isls. >> us diplomatic interests. he has been transferred and handed over to the u.s. embassy. maria littman is here. are we saying obama was talking to punishment who was talking to the people on the ground in iris i can't here? >> is it seems this story, the russian media and dishonesty officials emphasized the russian assistance in the rescue operation came in response to president obama's personal request. in the meantime, the white house declined to comment on any such conversations like a personal request really took place. however, the operation was successful. the man has been rescued this is a positive news. >> some people are talking now about, in effect, i guess, a de facto alliance. is it that substantial? if it is, might it be used in the future but in a slightly different direction perhaps? >> yes, indeed. there have been reports coming from american sources. the minister of foreign affairs officials said that there is not so much misunderstanding between the two countries right now over what is going on syria and there does seem indeed both countries are fighting isis.

russia assisting the syrian army from air and american fighting together with the kurds somewhere to the north of the country. whether or not there is cooperation if we can call this so, more or less, is an open question. but right now, it seems that it is bearing fruit. >> bearing fruit is probably good will and cooperation there. how does that feed in to the coregraphy ahead of the u.n.-sponsored talks on wednesday which are going to reconvene at the u.n. meeting on wednesday? >> actually, there is cooperation. if we can call it so, is very fragile. there are still differences between the countries, the united states, russia and, first and foremost. on president assad, it seems that russia's policy is making him stronger and has made him stronger already. and this is something that is

probably not hailed in the united states. however, it seems that russia is -- has already imposed some of its objectives on what goes on syria. now, between the two countries, the united states and russia. >> maria littman in moscow, thank you very much. now, to yemen where an armed group has kidnapped and executed 20 government soldiers. local officials and residents said the soldiers were aligned with the president. they were traveling to the east from the southern port city of aden. their path took them through abian where al-qaeda has tightened its control in recent months. al-qaeda denies any involvement in their deaths. in iraq, 18 civilians have been killed in an attack on a marketplace in mfoolp fall uja,a busy market in the center of the besieged city. they are trying to retake fallujah from isil. at least 35 people were injured. al jazeera's walid ibrahim joins

us from baghdad. there is fighting going on, we understand, in the city of heat as well. what else do we know about that? >> yeah. the fighting in heat is still going on for almost a week. the iraqi forces succeeded in entering the city, still trying to counter. iraqi forces, at tthey said con some neighborhoods in todowntow of city. another source saying the fighting inside the city center is still going on. anyway, both parties, iraqi security forces and, also, isil, they realize the importance of the heat as a very important strategy, geographic location. it's connected with the three iraqi prove incidents, the province to the north and to the northeast and anbar province. both parties realize that who controls hitt as a town t means

he controls on all roads that are connected with these three prove incidents. anyway, iraqi forces, it seems that they are very determined to retake the heat but they are taking resistance from isil fighters. some sources on the city saying all roads are planted with roadside bombs a, and, also, with suicide bombs still used by isil and causing a huge casualties of iraqi forces. days ago, the iraqi military forces were talking about the importance of hitt. he said it means if iraqi forces succeeded in retaking hitt, it means they achieved half of the way or more than half of the way against putting an end or pushing isil out of iraq and they said who controls on hitt, means he controls on a very vast area, not only in hitt but in

many areas surrounding with hitt. >> walid, thanks very much. protesters have gathered outside david cameron's official residence in london ghanding resign. outside downing street following the revelation. the so-called panama papers show he had a stake in a firm that his father had owned. the prime minister admitted earlier he handled the controversy badly. he made that admission during a political party forum in london. let's hear from mr. cameron now. >> well, it's not been a defendant great week. inc. i should have handled this better, i could have handled this better. i know there are lessons to learn, and i will learn them.

and don't blame number 10 downing street or nameless advisors. blame me. i will learn the lesson. >> the center of the panama papers leak, as the controversy swirls around how wealthy people all over the world use offshore companies to avoid tax. here is victoria gatenby. >> el salvador is the latest country to launch an investigation into the murky world of offshore finance as a result of the panama papers leak. if the office was raided by police after they suspected it was about to be closed down. the attorney general's office said it took action after the firm's sign was removed on thursday night and an employee said the company wouas moving. attorney general douglas melende oversaw the raid. >> at this moment, we are unable to speak of a crime.

what we do know is that 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. >> the leaked panama papers were released into the public eye last week. they show how some wealthy people including politicians and heads of state use offshore companies to evade tax. the law firm at the center of the leak is based in panama in central america. it set up nearly a quarter of a million companies for its clients over the past 40 years. the firm insists its broken no laws. meanwhile, panama's embattled government said it is seeking a diplomatic solution after france put it on a financial black list. >> i want to make it very clear that the measure tan today by the french government is a measure that is wrong and unnecessary. instead, there is communication between heads of state and when there is multilateral communication between all countries to face globe problems have affect different companies,

the un lateral decision like the one taken doesn't contribute to anything. >> property cutors say they want to interview lawyers. they are warning witnesses to not try to conceal data relating to the case. victoria gatenby, al jazeera. more news for you still to come on "the al jazeera newshour" . >> i am in the brazilian capitol. usually it's a ghost town. behind me in the congress, there have been marathon sessions for the commission for impeachment. here, dozens have traveled across the country to camp out and keep the pressure on the government. >> people in venzuela are working a shorter week. some fear president madura's plans could paralyze the economy. >> after a 21-year boxing career. p manny pacquiao says this is the final time he will face down

an opponent. 10,000 people are expected to protest of having abortions completely banned. emma, over to you. >> reporter: well, several thousand people, peter have gathered under the nose of the polish parliament to state their opposition to these proposals being put forward by a private group but backed by the bishop did here in po land and severalmez of the law and justice party, the ruling party here in poland.poland, will spe one of the organizers of this protest. parilena, you feel the restrictions on abortion wiare already tight enough and the current law is wrong already? >> yes. that's why we gathered here to demonstrate against the current ban on abortion we are having in poland and to express our feelings and our process

against further restrictions we don't agree on any ban. >> what do you think the current restrictions real. >> it does not limit the number of abortions. it just pushes women to have abortions in very sometimes even dangerous conditions in the underground or forcing them to leave poland to have abortions that they have to pay for abroad. it still is close to 200,000 women a year who performer abortions in this way or another because anyone cannot take it away from them to decide about having an abortion, but they just have to hide from the legal. >> members of the leading ruling party here have come out to support these. do you think you can realistically stop and ban?

>> we want to liberal eyes law that we are currently having. of course, we are going to fight very strong, also, for against further restrictions, and we hope that this point, it -- these voices will be heard because here, the people who came here today, support the fight for liberalization, the fight against current ban. and, of course, they don't want any further restrictions that push women to give birth in any condition. >> you think it would push women to travel abroad or have underground abortions? >> that's what the ban does. the ban does not limit abortions, just pushes them to the underground market or to forcing women to go abroad. but this is only for those women who can't afford going abroad or having abortion in the underground. it just costs money. so, it also, very much affects women who can not afford this and it limits their reproductive choices. >> thank you very much for joining us here on al jazeera.

now, the group bringing this needs 100,000 signatures to get it inside parliament to be nside parliament to be discussed. >> wet in this weekend, in the brazil is here. >> the congressional impeachment condition dug in on friday for its final marathon session debating through the night into the early morning hours on saturday. on monday, the commission will

likely recommend president dilma rousseff's impeachment. support for her impeachment has almost reached the necessary 2/3rd threshold. while congress hunkered down on friday, protesters from the margaretest reaches camped out across the street. their aim: to push for impeachment or more. >> we need a constitutional military intervention. there is no other option for us except the military. >> reporter: strong words in a country that only saw democracy return in 1985, after two decades of military rule. such thoughts, of course, are frightening to many poor brazilians who stand by the leftist president. >> i want her to win this fight and stay until the end of her term. >> reporter: it has the makings of an entrenched, political and social battle. >> this square sits at the very heart of brazil's power structure. over there, the depressed.

in front of me, the supreme court, and behind me, the presidential palace which is literally hanging in the balance for president dilma rousseff. her opponent could be closer to pushing her from power. adam raney, al jazeera, brazilia. >> to jabuti where the president has been elected to a fourth term in office, extending his 17-year rule over the east african nation. he was widely expected to win. many sgrupz had boycotted the election. mohammed adow from jabuja city. >> anneelex arrive with tension. >> with no strong challenger, he declared victory. >> reporter: tonight the people of jabuti have entrusted me with the highest confidence again. it took place in calm and

serenity. >> only the second president the country has had since it gainedzengained independence from france. the chief of intelligence ran for a fourth term after amending the constitution in 2010 to remove term limits. voting took off to a slow start on friday but picked up as the day progressed. the electoral commission was forced today add more time to those waiting to cast ballots. opposition parties are angry. they want a say in the commission. before the vote was held, they considered elections fet fete accompli. >> it's already how do you say? the winner. everything is done. it's decided, already decided. >> the election was monitored by local and international

observers? >> it's time they adopted managing all of the elections and allow for elections. unfair. >> the president has always been a defendant frontrunner in this election. attempts by the opposition failed in the year and was now a fresh five-year term, he joins the league of longest standing african leaders. mohammed adow. >> jabuti who will you just saw in that report joins us live now. does this election have any credibility at all?

>>? >> all of the requirements of jabuti. >> police harassment? those questions surely have to be answered by the government. >> yes. they have to be answered by the government as far as the next was concerned those who are going to the regions started their sessions? jabuti. we will see from there, part of what was collected was orderly, transparent and they are free. i thinker right they complained about the they are by the intoo much security presence around polling centers. >> does that mean your organization should be arguably better resourced so you can

leave jabuti city and go to the outlying areas you are now discussing? >> we requested to i know hans the capacity of the government and the election division to be able to allow in accordants with the best international practice. picking up on that identify on best practice, if there is to be e, if there is to be

best practice. >> mr. hassan, thanks for joining us here on the al jazeera news houfrment time for the weather with everton and flooding in pakistan. >> just a week ago, we had deadly floods across fwhecht earn pakistan. the rains have returned, about a month's worth for some in just 24 hours. so just to the north of islamabad, we saw 44 millimeters in 24 hours. look at this crowd stretching out of iraq, pushing across pakistan. it just conveys its way up

toward the northeast across that same area. further south, looking at heavy rainmakering its way into the southwest of india. >> rain is in the process of easing somewhat. we will see the showers and longer spells of rain just giving way as we go on through the next few days. a look across pakistan pushing across the north of the country. those showers will be heavy at times with the possibility of hail and very gusty winds. it does bring with it the threat of a further flooding as we go on through the next of 24 to 48 hours, to parts of northern pakistan. the showers down to the southwest of india, they look to set to ease back much of india will be dry hot and dry, 41 celsius there in that area. looking at tuesday touching 42 in calcutta. this is the pre-monsoon heat continuing to build. calcuttaa sees temperatures around 36 celsius for this year and there will be some thanks very much.

how traditionally popular mask on the are people's spirits high while helping boost aver economic recovery. >> this crash didn't slow the progress of the world title leader.

>> a is i canth person has been arrested. it comes after a key suspect ketd with the november sparrows attacks was detained on friday.

the panama papers leaks showed he fwritd an offshore company his father set up. he says he has handled the revelation about his tax affairs quote badly. jabuti's president has been elected to a fourth term in office extending his seventeen-year rule over the east african nation. five refugees, four women and a child drowned when their boat capsized close to the turkish coast. 5 others were rescued. early on friday, more than 200 refugees were deported from grease to turkey under the eu deal with ankara. two boats arrived in the turkish port of takili after leaving le sp on. is. in another operation, 97 were returned to turkey across the land border many say it's

because of the close you're of the so-called balkan route. dominic kane from berlin. >> reporter: lilis alulu relaxes in herbert lin apartment. her journey from dram ascus was brought with danger. now settled in, in germany, she reflects on how her life has changed? >> here, i can find everything everything is easier most end up here at first where they are registered and can get something to eat and drink on average, around 10,000 reach center like this every day. since the balkan route for

refugees was closer, that number has dropped to just over 100 per day the german government has had to accept it has change the situation drastically. i guess lifrnlingdz however, this agreement is over. >> for their part many central european governments believe if they had not closed their border to refugees, the crisis would have been much worse.

>> thoughts like that worry her. she spent a lo angel time separated from her parents. she thinks the deal with turkley not prevent people trying to cross europe it's going to be more dangerous, more expensive for people, and it's not going to help anything. >> lilas is grateful for the chance of a new life europe has given her but with borders closed and quotas drafted, she wonders how many like her will get the same opportunity. >> saudi arab yam hopes to build a bridge, promising funding despite lower oil prices. a rare 5-day visit, mohammed

vall has more. >> reporter: as historic as it was p there was a historic announcement, too, a plan to build a bridge. >> the sneaking unique quality of the recess between egypt and saudi arabia, the extent to which they are strong and deep-rooted would allow us to face mutual challenges. tower xrorpings will allow us to resolve all of our regional crisises such as in palestine, yemen, libya and certain 8 they

are signing a multi-billion dollar dewhere saudi arab i can't will finance oil needs and previous estimates for the bridge suggest a cost of around three to $4,000,000,000. saudi arabia and gulf nations have provided president sisi with support since he came to pour in 2013. this package from saudi arabia to egypt dwarfs all previous agreements. mohammed vall, al jazeera. >> to libya where there has been gunfire close to the heart attacks of the new

government. >> quality education and then, in return, to have my last and then my country. >> thousands of other young people were eager to continue their studies and not as lucky as mohammed. the sponsorship programs are limited. only a small fraction of students get the highly competitive scholarships to study abroad. there are a lot of opportunities locally for the rest but their reality: many young people end up stuck in the camp with no chances for a higher education or even a decent job. in one of the camps, mohammed yousef mohammed teaches the skills he acquired when he came here in 2005. they have all completed high school but he, himself, a former teacher is frustrated he can't give his children more opportunities. the main problem is kenya

government travel reinstructions, especially for students who want to pursue further studies independently. >> here, only education. i home my children to become a doctor or engineer. >> she has a diploma. she wants a degree but is struggle to go get a permit to visit her university of choice in nairobi. >> i have nothing because i am just like other ladies who have not studied at college. so now, this life is worrying. >> government officials say because of a security threat posed by somealia's al al shabaab group whose fighters have carried out a series of attacks in the country, refugees must be thur will he vetted before being allowed to go anywhere outside the camp. >> most of these people never come back and that is when we

release people and we do not have a system to ensure that they come back. >> back at the secondary school, final year students prepare for their last exam. they all hope to get a scholarship. it's one sure way out of this camp, they tell us. catherine soi, al jazeera, in northeastern ckenya. >> drought is expected to create food shortages. the famine early system's network says 4 million people are likely to face crisis levels of food insecurity between now and september. natasha gname reports from north darfur state on the way farmers are learning to cope. >> reporter: these 20 hectares are being cultivated with grit and devotion passed from father to son. but following the previous generati generation's way of farming is no longer an option. a cycle of drought disappointing harvest and an infestation of

insects has forced adam alali mohammed to adapt. >>reporter: we work hard. we do our best. the new techniques have changed and that's why we have managed to cope. >> recognizing the threat facing farmers due to drought and conflict, the group practical action is sustained. >> he is learning diversity of crops he grows and planting in rows. he has learned how to make a more eive fertilizer. this water-spreading dam has hemmed farmers like mohammed enormously. since 2004, 11 dams have been built to help cope with the chronic drought and control the flow of rain when it does come. farms in the area have doubled their agricultural output. one of the flash points of the conflict in darfur is the tension between farmers and those rearing animals.

acmad tells us with no rain, it's getting harder for him to find pasture for his goats to graze. he says we need more roots for our livestock to pass through. when hearders can't find thrder they allow animals to graze. this often triggers violence. that's why practical action is bringing the two communities together to resolve differences and negotiate routes for livestock. to bring these local people together to improve if the situation. >> despite the lack of rain, mohammed is ending this year's harvest with a better outlook because of the dam and the new techniques he has implemented. with the changing climate, he now knows if his 12 children continue farming, they, too, will have to evolve. their livelihoods will depend on it.

natasha gname, al jazeera, north darfur state, sudan. >> north korea state media has reported a successful test for a new engine for an intercontinental ballistic missile. but it doesn't specify the dates. the test was conducted at the missile station in north korea's west coast but south korea says the north is years away from developing such a missile system. 13 north korean workers have defected to south korea from their workplace in a third country. it's the largest group to defect since at a time leader took power five years ago. most are women and the south korean s have not disclosed which country they arrived from. more th more than 100 political prisoners have been freed in the first official acts after the group took power. it includes students who were arrested last year for protesting against changes in education policy. after several years of sluggish

performance, the japanese economy is slow learn turning a corner. one industry has been helping keep spirits high. cartoon like moos masscotts have long been a defendant national obsession. one manufacturer tells al jazeera why they are so central to japanese cultukiln hn words. >> my name is hiro mikono. i am the director and factory manager of a mass cot factory. we make original masscotts based upon our illustration clients provide us, we create and transform the design into a masscot that can fit people inside it. we divide into teams and each team works on different components of the masscot. we then put it together like model building. while the matscotts are being made, they haven't debuted yet. they aren't born yet. that's why we have to keep it a

top secret. there is no official statistics, but there should be more than two or 3,000 masscotts throughout japan. cuteness has represented japanese culture both children and adults love cute things and they feel heeled healed by them. we produce about 20 masscotts 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 are creating something that has a life of its own. we go to many events with our own mascots and we often meet

the mass cots we have made. we would say, long time no see. we follow them on youtube and find out where they are and what they are up to, a bit like stalkers. it's just like moms who secretly check on what the kids are up to. matscotts have taught us about life. it is our product, but it isn't exactly just a product. it's the magical being. it makes us reflect on ourselves, think of others, and it connecticuts us with people out there. it's more than just a business. >> women in india have gained access to a hindu shrine in the western state for the first time in 400 years. women were allowed to offer prayers at the shani shin apur temple following a court ruling last ourt ruling last month.

>> in a real-world setting with people actually sitting face to face, here is daniel lak. >> reporter: it's the weekly settlers of katan game night at toronto's a game cafe created in germany 11 years ago, katan, as fans call it, is played by millions around the world. in toronto, some play in places like this, the newest board game cafe in town. >> until we had this league, we started coming every monday. there is a lot of strategy and an awful lot of interaction. a lot of different elements that there is something for everyone in it. >> whether or nots going to win here? >> all of the city's 14 board games offer food and hot drinks.

some serve alcohol but the main atraction on the colorful things. >> games that i never knew committed where you play together like pandemic, where you deceive each other, trying to fool each other in a game of bluffing, trying to see if they are telling the truths or not. first cafe of its kind here was snakes and lattes in 2010. now, it's got two locations: one, probably the largest board game status establishment in the world. there are more than 1,000 games to play here as well as people known as gurus. >> the collection, make sure it is full of games that our customers will enjoy, and as head game guru, i am in charge of training the staff to be able to make recommendations and teach the games to our customers. >> it's not clear why tore ontso is among the world leaders for board game cafes. it could be the city's fickle climate or maybe just a critical mass of residents who want to go

analogue, leave the digital world at home. >> it's a good place to come and be away from computers, phones. >> my favorite part is to win and to show my family how superior i am to them. >> so much, it's all been wildly successful. on weeks, the line-ups match any popular nightclub. the trend is spreading across north america as people rediscover something that our grandparents probably knew already: every now and then, everything old is new again. annual lak, al jazeera, tore to. >> here with the sports new in just a minute. including this one, find out who is in, who is outs of contention at golf's first major of the season.

>> jordan spieth is the halfway leader with round 3 just about getting underway in. ahead a difficult second round. rory mcilroy is only one shot behind the american. a report. it was a windy day with the augusta national with players facing a second day. jordan spieth struggles in gusts up to 50 kilometers per hour. the top of the leader board. missed parts were an unusual feature of his grounds. reduced to a single stroke.

this is the first time he has finished a round over par in three months has him in his sight. the world number 3 needs the greener's winn green jacket to complete a grand slam. a stock bath from spieth after one of the few subpar rounds of the day . >> i am not very close with rory. yeah, we are very friendly. et cetera a colleague. yeah, he is a friends but it's not like we, you know, have gone to trips together or anything like that. i didn't grow up playing against or with him to where i would have a lot of those experiences?

>> with pin position the way they were, it was tough i see picked some birdies off thankful boogying his last two holes, two shots off of the lead. showing how much skill is

required to master this sport. most conditions put into index only 7 players under par after two rounds, the wendy weather looks to persist at the augusta national ask the courts. mcill roy tee-off at 1850 gmt. now, arsenal's chance of winning the english premier, mofrp less drawing 33 with west ham and andy carol hat trick for west ham included in that game. it leads arsenal 10 points behind the leaders. second first in 209. the team was stronger then than the one there were players

especially the culture of the club with those guys like lampard, john terry, drogba, one or two, of course. it's a bit different t that's not easy. >> in spain, real madrid will be hoping to forget their mid-week defeat against woolberg, returning for domestic action. >> i am not worried about that. what brings me to life is what i do every day, what i do to help the team that brings me to life. i can change my job, yes.

the closest challengers suffered a deaf feet on friday night. beaten 2-1. two goals by finland. the win for the home side they beat motherwell. pacquiao and bradley made the weight ahead of their contest in las vegas. pacquiao said this will be his final fight after a 21-year career. almost a defeat to floyd mayweather, back to fight bradley for a third time. no world title is at stake. this is a hugely anticipated contest. bradley won a controversial decision in their first meeting. pacquiao took the second fight, the only time in his the only time in his career.

looking good ahead of the motor gp it despite crashing out in practice hereat. the honda rider sliding out here. still recorded a lap time 7 tenths ahead of others. more for from me later on. >> that's it for now. >> lots more news top of the hour. we will see you then. do check out the website, aljazeera.com. i will see you very, very soon.

>> hi bae. in my school, no one gives a (bleep) if i'm gay or not. but at home, it's just harder to be myself. >> i really want my father to just tell me. i support you and i love my gay son. >> i go to lubbock high school, which is really intense and rigorous. first, i wanted to pursue maybe science or law, but i can't imagine my life without dance.