladimir putin giving bashar al assad. the announcement of the draw down of the russian troops came as a surprise to absolutely everyone. this is a draw down, it's not a withdrawal, there is a substantial amount of military hardware and troops in syria, but i think what puzzled people and probably also the united states and other people that were participating in those geneva talks is that what was the message here, was the

message two bashar al assad that russia support is unconditional, even though the fact that there are russian troops on the ground means that the protection is still there. certainly the advancement in palmyra is roof that moscow is still backing the president in syria. now, i think that is all the talks that they were talking about. they are also going to talk about access for human aid. yes, it's been better, but there are still areas in syria that are under seen. those are areas that are under siege by government forces and probably john kerry would ask his russian counterpart to put pressure for that human aid to reach those in need as soon as possible. >> ok, thank you for that update from moscow. she was referring to the geneva talks and al jazeera has learned that the next round of syria talks will be starting in geneva on the ninth or 10th of april. the latest goshes being adjourned after two weeks of

discussions. more on that with our diplomatic editor james bays joining us from geneva, james. >> we're at the final point in this round of talks. the pressure indianapolis put on the syrian government, because they said they didn't want to come back here in my the syrian regime's parliamentary election. most observers believe there are never free elections in syria take place. also under pressure when you look at this. this is the document of staffan de mistura, the final document he's going to give to both sides. it's supposed to be a sort of discussion paper for the two sides. what's interesting is the title. essential principles of political solution in syria, almost the same title as the document that the syrian government presented at the beginning of these talks almost

two weeks ago. what's different about mr. staffan de mistura's document is right at the center is the whole issue of political transition and that's the issue that the syrian government delegation have been avoiding talking about and have been delaying here at these talks. he's putting that issue front and central. it's the issue that he's made no progress on really at these talks and that's of course the meetings taking place in moscow right now, where some extra pressure cap come from russia. >> thank you for that update. much more coming up, including argentina's dirty war and the secrets the united states has been withholding. protestors say barack obama is not welcome in their country. >> i'm in the refugee camp. they are going back home. i'll be talking with them about

their fierce and hope as they start their journey to rebuild their lives in somalia. >> i feel sorry if in any way i hurt my female colleague tennis players. >> coming up, djokovic back pedals after a tennis sexism row. first the verdict is expected in the comes art in the genocide trial of the former bosnian serb leader facing 11 charges including two counts of genocide over his role in the bosnia war which left 100,000 people dead. bernard smith reports. >> it's not so long ago that a european capital city echoed to the sounds of war. in the country side, people were herded into camps. thousands of men and boys were

massacred. they are still digging up bones today. the president of the bosnian serbs in the early 1990s is accused for the responsibility for these crimes. the seen are sarajevo, ethnic cleansing, the mat kerr at certain needs does a. a psychiatrist, poet and psychologist, the role of war time leader didn't always seem a natural fit. after the war, he disappeared. nato forces looked for him all over bosnia, but he was in neighboring serbia, not hiding in secret, but disguides in public as a mystic healer. when he was caught and taken to the hague, his trial lasted five years. defiant, he defended himself. >> my conscience is clear. the war did not happen according to my wishes. it was horrible.

i expect and i trust that the chamber will study carefully all the evidence. if that happens, itch no doubt the judgment of acquittal will follow. >> in bosnia, many serbs still believe they were the victims. that this week they gather to name a building in his honor. today's leader of bosnia serbs call the trial a humiliation saying he was subject to selective justice. what about sarajevo on which the serbs turned their guns? what would a verdict in the trial mean to him? >> i'm looking forward to it, not because it will be any big satisfaction, but a step towards restoring the faith in our society today. >> for those who lost loved wins, the verdict is important,

but if his trial was meant to reconcile bosnia to its past, well, it hasn't worked out that way. the guns have fallen silent, but this country is as difficulted as ever. bernard smith, al jazeera. >> we're joined by stefan in sarajevo, but first to emma hayward following developments out of the hague to tell us whether the judge has started reading the judgment yet. >> the judge arrived in court at 2:00 sharp. already in court wearing a dark suit, and the judge started speaking and he said he will be summarizing the findings. we expect that summary to go on for some two hours. it will only be in the last 10 minutes of that judgment when we will get the verdicts on those 11 counts, which range from genocide to external nation, 11 counts in total, all of which he

denies, but it has been a lock time getting to this point. it is more than two decades since this court behind me first indicted him. he denies all the charges and earlier this week in an interview said he believed he would be acquitted, but this is a very important moment for this court, one of the most high profile cases it's ever had to deal with. >> what was the atmosphere like before the proceedings started? >> it has been extremely emotional, about an hour before the judges arrived in court, about 100 people, bosnian and croats, many carrying banners saying they want justice. one man had been a prisoner in a concentration camp for 500 days. when i asked him what today meant to him, he had tears in

his eyes, clearly an important day for all of those people involved in the war many years ago. we are joined from sarajevo as the proceeding go on at the hague, what has been the reaction where you are? >> well, the verdict is the topic number one here, in this place, because of the situation in the market here in 1994, at this very spot where i'm standing in february 5, 1994, the grenade fell and killed 50 send civilians which came here to pick up food for themselves and their families. when one knows that during the siege of sarajevo, average person had only 150 grams of food per person per day, then

they know why those people had to leave their home under the threat of shots and grenades just to pick up something to eat. i spoke to a woman here in the market here a minute ago. she told me she lost both her son and daughter during the siege of sarajevo. many people who came here were also here during the war and they are only talking about the verdict today in the hague tribunal. they hope he gets a lifetime sentence. it was difficult to live in sarajevo during the period of siege. there were more than 1,500

people killed, among them 1,600 kids, more than 50,000 of sarajevo civilians were wounded during the war and some 10,000 homes were completely destroyed. even today, you can see the scars and marks from the cyber shot and fire grenades all over the city of sarajevo and that is one of the main reasons that people are still living through period which is seen as a long siege of capital in modern time history. >> thank you for that update. now the weather with stench. bad weather hammering parts of north america. >> of course it's spring now, so everything's far warmer, or so you might think. if we have a look at what's been going own in north america, we've account pictures lining, that doesn't look very warm to me. a blizzard was responsible for hundreds of accidents in colorado and the system is still getting going. working towards the northeast,

dragging down south towards texas. in the north, an awful lot of snow and some freezing rain, as well. of course freezing rain is one of the most dangerous types of whether that there is. it comes down, hits as water and instantly freezes, adding weight to power lines so of course there are major blackouts. we are expecting quite a lot of ice particularly over parts of canada during the day today. then that's eventually going to turn to snow. further south is a risk of a few tornadoes, as well. many of us in the eastern half of north america looking at very violent weather during the day today. fast forward, you can see the main snowy system edging into the eastern parts of canada and it's just the eastern coast where we see the heavy rain. new york and d.c. expecting the

bad weather. will it be the union jack or silver fern? new zealanders decide what to do with their flag of 114 years. >> in santa monica california, we have a report on how the el niño weather system is putting both humans and animals at risk. at risk. hey how's it going, hotcakes? hotcakes. this place has hotcakes. so why aren't they selling like hotcakes? with comcast business internet and wifi pro, they could be. just add a customized message to your wifi pro splash page and you'll reach your customers where their eyes are already - on their devices. order up.

it's more than just wifi, it can help grow your business. you don't see that every day. introducing wifi pro, wifi that helps grow your business. comcast business. built for business. when it comes to the fithings you love,. you want more. love romance? get lost in every embrace. into sports? follow every pitch, every play and every win. change the way you experience tv with x1 from xfinity.

usual the top stories on the al jazeera news hour, a minute silence is held in belgium to remember the victims of the attacks in the capital. suicide bombers detonated explosives in brussels airport and metro. syrian government forces have taken control of the ancient city of palmyra. the opposition was backed by russian airstrikes. a verdict is expected in the trial of a bosnian in the hague. in recent weeks, egyptian authorities have questioned human rights workers, banned travel and attempted to surprise assets.

amnesty say it is part of a 5-year-old investigation by egypt's government into the funding of independence human rights group. the investigation could result in human rights defenders facing up to 25 years in prison. let's speak to amnesty international's egypt researcher. when your organization says egypt civil society is being treated like an enemy of the state rather than a partner for reform and progress, how so? >> well, human rights groups in egypt face a gathering storm. we've seen the authorities step up a criminal investigation into them and we can see leading activists thrown behind bars for 25 years. in the last few days, we've seen activists hit with new travel bans, questioned by judges investigating their foreign funding sources. we've also seen the authorities try to freeze the assets of some of the country's top human

rights defenders. >> speaking of freezing assets, let me ask you about two particular cases that i'm sure you're following. on thursday, a court is expected to rule on that freezing of assets against the human rights defender and also journalists. do you have an update on that? >> my understanding was that the decision has been postponed, but it's a critical one. i left before i could see the final results in it. what's clear is that the authorities are clearly trying to silence human rights organizations. they are determined to shut them down once and for all. >> why do you think that is? >> because they generally see them as an enemy of the state but the truth is they've documented human rights violations, defended victims in court and cared for survivors, but the real truth is the authorities want to shut them down because they're the final thorn in their side.

the government shut down independent reporters, human rights groups are all that stands between them and unchecked repression. >> when the u.n. high commissioner for human rights says and i'm reading a statement here that he's gravely concerned over the closure of hundreds of civil society organizations in egypt and prosecutions of numerous human rights defenders, is the statement enough? how much of an impact does it actually have, and what does the international community need to do? >> well, i think the tough words we heard from the my commissioner on human rights over the last few days have not been enough to make up for the resounding silence we've heard on gross human rights violations over the last years. human rights groups in egypt are paying the price for silence. what is needed or represents it is made at the very highest levels of state. that's the only thing that's

going to avert disaster for egypt's human rights defenders. >> thank you for speaking to us from london. >> israeli soldiers saying they shot and killed two palestinians who tried to stab them. the incident happened at a check point in the city of hebron in the occupied west bank. 206 palestinians and 26 israelis have been killed during a cease of shootings and stabbings since last october. the u.n. is setting up a commission to investigate human rights abuses in south sudan after a u.n. report found atrocities had been committed since the conflict began in late 2013. the three person panel will look at weather multiple rapes and attacks on civilians conditions substitute war crimes. thousands have died in a civil war. more than 2 million people have been displaced. >> trying to repatriate refugees

in somali. 50,000 are expected to return this year. more than 300 those remaining camps in eastern kenya. we have this report. >> under the blistering mid morning sun, 249 somalis collect what may be their last aid packages. here they receive money to start them off. today, they getting to home. taking the six children back, they've lived here the last eight years. she told me it was a tough choice that had to be made. >> i'm going back, buy some animals and become self sufficient. i'm concerned about our security, but i've been told that my neighborhood is safe.

>> also, the refugees are from southern somalia. they'll find their way home. their cautious. they've been given non-food items like blankets and $120 each to start their lives in somalia. though don't know what to expect. >> some have come back to the camp. this woman went to mogadishu in august last year. they returned earlier this month. she said mortars killed a domestic worker and she was badly injured. >> my children were traumatized. they couldn't sleep at night because of the constant gunfire and bombs. they kept telling me, mommy, we want to go back. >> roughly, 12,000 people had to

be repay the rated since the prm started the number of refugees registering to go home are increasing. >> there is still uncertainty and those going back are worried about their safety. they're also proud to be going home, to rebuild their lives in dignity. al jazeera, the refugee camp in northern ken. >> >> it was a military rule where thousands were killed or went missing in argentina, the u.s.

president barack obama will mark the anniversary of what people call the dirty war. activists want him to declassify files that show u.s. involvement. >> it's been 40 years since argentina was ruled by a military junta, a time when those who opposed the regime systematically disappeared. the u.s. is pressured to release documents about their role. >> my husband was kidnapped and i was pregnant. my mother started to participate in protest to demand the release of political prisoners. she was taken, too. i never saw her again. >> she has been trying to find what happened to her husband and mother for decades. she said the u.s. has information that would have saved here years of pain. >> we know now that the u.s. government knew about what was

happening. some bodies were found in 1978. those persons had been kidnapped with my mother. it would have saved me a lot of time had i known back then that she was dead. >> this is the navy mechanical school. it used to be a clandestine detention center during the dictatorship. hundreds were detained and tortured here. this paper said the united states was part of the dictatorship. some are saying barack obama is not welcome here because they are not willing to forgive or forget the role that the united states played at the time. >> many killed in the machine 70's and 1980's were victim of the condor plan with latin american dictatorships persecuted opponents around the world. marco has been investigating the plan for years and he's impressed by the amount of knowledge the u.s. had about what was happening. >> henry kissinger told the argentine foreign minister at the time if you have something

to do, do it fast, there are a lot of document that is show the u.s. roam in the condor plan. it's impressive how many knowledge they had. ar jen attorney in a's human rights secretary said finding out the truth will help argentina move forward. >> hoping the or kinds of will help us. hiding the truth only generates more pain. >> she was able to find her mothers remains in a mass grave in 2005. thousands of others are still wandering what happened to their loved ones. the hope is that the release of new u.s. documents will help find them. al jazeera, buenos aires. >> the global weather phenomenon el niño is hitting the west coast of the u.s. with heavy rains raising concerns about the health and welfare of society's most vulnerable. we have a report from santa monica in california. >> the los angeles river is usually a trickle in a concrete ditch, but when el niño brings

its rain, it's a dangerous people for the homeless who camp along its banks. michael who didn't want his name used or face shown said the river becomes a beast. >> it goes very, very fast. it's no joke. >> we'd like you to be out of the waterway. would you come on up for me? >> police officers try to convince homeless people to who have to shelters. >> the goal is not to allow anyone to come back to camp within the waterway, just so if a flash flood or quick rain did come, no one would get washed away. >> several emergency shelters have been set up in response to el niño. >> we set these up in conjunction with the county of los angeles to be able to protect as many homeless persons as possible during the el niño rains acknowledge unpredictable winter season. >> the shelters of space for

3100 people but more than 40 these people are homeless in l.a. county. a government oversight body called the county's efforts grossly inadequate. this is a shelter of an entirely different kind, pacific marine mammal center in laguna beach. staff are tending to seal and sea lion pups found abandoned and starving. >> the warmer water has forced certain types which fish that seals and see lions like to eat into colder parts of the pacific. that means it's tough for them to feed themselves, let alone nourish their young. >> thousands of animals have been rescued, thousands more died at sea. >> seeing a lot of the pups coming in underweight in record numbers, mass 80ed and coming in with a lot of parasites. >> it's heartbreaking. they are skin and bones, extremely lethargic. our efforts are on rehydrating

them creating fish smoothies with electrolytes in them to help bring them back. >> humans and animals at the mercy of el niño. new zealanders voted to stick with tradition and keep their country's flag. the symbol of the colonial past won't be replaced after a second referendum was held. we have more on results from auckland. >> a disappointing turnout and a disappointing result, those who wanted the flag to change refusing to concede defeat. >> the current flag has won the day. we think within time we'll have a new flag to represent that we're an independent multi-cultural independent in the south pacific. thank you. >> john key led the campaign for change. >> you can't be a soar looser about these things. you've just got to say that, you

know, those hoop wanted change put their best foot forward, gave it a go that it might not have worked but actually we're a stronger country for it. >> for more than 1.2 million kiwis, there are celebrations that the current design with its british union flag and southern cross will continue its 114 year reign. >> it's what the major city want and they will go home delighted to new zealand is keeping the same flag. >> i'm pleased. well done, new zealand. >> 57% of voters picked the current flag over the new design, which ditched the union flag despite new zealand still having strong links to britain. the referendum produced the higher voter turnout in 20 years. the prime minister said that proofs it was a discussion worth having. >> as a country, we've had enormous discussion and probably every school child in new

zealand has had a discussion about the flag and what it means. on a majority base, we've done something no other country in the world has done. >> malcolm was part of the flag consideration panel and said the discussion is far from over. >> i think what will happen now is there will be on going debate about the current flag and there will be some other suggestions promoted over time. >> this wasn't the outcome the new zealand prime minister and this crowd wanted, but it's one that 1.2 million kiwis voted for. it would seem on this occasion, he got it wrong. auckland, new zealand. sports news is coming up. we'll have reaction to the news that the dutch football great has passed away.

hohes w'oiithoc ?estc .thlais hotas hke hyson' at' ey hohes w'oiithoc llg ca hke cwistomin biness rn fid , p cth bou e.juais hotas hke hyson' at' ey hohes w'oiithoc ddstus azetomimeag y wiourofia'y llg ca hke heesev .or upde . 'itrestn i, w c u'e e dry.ynebuss.

oding uc pwiwiro fi hthatpsroui >> orangutans face extinction ig rates, time is running out to save them. an australian zoologiesist is trying to assure they have somewhere safe to live.

>> he is a man on a mission. he is one of the first persons to reintroduce a rescued orangutan into the wild. after failing to convince authorities to protect the forest, he is taking matters into his own hands, using donations, easy leasing large tracts of land from the government to assure the forests are not bulldozed. >> we have got control of everything north of here. this is the front line to have a functioning ecosystem in the area. >> they have transformed the 34,000 hectares from a former logging area into a refuge for animals. this is where they release orangutans who have been orphaned or kept at pets. >> all 178 orangutans have gone back into the forest and inhabiting the on the ground co

system at the moment. we hope to keep reintroducing to get a base of a minimum to 500. ultimately, we hope the population expands so there are 2,000 living in a sustainable population here forever. >> now, free to roam through the jungle, this population of orangutans has already started breeding independently. >> living wild is one thing, but reproducing and producing off spring is it ultimate goal. >> they believe they have made a startling discovery, a new species of orangutan. it was previously thought there were only two species. now cox and his team are almost certain a new species exist in the peru forest. they have named it. >> this population is isolated,

it's genetically different and it's in a different environment. it will move in a different direction to the other population, so sooner or later, evolution dictated it will be a new species. >> cox works with indonesian forest rangers to help keep illegal loggers and poachers out of the forest but in a country where countless acres have already been destroyed and palm oil is a lucrative money earner, making the forests safe for orangutans is a never ore ending battle. you can see more of that report on 101 east, the orangutan whisperer right here on al jazeera. in our, it's time for all the sports news. >> thank you very much. we'll start with sad news, one of the greatest ever football players has died of cancer at the age of 68. the dutch man's family announced

that he passed away peacefully at his home in barcelona. he was voted the world's best player on three occasions. he guided the netherlands to the world cup final in 1974 and led them to three con steek active european cups in the 1970's. he went on to a successful managerial career with barcelona, as well. >> for more on this, we can speak to mikael youngs ma, a dutch football journalist who joins us. it's a very sad day for dutch football. what did he mean to the country? >> it's hard to even describe how big his impact has been. before his debut, he had basically no existence and afterwards was known for his

greatness. he was with a team that was the best of europe at one point. he revolutionized as a coach as well and did the same in barcelona. he's without any doubt the biggest influence dutch football has known and it's genuinely a very, very sad day for everyone involved in football in the netherlands. >> can you tell us or talk us through a bit of his greatest achievements in the sport? >> as i just mentioned, the cup was won three times in a row. he lost the final in 1974 but helped barcelona. later on, he did the same as a coach. he's been an international icon.

the way he developed youth players and helped reach some of the other big stars their potential has been probably the footballer that is very much the person that has had a huge impact on world football, i would say. >> going back to the netherlands, how is the news being felt among the people there? >> well, it's really made everyone have a really terrible day, basically. he's basically royalty in this country, so you can imagine the impact people are just really, really sad about it. a lot of things people have come out and paid their respects to him and his family. it's really one of the most sad days in dutch recent culture, i would say. >> mike kale youngs man, dutch

footballist, thank you very much for that. word tennis number one djokovic apologized to female tennis players after making controversial comments about pay quality in the sport. sexism in tennis has remained the hot topic in miami. the current stop on the pro tour. >> when it comes to the next generation of female tennis players, the university of miami prides itself on turning out some of the best new hopefuls. the hurricanes as the team here is known put in relentless hours of practice, but the statement from a former senior tennis official reverberated throughout the court and throughout the sport. >> if i was a lady player, i'd go down every night on my knees and thank god that roger federer and roger nadal were born, because they've carried the sport. >> i was very surprised that a high-ranking tennis executive

would make these type of comments. >> as a former player and now professor of sports marketing doesn't think the comments mean there is a problem with sexism in tennis, but she said the timing is deeply troubling. >> it's been a bad year for tennis. we've already had to have difficult discussions about match fixing, performance enhancing drug and now discrimination. there is why leadership is so important. >> over the years, sexism has reader its ugly head plenty of times in tennis but thanks to the female pioneers, prize money in major tournaments is now equal. having said all that, comments like the ones made in the last few days could have seen to have set the sport back decades. serena williams called the remarks offensive and the women's tennis association said it stands for the principles of equality and empowerment. >> the women train as hard as the men train. the women are just as

professional as the men. >> we talked about the moral part of it. guacamole, it's the right thing to do. >> world number one djokovic apologized since suggesting that men should earn more than women, saying his comments were taken out of context. >> my beliefs are completely in line with gender equality and equal opportunities. we are all part of the same sport. we all contribute in our own special unique ways. >> every time players or officials make disparaging remarks about female athletes, questions about sexism in sport remain. al jazeera, miami, florida. the nfl are continuing to admit a link between football related head trauma and brain disease. the league had been previously hesitant to do so but two weeks ago, the nfl's top medical officer jeff miller admitted to u.s. congress round table that there was a link between the game and the condition called

c.t.e. >> we think the statements that have been made to jeff miller and others have been consistent with our position over the years. we've actually funded those studies, so we not only are aware of those, we recognize them and support those studies. a lot of the research is still in its in fancy, but we're trying to find ways to accelerate that. >> 64 of the world's best golfers are fighting it out for the last big prize before next month's masters. mcelroy was among the winners on the first day of the match. world number one jordan speith also delivered a solid performance. the home favorite led from the start. world number two jason day played through the pain after injury but managed to beat nadal. that's it from me. thanks for watching the news our on al jazeera. back in just a moment. we'll have more news coming your way. see you in a minute.

>> people out here are struggling and just trying to get by with whatever they can. >> al jazeera america - proud of telling your stories. >> somebody to care about us man... >> we're live in ferguson, missouri. >> brick by brick, i will open it. it will take more than a few rocks to stop me from doin' what i have to do. >> suddenly heroin seems to be everywhere. >> there's no way i am willing to give up my family for a drug ever again. >> i know you all have strong opinions about the border. >> i don't believe in borders. >> our government is allowing an invasion. >> i don't really know as much as i thought i did. >> people don't just need protection, they need assistance. >> what's your message then? >> we need help now. >> oh my god... the town's out of water. >> we came up here to talk to some people who are selling fresh water... fresh water for fracking. >> we are a town that greed

destroyed. >> what do we want? >> justice! >> these people have decided that today they will be arrested. >> i wanted to dance, and eventually i started leaving the gangs in the street alone. >> we're pushing the envelope with out science every day, we can save species. >> i'm walking you guys! >> all i wanted to see was her walk. it was amazing. >> these were emotions that i had been dreaming about for so long. >> getting to the heart of the matter. proud to tell your stories. al jazeera america.

former bosnian serb leader is found guilty for crimes against humanity. ♪ you are watching al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also coming up, the hunt is on for this suspect in the brussels airport attack, and there are reports that another bomber is on the run. syrian government forces retake control of two isilings positions in