just that we all come from different places but it's what that gives us that gives us the ability to identify the people who may live on the other side of the world but we can understand what it's like to have a different perspective and i think that is a strength for al-jazeera. we're talking about ivory poachers who have decimated populations of elephants in africa they almost always ship the ivory out of a different country from where it was poached because that's where you start your search to look in the wrong place this radiocarbon dating method tell us their trade ivory is legal or not then we have a place you can focus law enforcement on take those out and perhaps choke the source of the ivory from entering the network take no at this time on and as you know it.

russia vows to retaliate as the u.s. and fourteen nations expel its diplomats over the u.k. spy attack. hello i'm. watching al-jazeera at home and on. saudi arabia says it's shot down seven missiles fired by who see rebels in yemen targeting its airports. turnout is low in egypt's presidential election where the incumbent abdel fatah sisi is certain to return to office. at least sixty four people are dead and dozens remain missing after a fire at a shopping center in siberia.

welcome to the program our top story the united states and fourteen e.u. nations of expelled more than one hundred russian diplomats it's in a coordinated response to the nerve agent attack on form a double agent sergey scruple in the united kingdom earlier this month u.s. president donald trump ordered sixty russian diplomats to leave including twelve attached to the united nations and he's also closed the russian consulate in seattle russia are saying it will respond in kind where he is the overall breakdown more than sixty russian officials will be kicked out of europe france germany and poland expelling four diplomats ukraine which is not an e.u. member state is also taking action they are expelling thirteen russian diplomats from the country and canada and now it's the expulsion of four diplomats and said it was denying accreditation to three more that speak to our diplomatic editor james bays who's at the united nations what what's the latest on this from there.

well diplomats are watching this extremely closely and last hour we've heard from the spokesman for the u.n. secretary general who is also following this closely we understand that the u.n. secretary general was only told at the smalling about the fact that some of the russians who are being expelled are russians who are here at the u.n. mission the russian mission to the united nations that means they're not accredited to the u.s. government they are actually here as part of a deal between russia and the u.n. and it brings into question then whether it's ok for the u.s. to expel these diplomats or whether it violates an agreement that the u.s. made with the united nations back in one nine hundred forty seven the secretary general certainly is not pronouncing at that on that at this stage and we're told he'll be meeting at this stage and we're told he'll be meeting with various diplomats to discuss this further one of those meetings i understand is happening

right now because it's the regular monthly lunch of the u.n. security council all fifteen ambassadors around the table with the u.n. secretary general antonio good terrorists and that means i think likely that we're going to see nikki haley the u.s. ambassador attending and about the new ben zero of russia so very interesting we won't be able to find out what they say because it's buying closed doors but very interesting to be a fly on that wall and james we have in recent years seen paralysis on so many issues. you know on the international stage how does something like this affect the ability to resolve those things. it's going to make it much harder we are almost certain i would think we're going to get another stage to this another tit for tat with more russian expulsions of western diplomats and that just poisons the atmosphere around the negotiating table when you're dealing with these important issues around the world when you're dealing with issues like south sudan central

african republic ukraine yemen syria one of the things that's blocked progress in the long war in syria is the fact that the u.s. and russia have rarely been able to agree on anything now i think they're going to find it hard even to talk at the moment because of what's happened thank you very much james bangs our diplomatic editor with all the latest from the united nations in new york has now been to royal challengers following the russian reaction in moscow russia has vowed to tally ation warry but could they have seen something like this coming. we have the russian response in this kind of situation is always to offer some sort of reciprocity as they put it so as james was saying there we are likely very likely almost certain really to see a kind of tipped tit for tat response from the russians here with expulsions of western diplomats from moscow they might well throw in

a few extra measures just to keep everyone guessing basically the russian foreign ministry is putting together a list of possible responses it's going to hand that to vladimir putin and putin is going to make the final decision. it's come on a bad day for russia this because the country is already reeling from a horrible horrible fire in siberia which is kills upwards of sixty people in a in a shopping mall there. this fact is being highlighted by mary as a car as the foreign ministry spokeswoman now she says that rather than offering condolences and sympathies with the russian people western partners as she puts it have instead chosen to expel russian diplomats so it kind of gives you an idea i think though of the spin facts rusher is going to put on

these moves it basically feeds into this kind of attitude that russia is a besieged fortress and the west hates it is always out to get it and will do anything it can to box russia into a corner and try to limits its abilities to exercise an independent foreign policy . having said that i think there is a certain. you know we're going to see basically in the next few days whether the west backs up these expulsions with any further measures like are they going to go after russian cash that's flowing through the city of london that's. three new york that's being laundered in various places by corrupt senior russian officials if they do do that then yes this will pinch russia that extra bit further because it's that sort of thing that the russian elite is really concerned about not necessarily whether it has a full retinue of diplomats in any given western city so i think if russia is

really going to feel like its interests are properly being hit the west is going to have to go further than it's going to the moment all right thank you very much roy chalons in moscow. saudi arabia has accused iran of helping yemen's who see rebels launch missile attacks across the border the saudi military says it shot down seven missiles fired from yemen late on sunday at least one person was killed in the attacks which the heathy say targeted several airports sullivan job aid has the latest. as the rockets rained down there were moments of panic. this is what's left of a missile fired by hutu rebels in yemen which targeted the saudi capital riyadh on sunday. and the fragment landed on an island on

a busy road. a barrel range of seven ballistic missiles were intercepted by saudi arabia's air defense multiple social media users posted videos of the u.s. patriot missile defense system used by the saudi military. at least one egyptian resident was killed in the intact as forensic teams collect evidence the saudi coalition is again blaming iran for arming the hooty fighters the cuts force who have operatives on the ground in yemen have helped the who are these and the yemeni armed forces to basically augment the capability of the missiles in order to make them more capable and they are who they say you know if you don't negotiate with us we will continue with more sophisticated weaponry more missiles being fired and there will be more dead on the side of saudi arabia which is something that can sustain these types of attacks continue despite the saudi coalition announcing in two thousand and fifteen that most of the route is ballistic arsenal was destroyed the objective is to continue to look for this guy and of missiles targeted

destroyed. we believe that we destroy most of these abilities it's been three years since the coalition launched a military campaign to fight the who in support of yemen's government hundreds of thousands have gathered in the capital sanaa just before the missile attack the hoody leader talked about his group's capabilities we. will use a long range drones which have excellent military capabilities we will activate the military institutions in an unprecedented way and open up more opportunities to recruit the children and men of our people to fight. the hoodies of been cheering images of the destruction caused by saudi attacks in yemen they say their missiles are acts of revenge. these ten thousand people on all sides have been killed in yemen and millions more suffer in what the u.n. calls the worst humanitarian crisis in recent years and through all this the war continues some of the job out of their. but he's in israel questioning prime

minister benjamin netanyahu over one of several corruption cases that could threaten his political future israeli media reports say the questioning relates to netanyahu dealings with bezerk the country's biggest telecommunications company is accused of giving back at regular trade benefits in exchange for favorable coverage on its news website. egyptians of started voting for a new president in the country's three day election but the turnout has been low incumbent president of the fatah sisi is expected to win a second term off the most of his challenges with drew. reports. a crucial moment for the band seeking reelection president are built for to see once a comfortable win and a huge turnout among the nearly sixty million eligible voters his supporters see

him as the only man capable of leading egypt at a time when the nation faces many challenges and an impish of i couldn't sleep from all the joy just to come here and say yes to my motherland egypt i came here to say yes to stability yes to development i came here to say yes to our military and. i will vote for sisi for the sake of the coming phase and i have a bachelor's degree in business administration and i feel like i have not been given what i deserve and i feel that this coming phase will offer great things but the election has been widely seen as a false potential rivals to c.c. have either been jailed or dropped out of the race after a campaign of intimidation the only candidate allowed to run is a staunch supporter of president sisi. whose leader of the centrist

party told the media he doesn't want to challenge the authority of c.c. for critics who say no more than a candidate whose role is to give the impression of a legitimate election i don't think there's any question that it's a sham i'm not aware of any serious difference of opinion among you know political scientists or human rights groups or analysts i think the point of the election is to demonstrate cc's power and his popularity this is why the government is pushing so hard for a high turnout if there's a low turnout it will be bad optics for the regime. president sisi will likely secure a second term by the general turned politician faces bouncing discontent over the economy and armed groups operating in the sinai peninsula the vote will last for two war days a strong turnout could indicate a growing trust in cc's leadership has zero in and

out as they are still to come pakistan's water crisis how two hundred million people could run out of water in just ten years. i will tell you why one of australia's most popular and idolized sports has come in for such a passion. welcome back to a look at weather conditions across the levant in western asia you see this frontal system which is pushing across the east of the region giving some snow a higher elevations obviously from marty there in kazakhstan and tashkent as becky stan just when you see some patchy rain with those sort of temperatures is fine around the caspian sea and it's not looking pretty warm for bank that than iraq at thirty three also plenty of sunshine around the eastern side of the mediterranean the general flow still from the south but more in the way of cloud developing as we

head on into wednesday as low pressure begins to push in towards the eastern side of the mediterranean but for much of the day it should be drawing fine in beirut that if the right be in peninsula and temperatures continue to rise here as we head toward some a thirty five in doha as a minus one and with light winds of nice few days those or temperatures are likely to continue on the other side of the potential temperatures rise into the winds coming up from the south so might be a little bit the dust around but temperatures in mecca medina getting very close to the forty degree mark so let's head down into southern portions of africa where you can see a good deal of cloud away from angola through zombies about way and towards the eastern side of south africa and certainly going to see some heavy showers affecting mozambique showers also light to be affecting harare in zimbabwe under saka insomnia.

welcome back a quick look at the top stories now russia has vowed to retaliate after the u.s. canada and fourteen e.u. states expelled more than one hundred russian diplomats it's a coordinated response to another agent attack on a form of double agent in the u.k.

earlier this month. saudi arabia has accused iran of helping yemen rebels launch missile attacks across the border one person died in riyadh after the saudi military shot down seven missiles fired from yemen late on sunday and egyptians are voting in a presidential election that set to deliver an easy victory for the current. low turnout so far has been low. investigators looking into a fire that killed sixty four people in russia say a security guard switched off the buildings fire alarm system exits were also illegally blocked in the shopping mall in the eastern city of camera john hall reports firefighters had battled the blaze for hours by monday morning with most of the fire put out drone footage revealed the horrifying extent of the damage combustible walls and ceilings entirely collapsed where once they'd been cinemas and a children's play area they'd been full on sunday with families on

a day out rushes investigative committee at work in the remains of the shopping mall in the siberian city of command over says a security guard had switched off the alarm system some fire exits were blocked and cinemas packed with children watching cartoons were said to be locked to stop those without tickets from sneaking in. one person from an upper window was the only hope the emergency services in command over have confirmed dozens of deaths with some bodies yet to be recovered all those lives the most difficult areas for us all the to collapse in the miles because they've almost entirely fallen through to the third floor now bit by bit we continue to remove the construction. witnesses describe children becoming separated from adults as the mall hild with choking black smoke survivors were visibly distraught. this boy eleven years

old jumped from a fourth floor window doctors say he's responding well to treatment but his parents and little sister didn't make it out. of course i'm shocked by what's happened nothing like this has ever happened before in camero of a it's the first time and i feel so sorry for the people the children who were there this is terrible i'm speechless investigators say it's premature to discuss the cause but they have identified serious violations in the construction and use of the mall converted from what was once a factory for people including the malls owners have been detained. syrian government forces have regained control of nearly all of eastern guta one of the last rebel strongholds close to damascus a russian defense ministry says six and a half thousand people were evacuated from the southern pockets in eastern go to as part of a deal they are now in it lip and harder reports from beirut. bus after bus

arrived in the rebel controlled province of idlib in northwest syria thousands of people transported across a divided country rebel factions surrendered their strongholds in eastern huta after what was one of the fiercest offensives launched by the pro-government alliance fighters their families and members of the opposition deported as part of a negotiated with. a burnt everything even the bunkers we were hiding in if we left the bunkers we would get killed by air strikes i can't describe the situation we were in it was. almost two thousand syrians were killed and thousands were wounded in the attacks appeals for medical supplies for those trapped in a war zone went unheeded already there was a shortage of aid and medications because of a government imposed siege on the opposition area lesser from the. unfortunately the cases we received are very critical we also have cases of malnutrition as well

as extremely sick people who couldn't receive proper treatment because of the lack of medications as a result of the siege more than ten thousand people have been displaced and not all are fighters some didn't want to risk arrest or be forced to join the army they left with whatever they could carry. we left our homes behind everything has been destroyed we left our history. we left behind because we go to a place of constant since. eastern huta has been under the control of the opposition since two thousand and thirteen not long after the government besieged the enclave. it wasn't only under siege came under fire for years it was always an important military objective for the government being so close to the capital but the pro-government alliance was busy fighting on many fronts and it was always just a question of time when it would turn its attention to the rebel stronghold. in.

has been one tragedy after another for syrians courted what seems to be an endless conflict. we lived in bomb close our lives were endangered we left after the international community let us don't go. it has become what some describe as a dumping ground over the years tens of thousands of rebels of their families who surrender territory to the government were sent here and there is little sign that they just like those who have been recently displaced will ever return to their homes to. beirut authorities in germany are unlikely to decide this week whether or not to extradite ousted cattle president carter's push to want to spain a state prosecutor seems set to take a decision on his status next month the former catalonia regional leader is expected to appear in court in northern germany it's currently being held in prison in new munster. wanted in spain on charges of sedition and rebellion and now the emir of qatar has met the russian president during the first visit to

moscow by a foreign leader since fatima putin was reelected just over a week ago the two held talks in the kremlin and were set to make an agreement to allow castor always to buy a stake in moscow as we nuke over international airport. now is back astonished saying it wants to help put an end to the war in neighboring afghanistan which shows no sign of abating after seventeen years the country's president has organized a two day conference in the capital tashkent starting on monday as part of efforts to encourage the afghan government and the taliban to engage in peace talks emptiest have explains. it's one of the largest camps for the internally displaced thousands of afghans who fled fighting in areas across the country have come here to live in relative safety services in the camp which is on the outskirts of the capital kabul are limited people here don't have much hope conditions will soon improve does a girl shares this shelter with his family after living as

a refugee in neighboring pakistan for more than thirty years he his wife children and grandchildren returned to their ancestral village in the northern province last year a short while later forces seize control of the area. i can't go back to my home village it was destroyed in the fighting my entire life is wasted because of war my life is wasted because of all this bloodshed the leaders of neighboring uzbekistan say they want to help put an end to the nearly seventeen year war president chavez. has invited the taliban and afghan governments to the capital as part of efforts to encourage peace talks afghan president assure of ghani and russian foreign minister sergei lavrov are taking part in the summit representatives from the un e.u. and many of the world's top diplomats have also been invited but it's unclear if they or the taliban will go looking at the.

nation's. great powers. they can do it all. that. much but it does up. those steps well attempts at talks struggle to get started violence continues to affect much of afghanistan kabul has suffered some of the worst attacks in recent weeks several suicide bombings linked to the taliban which have killed dozens of people in february president a shotgun the offer the taliban recognition as a legitimate political. group as part of a proposed process he said could lead to meaningful talks but the offer coincided with a sharp increase in u.s. led airstrikes the white house says its strategy is to use force to pressure the taliban to the negotiating table. a strategy that doesn't appear to be working at all of on continues to control or contest much of the country and there is limited

hope for the talks in the spec is then or elsewhere will change much on the ground in al-jazeera. now two hundred million pakistanis could run out of water within the next ten years government aid is being urged to build warres of wasn't dams and improve an extensive network of irrigation canals to has more from sale cut in northeast pakistan where fall is a saying that their livelihoods are at risk. another big dish on the outskirts of cheryl cole green is laid out in the drive devoted to cleaning and polishing the. major foreign exchange. but all that may change because of water shortage the production of cash crops such as right and then we are in. the rice mill owner who. fears for the future of the. water is very crucial both

a culture and domestic use but with each passing day the farmers are facing border shortages which is affecting the agricultural sector. and the government should take concrete steps about building dams and reservoirs for its story it's all come the water crisis in the country experts in the government's water resources research council are warning political leaders to act no other country would run out of water wouldn't they near a major target is the population growth because the water is the same the public the population increase requirement third the domestic stuff than just the agriculture sector is going to end haas so we have to manage these problems tend to size the communities because norway individual one cannot solve this problem doggone weird and your the private sector the communities each have to realise this situation underground water shortages are often unfair to drink because dave's been

poisoned by excessive use of chemical fertilizer on farmland and unfair and dumping of toxic waste by industry pakistan is a country that has a growing population. increasing industrialization and that has felt we did an increasing need therefore create a stress on the agricultural sector pakistan government leaders are due to announce what the policy. sometimes. a doctor should be defended it may be too late too late but get on it already feeling the effects of climate change what did exposure to the country warned that if steps are not taken at the right dime that country called faith huge awarded by a great deed twenty five and out of god's will not only affect the country or god forbid produce were did the backbone of the economy but also have direct conflict went for millions of people across this country millions of chinese are already

feeling the effects of water shortage because of what critics say. planning and on . the warnings. and steps. off court focused on. australia's major cricket sponsors say they're reassessing their relationship with the national team in the wake of the scandal surrounding illegal ball tampering governing body cricket all straight here a sentence chief executive to south africa to captain steve smith admitted his team acted deliberately in melbourne is in sydney with the latest. there's no precedent in australian cricket for this sort of investigation so it's unclear what form it would take but there are no doubt many questions that need to be answered including what if any involvement the coach had in there also calls for further sanctions on the leadership team and we've been getting some mixed responses from people outside

the sydney cricket ground on what sanctions should be proud to be. in an international. stand down stay standard. but then again every cheats. just got caught not others or low three year old girl but i think it's sort of. this trillion sports commission said the players involved should have immediately been sent home and that there needs to be an overhaul of the culture within the sport we think that one of the good things that's come out of this situation is that the public has still a very strong message to go to the leadership of the sport about where they brought along and what they consider to be totally inappropriate behavior and destroying athletes those were the green gold. to conduct themselves with the utmost integrity as the cricket australia investigation plays out here in the wake there are doubts about how much you can salvage the reputation of one of the most popular and

idolized sports in the country. look at headlines now russia has vowed to retaliate after the u.s. canada and fourteen states expelled more than one hundred russian diplomats it's a coordinated response to a nerve agent attack on former double agents our grace crippled and his daughter in the u.k. earlier this month. burson accuses moscow of being behind the assault which the kremlin denies u.s. president donald trump has ordered sixteen russian diplomats to leave including twelve attach to the united nations and he's close the russian consulate in seattle or a challenge has more on this now from moscow this will be easily spotted by the russian power structures as yet another example of the russian sentiment in the west hysterical. russophobe pick campaign from the united kingdom which has

brought in gullible friends and allies of london and also i think that if there are no further measures measures that the russian elites are really worried about such as targeting of assets in financial centers around the world like london new york and so cyprus if those don't materialize over the coming days then perhaps more so will feel the u.s. is taking a diplomatic but it might have got off rather lightly saudi arabia has accused iran of helping yemen's who's the rebels not sure missile attacks across the border one person died in riyadh after the saudi military shot down seven missiles fired from yemen late on sunday who the savior saw it was in response to saudi arabia's three a long intervention in yemen civil war egyptians are voting in a presidential election that set to deliver an easy victory for incumbent leader abdel fattah sisi the government is hoping for a high turnout but pictures broadcast on state media show many voting booths have

been empty only one challenger is running again sisi up to six others were detained disqualified or forced to abandon their campaigns investigators looking into a fire that killed sixty four people at a shopping center in russia say a security guard switched off the buildings fire system exits were also illegally blocked in the mall in the city of kemah rover the blast has been extinguished but many people are still missing. those are the top stories much more coming up on everything in the news hour that's off the inside story which starts now.