the last key suspect in the paris attacks is arrested in belgium along with four other people. the world news from al jazeera. also ahead, saudi arabia and egypt announce they will build a bridge across the red sea. back in power, the president is reerected making him one of africa's longest serving leaders. as the japanese committee are showing improvements on their

economy, some have mass cots one of europe's most wanted men is now in custody. he is suspected of taking part in last year's paris attacks. the prosecutors investigate whether he is connected to the brussels bombings in which 32 people were killed. >> reporter: belgian police arrest the man on a street in central brussels. one of five suspects rounded up on friday, part of the investigation into the recent attacks in paris and brussels. among them this man. he was on the run for five months and wanted in connection with the paris plot. >> translation: this afternoon he was also arrested plus another as well as him, two other people. their digital prints and their d.n.a. was identified in the bay, but also in the car that was used during the paris attacks >> reporter: he was last seen in the cctv footage at a petrol

station in northern france before two days before the november attacks in paris. he was with his childhood friend salah abdeslam, also arrested in brussels last month. they were driving an renault used by the attackers. the prosecutors says it's too early to say if he is the man in the hat. the suspect seen with two suicide bombers at brussels airport just before the blasts. what is clear is catching him is being seen as a major break through for belgian authorities. >> it is better to have them alive or dead because at least then you can get intel from them. that's one of the things they pride themselves on, whereas in the raid in paris where they were able to get the paris ring leader, most of the people - everyone in that raid was killed. so the belgians say we take longer, but we're capturing them alive >> reporter: also arrested is a

man believed to have helped bomber at the malbeck metro station. as the investigation continues, these latest arrests shows again the links between the paris and brussels attackers saudi arabia and egypt are to build a bridge over the red sea. saudi arabia's king made the announcement at a tell advised-- televised press conference. >> reporter: historic was the word most used by the king and president. there was an historic announcement too. a plan to build a bridge linking egypt and saudi arabia across the red sea. >> translation: this historic step to connect the two continents is a transformation that will increase trade between the two continents to unprecedented levels >> reporter: he made the

announcement on his second visit to cairo. >> translation: the unique quality of the relations between eye jipt and saudi arabia, the extent to which the strong and deep rooted will allow us to face mutual challenges, our cooperation will certainly allow us to resolve all of our regional crisis, such as in palestine, yemen, libya and syria >> reporter: it was about both politics and economies. from the king a warning that saudi arabia and egypt would stand together against outside interference by which they mean iran and its ambition in the region. for egyptians much more. the two nations are signing agreements including a multi billion dollar deal whereby saudi arabia will finance egypt's oil needs for the next five years and previous estimates for the bridge suggest a cost of around three to four billion dollars. saudi arabia and other gulf

nations have provided precedent sisi with support since he came into power, but this package from saudi arabia to egypt dwarfs all previous agreements the syrian government has freed an american freelance photographer who was abducted in 2012. he was released with the help of russian and czech negotiators who represented interests in syria. he has been transferred to moscow and handed over to the u.s. embassy. a former white house official says it might mark a turning point in relations between the u.s. and russia >> it is really a striking element in the u.s. russian relationship. the u.s. russian relationship has been deteriorating for the past several years, whether it's over ukraine or over syria. the u.s. and russian have been on the opposite sides of critically important international issues and have

not been cooperating. in fact, the u.s. has been sanking russian over and over again for the past two years. so this really marks potentially a new chapter in u.s. russian cooperation in the middle east and, particularly, in syria. it is an unusual striking development and shows really the depth of work that both secretary of state kerry and russian foreign minister have kon to repair the relationship and to work together on syria u.s. secretary of state john kerry has warned iraq's government against political infighting. he told a meeting of the country's leaders in baghdad that unity is the key to winning the fight against i.s.i.l. al jazeera's state department correspondent now reports. >> reporter: coalition air strikes destroy i.s.i.l.'s headquarters in the city of mosul while iraqi troops conduct preparations to retake that city. two years after i.s.i.l. first moved into iraq, the u.s. secretary of state told reporters in baghdad on friday

the situation is slowly improving. >> d.a.e.s.h. is getting weaker by the day and the coalition strategy of supporting the iraqis with training and equipment and air strikes is working >> reporter: even as he was speaking, i.s.i.l. set-off eight car bombs, a strategic city for them. his visit came at a critical time for the prime minister. the economy is struggling thanks to the tumbling price of oil and thousands of residents are protesting what they call corruption and political favoritism in the government. the obama administration is nervous >> i think that there's a very clear understanding in washington that we need baghdad to essentially be healther, that the iraqi government is a very critical component to our

counter insurgency success within iraq and so right now the fact that there is a bit of domestic turmoil going on is not just a domestic issue, but it's very much an international one that kerry is aware of and concerned about >> reporter: so kerry brought a body some financial relief. 155 million dollars to buy food, medicine and shelter for iraqis displaced by i.s.i.l. and a word of caution to all sides. this is not the time for partisan infighting. >> it is important to have political stability and it is important to have a unified and functioning government as rapidly as possible in order to move forward, so that all of these operations are not affected. >> reporter: but there is little the u.s. can do to ensure that political stability police in el salvador have raided the office of the law

firm at the huge center of the leak of the panama leak. documents and computers equipment have been seized. they're looking for evidence of citizens who opened accounts through the firm. last week information was leaked showing how some wealthy people use offshore companies to evade tax. >> translation: at this moment we are unable to speak of a crime. what we do know is we have to do our job and find information and examine it to determine from the financial point of view, the accounting point of view and the legal point of view i.s.i.l. says it has released 300 kidnapped cement workers in syria. there are reports that the government negotiated the agreement. the workers were taken after an i.s.i.l. offensive on monday. the group says it killed four workers and it is still holding 20 police belonging to a pro-government militia. protesters in kosovo release--

gas. activists were detained. djubiti president has won a fourth term in office. it looks to extend his 17 year rule over the east african nation. he was expected to win and many groups boycotted the election. >> reporter: the interior minister has announced the results saying 86% of the vote were won by the president, thereby declaring him the winner. the closest contender to the president, a former independence fighter, has 7.32% with the rest of the votes divided among the remaining four candidates from

the opposition and independent candidates. the president has another five-year term which will make his rule up to 22 years thereby making him one of the longest serving african leaders. he is credited with developing the infrastructure, particularly trying to establish it as a shipping hub because of its proximity to the major maritime route which 20,000 ships pass through every year, but despite the progress and infrastructure development and money coming from foreign powers who have military bases here, up to 43% of the population of this country still live under the poverty line there are reports that saudi arabia is ready to halt it's military campaign in yemen following a u.n.-backed deal by warring parties to stop the fighting on sunday.

a spokesman says the kingdom will commit to a truce on condition that fighters lay down their arms and pull out of areas under their control. a fragile ceasefire collapsed in december with both sides accusing each other of violations. talks of bringing the year-long war to an end are scheduled in two weeks time. north korea has tested a new engine for a ballistic missile. there is a video showing drills but it doesn't speaks the dates. the test was conducted at a station near the west coast but south korea says the north is years away from developing such a missile. lots more still to come here on al jazeera. venezuelans are working a shorter week but some fear the president's plan could paralyse the economy. a children's claveng with a high technical make over. india gets a sneak peek at the

adult version of the jungle book. stay with us. stay with us. >> al jazeera america - proud of telling your stories. jibling your stories. >> 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 speciedjibouti >> 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.

welcome back. a quick reminder of the top stories here. the last key suspects in the paris attacks has been arrested in brussels. his procedure was killed fighting for i.s.i.l. has been connected to the brussels attacks. four others have been arrested. saudi arabia's king has announced that a bridge over the red sea will be built to connect the kingdom with egypt. they've agreed on deals amounting to 1.7 billion

dollars. djibouti president has won a fourth term in office with 86% of the vote. the result extends his 17-year rule over the nation. italy has recalled its ambassador into the murder of an italian student. human rights groups have blamed the security forces for an italian student's death although egypt denies this. >> reporter: it was supposed to resolve tensions over the murder of 28 year old postgraduate student. after two days of meetings, egyptian delegation had little to offer italian prosecutors. nowity lee says it is recalling its ambassador from cairo for consultations. on social media the prime minister saysity lee will not stop until the truth was

uncovered. egypt's response they had no idea why the ambassador was being recalled, no statement as has been released on the meeting. his body was discovered in a ditch in the outskirts of cairo on 3 february. nine days after he went missing. his body bore signs of torture. his mother said she was only able to recognise him by the tip of his nose. human rights groups have said that egyptian security forces were behind the killing, an allegation cairo as has repeatedly denied. >> translation: the egyptian authorities have been utterly unable to collaborate in an effective manner. what they have done all this time is to give very often non-credible versions of events. its offensive to the memory of him. >> reporter: for his family, frustration in mounting. two weeks ago his mother threatened to publish a photo of her dead son's body if there was no progress in the case.

>> reporter: the murder has aroused high emotions here and certainly look at the media, the message to egypt is that it needs to do more to yeemd answers-- yield answers on who was behind the killing of this italian student pope francis has published must guidelines on family values saying the catholic church should show my understanding of modern life. the long awaited document called the joy of love lives his views on marriage, contraception and raising children. it doesn't change catholic doctrine, but says the church shouldn't throw stones of those who don't live up to the idea of marriage and family. >> translation: it presents the theological idea of marriage, which is artificially constructed and far from concrete skwagss and the real situations faced by families iceland's parliament has survived a no confidence vote.

they're unhappy with the departure of the prime minister and are calling for the entire government to go. the former prime minister was linked to an offshore company. the opposition's motion was defeated after an hour and a half after debate. hillary clinton may still be the favorite for the democratic nomination, but her ka campaign has lost momentum with hurry rival wing seven out of the last primaries or caucuses. there is about bad news in the opinion polls. more than half americans say they have an unfavorable impression of the democratic front runner. >> i disagree with him on that. that's a matter of principle. >> you are the single biggest liar and worse than jeb bush >> reporter: unlike the mud slinging of the republican campaign, the democrats said they would focus on the issue and not each >> i hop to respect the

secretary very much. i hope it's mutual >> reporter: the gloves are now off. the two candidates are upping their personal attacks as they compete to win delegates. sanders says it is clinton who started the fight accusing him of being unqualified to be president. >> the american people might want to wonder about your qualifications when you're spending an enormous amount of time raising money for your super pack >> reporter: she tried to laugh it off. >> well, it's kind of a silly thing to say but i'm going to trust the voters of nshg to know he >> reporter: the rhetoric between them signal how high stakes in the competition have become. hillary clinton led by 20 points a month ago. he has since cut that lead in half. >> the clinton campaign sees the delegate math and sees there's no path for sanders. there's still this painful slog for clinton and it's getting kind of nasty, i think.

i think both candidates are sick of each other >> reporter: the clinton campaign says the sanders attack are a strategic mistake. hillary clinton once represented new york as a u.s. senator and command support among new york city democrats. bernie sanders whose candidacy was considered a long shot still has momentum. he had accepted to meet with the pope at the vatican. the campaign toxic turn could present a challenge for the democratic party later this summer. after it chooses its nominee, it mending to do. if it hopes to unite the party against the republican challenger leaping up to the november general election for thousands of years farmers have prayed for rain but in venezuela they need water to generate electricity. emergency measures have been put in place to reduce consumption.

>> reporter: until the rains come and end an el nino-related drought shall the government has declared that fridays are a nonworking but paid holiday for most public sector employees. the decision is part of an effort to curb power consumption. it's also cutting back on small business. for this man, a motorcycle taxi whose clients are public servants, the measure has meant less work. >> translation: i made half of what i make and this won't work because people still use energy by staying home >> reporter: it is also having a demoralising effect on a population battling the world's highest inflation and shortages of all kinds. this houses several ministries. these corridors are busy but this friday they're empty. many fears that if the country doesn't solve the electricity

problem, the whole could feel this way. working from home, a human research consultant says a three-day weekend is nor a sign that venezuela is worse off than she ever thought. >> translation: the news came as a surprise. it made me feel very restricted in my own home. i have no money to go on a holland instead i will now have to do four days what i did in five. >> reporter: those who helped build the country's main plant more than three decades ago seem to only ratify her deepest fierce. >> translation: we're only producing enough energy to survive, not to generate economic dift. one way to measure the economy is how much energy they consume. this is a dying country. >> reporter: clouds have hovered over the area in past weeks, but no rain has come.

as the nation waits for el nino to end, many wonder if the government's measures are doing more harm than good. the concern is that reducing working hours would only paralyse a country whose economy is already grinding to a halt the former cuban leader has and in public for the first time in nine months. the 89 year old was shown on state television visiting a school named after his deceased son-in-law to mark her birthday mexican officials are due to discuss the findings of an investigation into a group of 43 students who went missing two years ago. an independent commission will examine the outcome with the attorney-general's office. three separate investigations have been held into the incident but families and relatives dispute the findings.

japan's sluggish economy has turned a corner. exports have been hit hard but one industry is striving to keep spirits up. cartoon like mascots have long been a national obsession. one manufacturer has told al jazeera why mascots are so central to japanese culture in her own words. >> translation: i'm the director and factory manager of an mascot costume kilometer. we make original items. we create and transform the design into a mascot that can fit people inside it. we divide into teams and each team works on different components of the mascot. we then put it together like model building. while the mascots are being made, they haven't been viewed yet. they aren't born yet. that's why we have to keep it a

top secret. there's no official statistics, but there should be more than two or three,000 mascots throughout japan. cuteness has represented japanese culture both children and adults love cute things. they feel healed by them. we produce about 20 mascots a month. different teams work together and it takes about two or three weeks to make one. if you include a designing period, it takes about a month or two. in a year, we make 200 to 250 mascots. it's the same as giving birth to children. the material is different, but it's completely different from just designing or making clothes. you know that you're creating something that has a life of its own. we go to many events with the mascots and we meet the mascots

we have made. we would say long time no see, but also follow them on youtube and find out where they are and where they're up to. a bit like stalkers. it's just like mom who checks on what their kids are up to. mascots have taught us about life. it is our product, but it isn't exactly just a product. it's a magical being. it makes us reflect on ourselves, think of others and it connects us with people out there. it's more than just a business film goers in india are watching the jungle book before its worldwide release. the retelling of a classic story may not be a hit with everyone. >> reporter: a children's classic now with a dramatic high technical make over.

a parental guidance rating has been given. the 3d effect of animals jumping out of the screen is bound to scare children. these grandparents are not worried. though they've been warned they will be watching a dark and sinister version of the animated film that make the jungle book popular >> they are in an entirely different world we were in. we had no tv or no computer games. >> reporter: the only real actor played by this boy is the character. >> the team was getting emotions out of the animals, which is really tough. like making a snake speak is not an easy task at all. >> reporter: critics say another challenge is to make the film res onnature across generations in india. it is a widely told tale here. >> reporter: the story of the jungle book, the author watts

born here. many generations have grown-up here with the animated film of the 1960s and for them this realistic version comes as a surprise. this professor uses the 1960s cartoon version of jungle book as part of her film studies >> animal performance is much more interesting and emotional in the 2d version because you're not getting distracted by how scary a real animal looks. >> reporter: as for the modern-day version, the boys tell me they weren't scared, but it seems to be the tender moments that are their favorite. >> when he makes a spear out of a stick and cutting the corn. >> reporter: even that's not light-hearted enough for his grandmother. >> i enjoyed the [indistinct]

it's realistic. >> reporter: maybe sending a message that there is still a place for simplicity and classic in an industry on thrives on ever more sensational high-tech remakes more news, of course, on you are website. aljazeera.com. velshi. "on target" tonight. addiction in america. better tactics for fighting a new war on drugs. how cities and states are battling the latest heroin epidemics and dealing with a brand-new class of synthetic drugs. all week long al jazeera america is showcasing a selection of your stories. they're some of the most important issues we've covered on this channel for you. among the most urgent and disturbing topics i've devoted time to addressing on this show