among the most contested cities has been aleppo. our middle east editor, jeremy first travel lead it, the western journalist to reach the government held part of the city by road. >> hasan has responsibilities, 10-year-oldd for a with bad war wounds. he was hurt when a mortar from his family'sns hit home on the 17th of april this year. tries to help his sisters. 5-year-old sister's leg was smashed, most of her knee cap is gone. lama, who's 2 1/2, wasn't hurt but the children saw their mother die in the attack. withre orphans now living their grandmother because a sniper killed their father a year ago. east aleppo is held by rebels. the west side, including the citadel, is in the hands of the regime. two years after the fighting started, west aleppo has only just become accessible to journalists. us for agovernor took tour of the city's west side. been condemned for dropping barrel bombs on east aleppo. he denied they were killing civilians. syrian arab army is attracting militants like isis extremist groups that came from outside sy

finally, the outskirts of aleppo.t feels safer to be inside this once lovely city, the everyday bustle of life in government- held areas feels normal, but that's an illusion. ( explosion ) more than half of aleppo is held by armed rebel groups and the battle for the city never stops. every available building is full to bursting with refugees. even the university student residences have been converted into houses for the recently homeless. >> i'm sorry to disturb you like this. >> reporter: take this family, driven out of their own apartment just a short bus ride away. what was it that made you leave finally? "they came to our house again and again and turned it upside down," explains their oldest son. "and then word came. the rebels were going to kill them for supporting the government. so they fled." more families are crammed into an office building downtown, and there we come across a boy out cold near the door. >> what's wrong with this boy? >> reporter: with no parents in sight, nobody seems to know if he's sick,

elizabeth palmer managed to get to syria's largest city, aleppo, whose two million people are divided between those loyal to the dictatorship and those trying to overthrow it, which makes for quite a view from city hall. makes for quite a view from city hall. >> reporter: city hall is the tallest building in central aleppo and that, says the local governor, makes it one big target. up on the 16th floor, all the glass has been blown out. mohammed ahmed may be the boss here, but he can't stand in front of his own windows. peeping around the corner, he points out the rebel neighborhoods. out there, in the divided city, there are snipers. the building, he tells us, has been hit 200 times by mortars and rockets. and all the fighting that we're hearing now, what's going on? "oh," he says "the usual clashes." roughly 55% of this city is in the hands of armed opposition groups, mainly islamic militants. back in his office, we watched security camera video from november that shows a direct mortar hit on the main city hall entrance. whoa! rebels routinely use mortars to attack areas of aleppo c

that's what many fear is happening soon to aleppo if they cut it off finally.t that whole thing, to speed it up, is that campaign of barrel bombing. hard to understand what it must be like to be beneath helicopters as they pass and just randomly push huge amounts of explosives and shrapnel out into civilian areas, purely targeting crowds of people if they see them gathering below. once the first bomb has landed, dropping another one to kill those on the scene to rescue. simply horrifying, life for those people, in what's really a ground to dust parts of the city held by rebels, wolf. >> it's a shocking, shocking scene. one of our courageous reporters. nick paton walsh. he is now back in beirut. we'll have much more on syria coming up. i want to alert our viewers, we're standing by for a news conference in las vegas. live pictures, police getting ready to brief us on a horrible shooting incident there over the weekend. two police officers brutally shot down in cold blood. third person killed as well. we'll have an update on what is going on. stand by for that. w

he revisited the ravaged area of aleppo.of aleppo where rebels can still function, where there are still civilians trapped, but the most shocking thing is the tactic of barrel bombs. these are huge, crude devices, barrels filled with shrapnel dropped on groups of civilians that the helicopters see from the sky and remarkably follow up on a second bomb aimed to kill those people who rushed in, leaving a city ground to dust. the scale of the catastrophe quickly daunts the future. today, something is that you just survive. this is what the edge of humanity looks like. ground, dust, the smell of burning plastic at every turn. the syrian regime is trying to encircle those remaining areas of aleppo still held by the rebels but months of pounding by heavy artillery and barrel bombs mean that in streets like this, the lights have already been extinguished. here's how. this building was hit in the dead of night by a barrel bomb. huge, crudely made with scrap metal and tnt randomly dropped from a helicopter. survivors look up fearing

i've watched it three, four times of the aleppo commander with the old man.t makes your blood run cold. and then i was fascinated by the weird kind of almost bureaucratic response or cya response from isis which is oh, you're fired, battle aleppo commander. how common is that sort of thing? >> isis is trying to build an image, identity of image. it's trying to show that it can govern and that it's not such a negative, such a brutal organization even though in reality, of course, it is. and it has to deal with commanders in the field that overreach and so even the basics of isis is being surpassed by overly enthusiastic commanders or soldiers in the field and isis is very aware of the need to maintain a better, a more positive image. they saw the damage, the image, how we defected the last effort in iraq in 2006, 2007. and, therefore, they tried to show that they can handle those rogue elements. >> one of the things that distinguished isis from al qaeda is both the explicit territorial ambition and the fact they're now controlling territory and aspire to somet

syria's north they stop doing that because aleppo was like destroyed i'm talking to you right well it was destroyed so they stopped this business but it was very famous and this thing is from israel and there they feel all of them feel comfortable together here they don't have any problem and this is what i would love to see like in reality you know between these countries i don't know it's. it's difficult i don't even know whether it's possible at all you know but i would love to see them in in that kind of harmony you know because they feel they feel great here together they never quarrel. clashes peace. can have coffee yet. as usual i just want to take a look at our report ok. yes it was in news international i don't know maybe it's not authentic b.b.c. they face a bit it's been cut off by sea where rebels nobody cared about that country is a free silver forester breaks a conservationist time and several days that's too late for that missed age five people have died as is the better of those chair from the best starvation or if they don't take a trip to the square say i heard we ar

but these two are very interesting because this is syrian thing they make it in aleppo. syria's north they stop doing that because aleppo was like destroyed i'm going to write about it was destroyed so they stopped this business but it was very famous and this thing is for israel and they're there they feel all of them feel comfortable all gather here they don't have any problem and this is what i would love to see that in reality you know between countries i don't. it's to god i don't know whether it's possible at all you know but i would love to see them in in that kind of harmony you know if they feel that they feel great together they never quarrel clashes piece. so. yeah but as you just want to take a look at our report. this is really saying here's an international i don't maybe it's something to say thanks so much it's because all my cigarettes. stand out i can do so very close to reach the council to redress times have a place that's still a part of me and my people have died that is the bit of the cost of operation taste very emotional trip that's what. we are n

. >> rebel fighters in syria say they have broken up a tunnel killing 40 government soldiers in aleppo. the islamic front claimed responsibility. earlier this month another tunnel was blown up in the city of aleppo. >>> iraqi army soldiers are battling anti-government fighters. 13 people were killed as iraqi security forces tried to enter the city. doctors at the main hospital says more that 350 people had been killed since then. six egyptian border guards have been killed by smugglers. an army spokesman said the sold qurs were targeted. the attack follows the arrest of smug there ares, and the confiscation of weapons, cars and drugs. weapons flows have increased along the borders. the desert borders, since the uprising that toppled muammar gaddafi in 2011. >> three al jazeera staff will return to court later today. they are on trial, accused of aiding the banned group muslim brotherhood. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed have been in gaol for 155 days. another al jazeera correspondent, abdullah al-shami has been held in a cairo prison without charge for more than nin

he has totally destroyed aleppo, as if to show who is boss in syria. it has been that way and it is still like that. >> aleppo is split in two. aside from troops have captured the west. the east of the city is under rebel control. keep a live in extremely difficult -- people live in extremely difficult conditions. water, food, and medicine are in short supply. there have not been schools for a long time, and there will not be voting in this area. >> do you see any sign of elections here? assad will only organize the vote for his own people, to show them he is the legitimate president. >> the opposition is boycotting the elections. it is one thing the highly fractious groups can agree on. only two candidates have been allowed to stand against the side. the rebels dismissed them as puppets. the people say they do not want these elections. assad has destroyed their lives and tat cannot be undone. >> if our dead rise from the grave, if we get back our missing limbs, our destroyed houses, and our displaced citizens, and a side gives up power -- assad gives

he has totally destroyed aleppo as if to show who's boss. it has always been that way it like that. >> aleppo is a divided city. assad's troops have recaptured the west, the east is under rebel control. here, people lived under extremely difficult conditions. water, food, medicine are in short supply. there will not be any voting in this area. do you see any sign of elections? he only organized the vote for his own people, to show them that he is the legitimate president. it's >> bashar al-assad can feel certain of victory. his relatively unknown challengers were approved by parliament packed with his supporters. >> we are joined in the studio by our middle east expert. how popular is bashar al-assad? can these elections bring a bit of stability to the country? >> well, the war would go on but definitely he is still very much appreciated by his followers, about 40% of the country that he controls but they are about 60% of the population. they're happy that in those territories under the control of the syrian army, a certain calm has been res

the group leading the fighting in iraq has a counterfeit or islamic empire from what it controls om-aleppo we are in baghdad. >> reporter: in an earlier message and a manifest on the web a line in the sand has been drawn, islamic state is the new name for isil and it's a declaration and establishment of them and saying the territories they control are united under the leadership of the new power and it will bring together aleppo and others under the black flag and in 1924 the last time it happened and they have been asked to pledge allegiance and have not reacted to the statement but fighting continues for the town. this announcement will put pressure on iraq and syria and designed to get people to ral lie around the group's cause but it will have a political impact here in iraq. on july first the parliament comes together to discuss the formation of a new government, this announcement plus other pressure also be a big test for maliki to see if he can handle the job and natural allies as the sheer political party are comfortable and the prime minister has the support. >> translator: i beli

to syria now where barrel bombs have gone off in a rebel held neighborhood in the northern city of aleppo the explosions blew off the fronts of apartment buildings and killed up to thirty people to children under woman or among the victims syria's largest city of aleppo has been split between rebel one government controlled areas since two thousand and twelve the opposition launched an offensive in the country's north. elsewhere at least one person has died and sixty more been critically injured as twin tornadoes ripped through northeast nebraska in the u.s. version six. as was sent to search for further victims who might be trapped under rubble on town took a direct hit from the twisters middle of everything down missed including the seventh seal which persists for a few brain core. didn't brazil see riot police officers have been suspended after the live rounds were fired at protesters in rio de janeiro two days ago the shooting near the american our stadium where people were voicing their anger over the high cost of staging the world cup it was captured on camera and you can see that f

the thirty people at least two children and a woman are among the victims syria's largest city of aleppo has been split between rebel and government controlled areas since two thousand and twelve when the opposition launched an offensive in the country's new. elsewhere at least one person has died and sixty more have been critically injured as twin tornadoes ripped through northeast nebraska in the u.s. emergency crews were sent to search for further victims who could be trapped under rubble one town took a direct hit from the twisters with almost every house there damaged including several storage facilities a few grain and corn. and in brazil two riot police officers have been suspended after live rounds were fired at protesters in rio de janeiro two days ago the shooting near the american our stadium where people were voicing their anger over the high cost of staging the world cup but it was captured on camera and you can see the pictures right now thousands of heavily armed police officers were deployed to the city as it hosted its first match of the tournament. of course the very la

up to thirty people at least two children on a woman are among the victims syria's largest city of aleppo has been split between rebel and government control groups since twenty twelve when the opposition launched an offensive in the country's. breaking news on r t international it's been confirmed that a russian journalist has been severely injured in ukrainian army shelling near the city of who counts the reporter from the rest see it t.v. channel was taken to a local hospital the suburbs of the council have come under heavy artillery fire over night. coming up after the break the terms of domestic violence speak out it's about trying to rebuild their lives you're watching r t international. recently four hundred high level russian officials including duma members were someone for a three day military training event that would include the use of various different weapons and lectures about the state of the russian military the stated objective of all of this was to make the average soldiers in the army aware of the patriotic attitudes of those who can order them off to fight in theory t

to thirty people these two children and the woman are among the victims to syria's largest city of aleppo has been split between rebel and government controlled areas since two thousand and twelve when the opposition launched an offensive in the country's north. else where at least one person has died and sixty more have been critically injured as twin tornadoes ripped through the northeast the brown skin in the u.s. emergency crews were sent to search for further victims who could be trapped under rubble one town took a direct hit from the twisters with almost every house and damaged including several storage facilities for fuel grain and corn. isn't as gunmen of killed at least ten people mostly police in a fresh raid on a coastal town in kenya. comes just twenty four hours after another attack on hotels and a police station left at least fifty dead the somalia based militant group al-shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack along with a string of deadly assaults in the country said turly sixty seven people were killed in a siege at a shopping center in nairobi. from a for now

neighborhood in the northern city of aleppo explosions blew off the fronts of appalled the buildings and killed thirty people at least two children and the woman among the victims of syria's largest city of aleppo has been split between rebel and government controlled areas since twenty twelve when the opposition motion offensive in the country's. so from a foot today where we're watching is in the world who have a fantastic day to stay with us that after the break it's the collie's the requote and at the top of the hour you'll be in very capable hands it's you know. recently four hundred high level russian officials including duma members were summoned for a three day military training event that would include the use of various different weapons and lectures about the state of the russian military the stated objective of all of this was to make the average soldiers in the army aware of the patriotic attitudes of those who can order them off to fight in theory this is a good idea but the reality is this kind of reeks that sweet stench of an empty p.r. stunt this is not nearly enough

the president they are trying to over throw and yesterday there was escalation on mortar attacks on aleppoapitol damascus and said some polling stations will be a target and discourage people going there to vote. >> you have not spoken to all of them and they may be will not tell you exactly who they will vote for but the people from lebanon trying to go to syria to cast their vote would you say they are mainly assad supporters or others that think the election one way or another will bring some stability if we can use that word without being too optimistic? >> reporter: well, we will have to remember there were electrically voting and tens of thousands showing up and the people are strong supporters and see the presidential elections as a sign that president assad prevailed over opponent after intense fighting and predictions he will call and his regime will crumble and now he is extending his for another seven year term. opposition boycotted election and say there is no way they would take part and you have regular syrians who come to the conclusion that president assad will not be over

have also announced the establishment of an islamic. [ inaudible ] they say the area stretches to aleppoa. imran kahn is on the phone live from baghdad to explain the change. imran, why this change now and what does it really mean? >> reporter: what isil have slowly been doing is taking territory. they have always maintained that their end game was going to be an establishment of an us had lamb i can state. that's what they have declared. but this is quite controversial because religiously, what many -- what religious scholars would normally say is that you need to be elected as a tallies before you can establish a state of an islamic state. they are saying there was a shia council and elected the islamic republic. effectively as it is. there are really two things here that you have to understand. firstly, that this state moves from syria, from aleppo all the way through baghdad down to the provinces, it's a huge swath of territory. not much of that territory is actually in their control. they have a few towns, row ma'am i, fallujah, some of the other places they have taken over, tikrit,

they will potentially push back into aleppo city. it is likely that, knowing them, they will try and push on both fronts in iraq and in syria. this probably could provide a great opportunity though to the syrian rebels differ the fight against isis, because they are stretching themselves thin, as well as any forces in the iraqi arena, as well. >> thank you very much. i will turn to questions, starting with andrew right in the middle. >> thank you for great presentation, guys. we have had a lot of prescriptions from all three of you, particularly aaron and ambassador jeffrey on what to do in iraq, but it seems to me that a lot of this is coming out of syria. i mean, isis was born in iraq but metastasized in syria, then come out for a double or nothing game of whatever we have in front of us. we have an organization that does not recognize the boundary that have divided the middle east for over a century. so my question is, what do we do on the syria end of this equation, and how does it affect the debate we have seen recently with amb

as important as the battles raging in damascus, aleppo and homs. this is bashar al-assad's ability to survive, and as he and others have said he has earned a third term. not only has he survived a great conspiracy, but he has gone on to survive with the war going in his favor. >> we've seen the deadlock of the international community. are you hearing conversations in the western capitol that perhaps some people are thinking, well, we should start to deal with assad again? >> i think you're asking really a very important question. i think assad has survived, and assad will be with us for a while, unfortunately. and the reality is that the opposition is divided. it's not enough to criticize the election. but does he have the operatio the u.n. have a strategy. many american, part of the elite are saying, look, we should talk to assad. he's not going anywhere. plus we should deal with assad to deal with the jihadist threat. whether it's the el nusra front or others, they are now as important of a threat in the eyes of the western leaders as assad himse

. >> moving on to syrian, fighting continues between government and rebels near damascus and aleppo. opposition groups post add video they say shows a government attack in the southern province near the capitol. there have been reports of heavy fighting. these pictures posted by activists show buildings destroyed by shelling. a second video posted thursday is said to show the aftermath of a government barrel bomb attack in east h eastern aleppo. >> syria human rights abuses watch said the kurdish democratic union party has used children issue its armed division and failed to stamp out abuses in prisons. kurds are the largest ethnic minority making up 10% of the countries prewar population. president bashar al assad forces pulled out of the northeast in late 2012. >> the conflicts in syria and iraq raise concern over the future of their cultural heritage. still ahead, new measures proposed to protect historic sites. >> a cloud from burning can bass,al bain i can't showing it's getting tough on the drug trade. >> spain lose to go chile in the world cup. i'll have the details later. >>

aleppo has been hard-hit in the three year syrian civil war. activists say as many as 2,000 people have been killed in those barrel bomb attacks this year alone. >> israel's prime minister is meeting with family members of the three missing teenagers, benjamin netanyahu telling them israel is expanding their search for the boys. they disappeared in the west bank. israeli forces are conducting house to house searches in an investigation. >> scouring the outside west bank for the three missing teenagers, israeli soldiers have been searching houses and patrolling here for four days now. arrests have been made. >> one of them was his eldest son. soldiers blew open his front door, injuring a child and turning the house upside down. he said his family are innocent. >> i was handcuffed and thrown outside with my family for hours. when we came back in, the house was a mess, it was trashed. >> most of the search has focused on hebron city, near where the three went missing. >> the israeli government maintains at a these soldiers are searching for hamas

aleppo, which i visited during the destruction of aleppo is a beautiful city in the middle east. to see a leader dropping these might marish barrel bombs on civilian populations is - should trouble everyone. i think the evidence that bashar al-assad used chemical weapons against his own people is well-established. that should shock people. in 2014, 2013, the use of chemical weapons is outrageous. i look at the selection, i look at everything haing in syria -- happening in syria, it's heart-breaking. in my own judgment, everywhere has to look and make their own decision the my judgment is that the united states needs to stablilize the areas liberated from bashar al-assad's forces. and the only way to do that is by helping the opposition, which is really ragged to have better command and control, and have stabilization forces in those areas so it doesn't become warlordism. >> in some ways the new novel is relevant to all the stories. you write about a c.i.a. where hackers are more important than conventional spies. it takes place in an intelligence world that is reeling from the ed

weapons that they took from the iraqi army, they crossed into syria and they started using them in aleppowhich is very far from the iraqi frontier. we should not forget also that is ann -- masra outshoot of iraq. this would be the head of musra are in this of isis same way. some of them in syria and iraq go back to their origins, if we may say so. and the victory of isis would push them very much to go back to isis. >> thank you for that latest on the local pledge of allegiance between the two groups. to cairo where a bomb has courthousetside a and at three metro stations. they were time to go off between -- during morning rush hour. it is the latest attack during -- againsty forces the security forces. libyans are voting today to elect a new 200 seat parliament. earlier today, the current prime -- cast his vote rather in that election. they will be choosing members of the new parliament that will be replacing the general -- national general congress. the new hope is that the new parliament will create a viable with more seats in the east where they are demanding greater autonomy. >> the

in aleppo, this artist said he would turn rubbish skids into ballot boxes. there is no voting in rebel held areas. in damascus am aware that presidents personality grows, one of the opposition groups that are tolerated here also refused to take part. resultink it is the in of the democratic process. >> so you don't have democracy now? >> of course not. outside damascus, the syrian army is back in control of this city, fought over four months. he and his wife, christians from the village, said they just voted for president assad. later in the polling station, they voted again. so did their 15-year-old daughter. syrians get to vote at 18. earlier, the presidential candidate in the middle, defended an election he said was fair by syrian standards. >> we never believed it would be an election in syria. suddenly having three candidates competing with each other for president of the syrian arab republic, look at this change now. >> the war is still the biggest issue. peacemaking has revolved around ways to get the president to hand over power. rebel positions on t

over the weekend at least 50 people were killed in the embattled city of aleppo. syrian president bashar al-assad is expected to retake presidency. >> most senior most respected international diplomats in the world. former u.n. secretary-general kofi annan and lakhdar you brahimi. brahimi. >> no one is able to keep an accurate count but it is without doubt the most deadly conflict this century. >> the hard work starts now. >> both annan and brahimi's peace efforts were based on a rare moment of international agreement. the geneva accord of june 2012. it called for a new traditional government with executive powers. brahimi got both sides to come to geneva earlier there year how to work out this transitional government. but the assad government wouldn't even agree with the being agenda. there is no hope if president assad is reelected. for the duration of the war, only three years, there has been rare moments of unity. russia backed by china is likely to continue to use its veto if necessary in support of the government in damascus. but how will the rest of the int

a very fluid situation, but you can see it stretches right over from aleppo through syria into the west of iraq and right over to the iranian border yah, a town -- sadi on the border that isis has taken over. and there in tikrit, the jihadist have cleaned up with former baath party members, former supporters will stop in the north, sunni tribesmen coming together with them and most will, in the west as well in ramadi. different elements are coming together and it seems to be drawing -- redrawing the maps of serious and iraq. -- of syria and iraq. unusualuld provide in -- an unusual dynamic where it ron and the u.s. could be on the same page. >> the situation is becoming very complex geopolitically. the u.s. is very worried about isis gaining ground and threatening the integrity of iraq. iran, of course, a shiite new slim -- muslim, as is the .overnment of nouri al-maliki isis is hard-line sunni. what could this mean in terms of geopolitics? could we see iran and the u.s. cooperating? probably it would be behind the scenes, talking about how to boost the iraqi army. they are very weak an

. >> the family lives in the syrian city of aleppo. the city wracked by fighting by the anti-government opposition and government forces. because of the war the spread of polio has increased. at least 90 cases in may last year. and the prognosis is not hopef hopeful. not for polio sufferers, nor for the disabled. one place that helps is this school, a special school, set up for sir yeahs memorially and physical disabled. >> we're trying our best to provide them with identificational tools. other sometimes we succeed, sometimes we fail. >> the united arab emirates has introduced compulsory military service. thethose who finish secondary school will serve for nine months while everybody else will serve for two years. joining us from the uae, professor of political science in the uae, thank you for being with us. why has the united arab emirates introduced national service? the topic has been discussed for so long. there is more or less a consensus that it is needed. i think there is positive feeling and the timing is good. the uae it's b

iraq falls and iran dominates the south, and this group owns the sunni territory all the way from aleppo to baghdad, occurred stkurdistan b that would affect us here at home, is that a fair outcome? >> i don't know what the outcome would be if that occurred. all i can tell you is what we're looking at -- >> well, the economy of iraq would collapse? >> well, i think that's right, if they lose their oil. >> that's right. and if isis has assets from aleppo to baghdad, they're enriched, the country that we know as iraq, financially collapses, don't you think that would affect the region and energy crisis, from the average american point of view, iraq matters. >> it does, and also, you know, you've been there many times, senator. the southern part of iraq possesses a tremendous amount of o oil, so different scenarios -- >> the iranians operate the southern part of iraq. we'll get hit in the wallet. but isis they're about to attack the united states, is that correct? >> although a regional threat, they do have aspirations to attack western interests. >> if they have a safe haven in syria or ir

aleppo was destroyed. 100th out -- more than 150,000 people have been killed. the christian corner homs, people think they have the worst behind them. more and more people are returning. they encourage the orthodox christians to return. he keeps watch over the survivors and the returnees. most of whom are traumatized. homs andt was born in educated in orthodox monasteries in greece. he was forced to flee for several months. he says they are using all means possible to persuade people to return. they have renovated and cleaned the church as best they could. they have organized aid campaigns. he points out that homs is an ancient city with a christian monastery from the third century a.d. he says christians have deep roots there and insist they will never leave again. the army and the omnipresent secret service have syria's third-largest city back under their control, not least angst of the firepower of the lebanese hezbollah militia. parish in theian center of town. needy,y meal for the donated by other neighborhoods which were not so badly affected. so far, not

the minaret of the great mosque in the great center in aleppo was damaged.ne of six destroyed in the civil war. ancient shrines and artefacts have been destroyed in timbuktu, in 2012. >> three years of conflict in syria produced a new gepp re of film making that some call emergency cinema. the films are short, film-makers anonymous. the work is getting international recognition. this week in new york. >> families eating. children being children. young men talking. abu calls their work emergency cinema. >> emergency cinema is like emergency medicine. you have to intervene. to save the image of your society. we wanted to show people with dignity. we wanted to show people without reducing them to be victims. >> the contrast of ordinary people living in extraordinary circumstances provides moments of insight on syria that are hard to find in news coverage, like the siblings playing in a tent that has become their home. or the upseen cameraman trying to cross a war-ravaged street guarded by snipers. >> a selection of the films was part of the human rights watch f

the area which it claims to control stretches from aleppo to northern syria to eastern iraq. the iraqi army is locked in a battle to regain control in the northern city of tikrit. it's the largest offensive launched since fighters seized the city three weeks ago. >>> iraq's army, here on state it gets reinforcements in the battle for tich rilt. the military insists this the road to the town is secure, and the villages along the way have been taken, and iraqi soldiers are on the outskirts. independent sources say they are 25km from the town. >> translation: up to this moment more than 70 terrorists were killed, and dozens of vehicles, used in the province near tikrit, have been destroyed. >> although the vast majority of the fighters belong to the sunni rebel group, it's the islamic state of iraq and levant who are in control of the media campaign, and they dispute what the government says. his claims have been dismissed by i.s.i.l. they say they are in control of the city, are willing to fight and have reinforcements. they say the i.s.i.l. leader is going to deliver a message

its power stretches from the banks of the rigor of -- river tigris west to the city of aleppo in syriait is not clear for how long it can hold this fast swathe of territory, but it is changing the geopolitical calculus. clearly, the iraqi military needs help if it is to defeat isis. the militias are part of the strategy, so is iran. the west is still trying to figure out what to do. meanwhile, the frontiers of the middle east are shifting and iraq lies right across the fault line. >> gabriel gatehouse reporting on iraq's division. at least 15 people have died after a gas pipeline exploded in the southern indian state destroying homes and forcing the evacuation of neighboring villages. residents of the village said they had complained about rusty pipelines poorly maintained. thechief negotiator between israelis and palestinians resigned on friday after the collapse of the peace talks. secretary of state john terry made the announcement -- john kerry made the announcement adding he would return to a stop at a washington think tank. comes at ation difficult time in negotiations with littl