andrew simmons reports. >> reporter: children shouldn't have to live like this.tence on the ground with little food. it's always the poor who suffer most at times of conflict and there's no exception in the self declared republican of donetsk. places like this answer the question is there any confidence in the southeast fire? families living underground in musty, damp conditions and here there are 28 children trying to get by. many families refuse to give up their space here because they are convinced the fighting will resume. some of the children have foster parents who can't afford to clothe and feed them. this person used to get a $100 a month allowance for fostering this child. but now there is nothing. she was advised by a welfare worker to put him into an orphanage. >> translator: how could they say this? he is mine. he is mine. i won't give him away. never. never. do you love your mom? >> reporter: at the nearest orphanage rebranded with a flag of the pro-russian self declared republic. >> ukraine should supply these families with support, along with every

. >>> i'm andrew simmons reporting on what could be the legacy of the wours nuclear disaster in chernobyl. open heart surgery on babies. >>> in yemen the saudi-led coalition continues to target houthi rebels for the 16th day. 13 houthi fighters of killed in clashes. the defense minister in sanaa was also hit. the international red cross says the first cargo plane carrying 16 1/2 tons of medical supplies has landed in the capital. the u.n. security council is to vote on a draft resolution which would effectively impose an arms embargo on the houthis. the air campaign has not stopped the advance in yemen. rather the international red cross saying, of course, that this cargo plane of medical aid landed in the capital of sanaa. earlier a plane carrying medical staff also arrived. we have more. >> reporter: these are doctors from the international community of the red cross arriving in the southern yemeni city of aden. they were in the boat after the trip was approved by the saudi-led coalition. >> they could take care of those on board. more specifically for us as a surgical team we have this

andrew simmons reports. >> clinging on to life. his heart has been stopped a machine takes over. the doctor leads what has been called the chernobyl hard team. most of the problems he sees, relates to the nuclear accident. >> this baby was so big and so change high probability could be related to the chernobyl disaster. after all this intense intricate surgery the tiny heart is beating again, there is every chance this baby will survive. half an hour later the mood is positive. >> blood pressure is 96 over 52. we have a good heart right normal ee gmpt so we are ee gmplets so we eeg so we are happy. >> poorly queapt equipped health service. he reassures the mother, you can touch him he will feel you. >> a very big thanks othose who did the operation they have golden hands. >> reporter: they may have golden hands but most of the funding for training and equipment has come from overseas. a charity in ireland has been at the forefront of the effort. foreign surgeons are also flown in for more complex operations. but that may not be enough now. ukraine's government is making more budg

andrew simmons. al jazeera ukraine. >> tributes have been wade to legend benaud, who has died at the age of 84, a successful captain of australia he was best known as a commentator. >> to australians he was the sound of summer, the voice of cricket. >> his commentaries accompanies hundreds of matches. the one constant whether australians won, lost or drew. >> in his day richie benaud mostly won. he played 63 times for his country and took 200 test wickets and scored 2,000 runs. as captain he never lost a serious. >> a total of 242 not very good that. >> it was after he retired from playing the game after hanging up his green cap that benaud went from sports star to legend as the king of cricket commentateors. >> cricket matches can be slow. there are long gaps in action. benaud was the master. his voice was measured, mellow and calm. >> most important though, it quickly became familiar. benaud behind the may crow phone was for a long time essential to the game. >> richie benaud has been the voice of

. >> i'm andrew simmons reporting from an orphanage in ukraine where a hundred children are been caught up in a tug-of-war between the two sides of this conflict. >> let's recap the headlines here on al jazeera. in yemen the saudi-led coalition continues to launch airstrikes on houthi targets. the aden is facing power and water shortages, and saudi arabia has given red cross permission to deliver aids but are having problems because of logistical problems. >> a former request from the saudi king for assistance from pakistan. >>> the palestinian liberation organization says a rescue operation is underway in syria's yarmouk refugee camp. theisil is retreating but still controls 60% of the participate. >>> syrian forces have pushed backa back in idleb. >> each hit is destructive for every person affect: this is the district in the syd of idleb. survivors trying to recognize their neighbors but many are inconsolable after what has happened. >> we're innocent people. it's wrong. the regime should direct their rockets to those with rockets not unarmed people. >> there is no heavy machinery to

andrew simmons kharkiv ukraine. >> series of mistakes that caused powerful explosions, fires, and two workers were killed by the explosions. 28 others including firefighters died within three months from radiation exposure. afterwards, officials closed off the area within 18 miles of the planned. ultimately 335,000 people forced from their homes a totals of 5 million in ukraine belarus and russia lost their homes. a concrete shelter was built to enclose the demands reactor. that is scheduled to be replaced in 2018. it is a tourist attraction since 2011. barbara. >>> dr. roberts gale, coordinated efforts for victims of chernobyl. when it comes to long lasting direct medical effects what can we say is more prevalent because of the chernobyl disaster? >> fortunately, the news is mostly good. there were unfortunately little more than 7,000 cases of thyroid cancer exclusively in young people that have occurred in the 15 years since the accidents. that is essentially over. and we haven't really found any convincing evidence of any other health effects i'm speaking of direct medical effects,

. >> i'm andrew simmons reporting from a orphanage in ukraine. >> and i'm zoe cummings. a suspension of action in the wake of a bus attack. >> hello. the u.n. children's agency, unicef is warning that the war in yemen is driving an already impoverished country towards humanitarian disaster. putting millions in danger. it's 12 days since the saudi led coalition began targeting houthi rebels there and the death toll from fighting continues to mount. in the past 24 hours dozens of people have been reported to be killed in clashes in aden. street fighting in clashes between rebels and force he loyal to former president saleh. aid workers are still waiting for permission to reach aden by boat. >>> human rights groups say the houthis have attacked and detained at least 400 politicians, activists and journalists across the country in the past 24 hours. >>> accused the houthi fighters of targeting civilians in aden. >> translator: is operations there in aden are hit and run operations as the militias are doing aggressive things against the citizens of the city and today, the med

as andrew simmons reports. some are at the center of this crisis. >> in ukraine a country in conflict aged from under five to teens and all opportunity care of the state. but they're from the self-declared republic of donetsk, now looking for russia for its future. yet they've been living since last july under the control of the ukrainian government. the children were moved in secret as the fighting was at its height and after they say separatist fighters told them they were going to be moved to russia for their own safety. >> translator: they told us whether you want to go or not you have to go. we told them we didn't. we started to cry. they used obscene words they didn't care that we were children. when we said we are not going they said, just try staying. and we will shoot you and your teacher. >> reporter: whatever happened these children became pawns in a political playoff. the ukrainian government making the first move. >> threatening children is not acceptable in any situation by any side. it shouldn't

. >>> andrew simmons will be explaining why the devastating loss and destruction here has passed unnoticedthe wake of the nepal earthquake. >>> also ahead france promises harsh punishment for peace keepers guilty of sexually abusing children in the central african republic. and crash landing, one of nasa's most successful missions comes to an end. >>> i have the sport news and we will be live in las vegas where everybody wants a ticket for mayweather versus pacquiao and the rich estest boxing match in history just two days away. ♪ hello, we start with the latest from nepal the u.n. has launched a $415 million appeal for aid. and warning people in rural areas are now in desperate need of help. and weather and blocked roads are continuing to hamper the rescue efforts. the official death toll has now exceeded 5800. but with rescue crews not able to get into the hard to reach areas, that number is likely to rise dramatically. the u.n. estimates 8 million people have been affected more than a quarter of nepal's population. and it's thought reconstruction costs could top $5 billion u.s. dollars

andrew simmons begins our coverage on the outskirts of kathmandu. >> reporter: they are fighting overheets of plastic. anything resembling shelter is in short supply. tents aren't available now and the crowds are either homeless or refusing to return to their houses for fear of another earthquake. this is where many of them have come from, from street to street is the saying. homes destroyed. the army is trying to save lives, but their success rate has diminished. theirests now are more directed at -- their efforts now are more directed at recovering bodies. this officer is frustrated that he hasn't got specialized search equipment. >> we have to work manually, he tells me. it would really help if we had equipment like sampsons. this is. >> reporter: this is the sort of keen you come across all over this district. this had been a really close community and now look at it. two families have lived amongst these ruins. now five people are dead. yanisch bradden has recovered some stuff from the rubble. his only son was 10 years here, and he's dead now age 21. >> you found him here? >> yes

and help beginning to arrive and people are frustrated it's not getting to them fast enough and andrew simmons report on the outskirts of kathmandu. >> reporter: they are fighting over sheets of plastic, anything resembling shelter is in short supply tents are not available now and the crowds are either homeless or refusing to return to their houses for fear of another earthquake. this is where many of them have come from from street to street it's the same homes destroyed the army is trying to save lives, but their success rate has diminished. their efforts now are more directed at recovering bodies. this officer is frustrated he has not got specialized search equipment equipment. >> translator: we have to workman wally he tells me and it would help if we had equipment like sensors. >> reporter: this is the sort of scene you come across all over this district this had been a really close community and now look at it two families had lived among the ruins, now five people are dead. recovered family photos from the rubble, his only son sony was ten years old and he is dead now aged 2 11. you fo

andrew simmons has this update from the village of sindu. >> reporter: the mountain roads of sindu wouldlly take you to one of the most scenic places on earth, now the journey shows you misery despair. and for some of those who survived this is what remains of their lives. this small village has one home left standing and people are in a state, no one is here to help them. officials say around 1600 people have died in this region. unofficial estimates put the figure at beyond 5,000. two more deaths are recorded here after a search that has lasted three days. the bodies of a woman and her baby lying together are recovered. deeper into the region the needs get even greater, some aid is getting through but it's a drip feed, aid workers arriving here say the region has been neglected. >> the need is quite huge. initially there was a lack of proper communication in the sense if you see the data for the first three days the number of dead people were 200-220 and day three the number of deaths from the area rose up to 650. >> reporter: this is the town with no power anywhere and no sanitation a

andrew simmons, al jazerra ukraine. >>> and the u.s.guson some of those who hit the streets protesting racism are contesting the local elections to bring in change. kristen saloomey reports. >> reporter: the crowd at st. mark's family church may have been small. >> an informed voter can make a difference. >> reporter: but the field of city council candidates, particularly black ones in ferguson missouri has never been so large. four african americans are running for three open seats in the april 7th election. >> we have an opportunities to effectuate sustainable real change right here in ferguson. >> reporter: change is exactly what many of ferguson's residents have been demanding ever since a white police officer shot mike brown an unarmed black teen. the white officer was cleared of wrongdoing. but a federal investigation found a pattern of racist policing in the city and its courts. it will fall to the next city council to make the reforms demanded by the u.s. justice department. adrian hawkins is a federal worker and a single mother

andrew similar simmons report painted a desperate picture. is there more help coming to those who need it? >> even though more aid is starting to be delivered there is going to be a lot more before it reaches all the people that is needed here. you get a sense of all all these agencies are mobilized. the international community is mobbled. theit is so hard getting aid into this country and even more is arriving there is a growing sense of frustration. it took a very very long time numerous hours from when our plane landed. it was packed with aid workers. rescue workers doing their utmost to get to the neediest, to get to the terminal, to get their supplies, and you saw the sense of hopelessness many coming to see if the houses they have built are still standing. more aid is trickling more workers are coming in, but it's just not enough. they're angry it has taken so long to mobilize. you've heard from the prime minister that there is three days of mourning. but he's also said that he expects that the grow to as much as 10,000 people. that is

andrew andrew simmons witnessed one life-saving event. >> reporter: this baby only 3.5 months old isnging on to life. his heart has been stopped. a machine takes over. the doctor leads what has become known as the chernobyl heart team. he says most if not all of his cases relate to the 1986 nuclear accident. >> this baby was so big and so strange defect. very high probability can be related to chernobyl disaster. >> reporter: after all of this intense surgery, the tiny heart is beating again, and there's now every chance this baby will survive. half an hour later and the mood is positive. >> blood pressure is 96 over 52. he has a good heart rate. so we're happy. >> reporter: within an hour the surgeon who carried out the operation leads her patient to intensive care. the doctor earns less than a taxi driver in ukraine's underfunded, poorly equipped health service. she reassures the baby's mother. you can touch him, she says. everything is okay. touch him. he'll feel you. >> translator: a very big thanks to those who did the operation. they have golden hands. >> reporter: they may hav

no one knows what's going to happen next. >> all right andrew simmons and anna getish. as if it weren't difficult enough the weather. now, more tremors are being felt in india's capital. nitti us dutt joins us. what's happening from where you are? >> reporter: to give you a quick update in the last few minutes before we have come to you, we have seen reports here in indian media network that the airport in kathmandu has been shut owing to heavy rain. this hampers not only the expertise of particularly doctors, relief workers getting in to kathmandu, many keeping in mind foreigners indian nationals coming from india to nepal for this but, also this hampers that relief getting in to the country. so that's a major line this evening and given the kind of impact that bad weather that the aftershock of this afternoon had on the capitol and surrounding areas. the indian government has this evening said it will be ramping up efforts byroad which means that it will be utilizing the points that it has along the open vast border it shares with nepal to get much needed aid in as we

. >> i'm andrew simmons reporting on what could be the legacy of the worst enough disaster in chernobyl. unfortunately >>...hurricane... >> we can save species... >> our special month long focus, fragile planet >> thanks for joining us again. saudi-led coalition has stepped up airstrikes in and around yemen's capital of sanaa. houthi arms depo is among the targets hit. >>> thawing relations between u.s. and cuba. the two leaders are expected to hold a meeting at the summit of america's gathering. >>> police in nigeria fire live ammunition to control a crowd angry because voting materials have not arrived. >>> gunmen have attacked a labor camp in western pakistan killing at least 20 people. the attackers overpowed aid stuttgart and no group has claimed responsibility. but there have been several attacks in the separatist in the . lawyers argue that there is not enough evidence to convict him which is why he's out on bill. that arrived in december, but he was not allowed to leave police cud. >>> at leastpolice. >> they're struggling to defend the area by a push from isil into the neighbor

andrew simmons. al jazeera. ukraine. >> now greece said it will pay back $500 million loan from the international money fund this fund. there have been fears that greece would default on the loan. greece is running out much crash and has performed reforms in return of much-needed bail out funds. >>> since 2010 greece has been dependent on rescue loans. in february the government negotiated a four-months extension to its bailout in return for entering the eurozone reform program. but imf and lenders have frozen aid until agreements are made. greece is hoping to get $8 billion it needs to deep in it's reserves to cover salaries, pensions and social welfare. for more on this we're joined by stephen hesler in london. good to have you with pups first of all if we could simplify this a little bit. explain the process to us, the importance of why greece needs to pay back i think it's 448 million eur. on thursday. >> well, the previous government did a deal with the e.u. and the imf to get the bail out, a series of bail

andrew simmons nepal. >> cleaning up in baltimore after monday's rioting. plus. >> this is al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler. >> dividing line. money, race, and a reality of living in baltimore. show of support. >> i decided to go out and do the next best thing. help get our community back together and show a round of support. >> a community stands up against the violence. their stories. their faces. plus race against time. the earthquake in nepal as the death toll rises as they struggle to save survivors. >> a night of looting and burning, business owns are faking stock cleaning up and residents are pitching in. it's a different picture in baltimore. peace and cooperation following a night of violence and fury. paul beben. >> the people of west baltimore came together for help, healing and to kick start the cleanup. overnight this corner shopping center was hit hard. a rite aide ripped to shreds, a laundromat ransacked. but this morning the parking lot is a rally point and a place for swapping stories of neighbors looking out for each other. so you

andrew simmons reports there an area near the capital kathmandu. >> they're fighting over sheets of plastic. anything assembling resembling shelter is in short supply. fearing another earthquake. this is where many of them have come from, from street to street it's the same. homes destroyed. the army is trying to save lives lives. but their success rates has dmshed. their efforts is now more recovering bodies. this officer is frustratehe doesn't have specialized equipment. we have to work manually he tells me. it would really help if we had equipment like sensors. this is the sort of scene you come across all over this district. this had been a really close community. and now look at it. two families had lived among these ruins. now five people are dead. ganash pradam has gathered some family photos from the rubble. his only son,sonny was ten years old he's dead, aged 21. >> you found him here? >> i found him here, how i found the dead body of this my son head down, leg up. >> you must feel broken. >> not broken everything is, my life is full, my life is finished. >> ganesh looks over as so

andrew simmons joins us live from chernobyl. how bad is this problem right now?reporter: the problems right across this region of all sorts of health problems hassam especially cancers, the world health organization have estimated that at least 4,000 premature deaths have occurred but many researchers believe that the figure is much larger than that and now we are hearing more and more of congenital defects at the hearts of babies. behind me you will see that the whole skyline has changed now in chernobyl. >> vast structure is going to encase the reactor number 4 eventually, although there is a funding crisis surrounding that. and there is some hope that this will make for a safer future but there is a legacy. we traveled to ukraine's second city, hakim, to find out what part of that legacy is. >> baby zagaroko is clinging on to life. has hard has been stopped. a machine takes over. >> without this surgery, the baby couldn't survive. >> dr. igor polivinov leads what's called as the chernobyl heart team. he says most if not all of his cases relate to the nuclear a

andrew simmons, al jazeera ukraine. >> and his second impact, andrew simmonsing travels to the separatist city of donetsk. >> reporter: i'll be going underground to find out why young children are still enduring deplorable conditions even when there's a ceasefire in place. >> the turkish football league has been suspended for a week. the attack happened on saturday, as the league leaders were traveling to the airport near the northern city of trebson. the bus driver was taken to hospital for treatment. club officials have described it as an act of terrorism and say they won't play another game until the attacker is found. >>> two australians on death row for drug smuggling have lost their appeal against drug smuggling. convicted in 2006 for being behind a plot to smug smuggle heroin. they face death by firing squad. >>> 20 casualties were in the northern bogref district. >>> afghan taliban have published a surprised biography of mulla omar, who hasn't been seen in public since 2001. regularly in touch with the taliban. described as charismatic and tranquil. favorite weapon as a grenade la

. >> al jazeera's andrew simmons is outside the teaching hospital in the capital of kathmandu, and he joins us live now. andrew tell us what you've been seeing today. >> reporter: well the situation here is really critical. it has to be said. there are hundreds inside this hospital, the main cases are trauma head injuries in particular and right now as you can see behind these people most of them are walking wounded but some are simply waiting to get inside for treatment. it's so bad many people in this city prefer to be outside right now because they're worried about further earthquakes. here though they're outside simply because there is no room left in this hospital. the drug supplies are at a critical level, but i spoke to a doctor a short time ago and they say they're managing but they're short of water. there's enough food but they're short of water. of course, the power situation is diabolical entirely reliant on generators and with that shortage it's a critical situation. >> is any aid actually arriving yet, andrew? >> reporter: yes. i came through the international airport fi

. >>> i'm andrew simmons reporting on what could be the

andrew simmons sent us this update what we are seeing here is extraordinary these people five days ahis struck trying to go through their homes what is left of them. it is just a pile of rubble. look over there people still in shock it is remarkable because only one child died when the quake struck this tiny settlement, and over there, look, the children just still in shock really, people not sure what to do, where to go. this entire district has really been untouched by help for so many days. only now is aid getting through, and that's only a small number of tents. it's a critical situation here without any shadow of doubt, but looking here, i still can't take in how no more than one child died. most people were in the fields so that's a reason why. look at the damage, and right through this area, here, there isn't one home left standing. >> take a look at these pictures which have reached us of the moment. ohs of katmandu this is backed up about 13-kilometers. hindu temples all around, it is known as nepal's cultural gem. as we might understand from what we have heard the last few

. >> i'm andrew simmons in what could be the lesscy of the world legacy since chernobyl. open heart surgery on babies. >> we begin with the latest developments in the war oh, yes in yemen. there was a set back of efforts to broaden the coalition. pakistan's parliament has decided not to join the saudis, voting to stay neutral in the conflict. but there was some relief for the people of sanaa when planes carrying medical aid were able to land since the airstrikes began 16 days ago. there have been a call for a pause in daily fighting to allow the aid in. >> reporter: this is much much-needed medical aid. one of two planes that landed in the yemeni capital on friday carrying enough surgical equipment to treat up to a thousand people. >> the first plane we wanted to arrive in sanaa finally arrived after ten days. it is now full of 16 tons of medical assistance, which is very needed now in yemen. we expect a plane tomorrow. >> a medical team and supplies also arrived into the southern port city of aden by boat. the problem of distributing the eight could be difficult. the u.n

andrew simmons al jazeera, donetsk, eastern ukraine. >> now since rebels and troops have signed the cease-fire, the fighting has gone down a bit and that has led to the rise of the value of the ruble in russia. >> a plunging ruble that's so late 2014. today the ruble is the best performing currency in the world. >> indeed, the ruble has been up 20% from its lowest point at the end of january. the scenario that every was forecasting is not realizing. >> they put it down to a slight rally in the price of oil and the ukrainian cease-fire seems to have calmed the conflict. they that oil is a factor but that is something else is having a bigger influence. >> russian compilation. >> it's normal people who are off loading dollars? >> yes they're looking at savings. >> it's not much of a surprise that there is disagreement. few saw this coming. for those people, and there are plenty of them who predicted it would continue or bet against it this is all of it perplexing. time for a crash of the head and to nurse a few financial losses. but there won't be too much sympathy here for currency traders who m

andrew simmons sent us this update. >> reporter: this is a vast area, and i'm actually in a village athe start of a huge swathe of damage. no one realized how extensive the damage was here. we drove for something like 30 kilometers through village after village. devastated villages. in one small settlement there wasn't one home left standing. the original estimates of dead were put officially at around 1600 here but in actual fact many unofficial estimates put it at around 5,000, even 6,000. i have to say, i have not seen anything quite like it in a rural area. building that were really constructed from boulders and mud are just absolutely devastated. and if i show you over here now, in this village there is a search operation going on by the chinese. they are convinced they have around five to six bodies beneath this rubble. they feel pretty pessimistic they will find anybody live. but the issue here is the late nature of aid getting through. right now people are absolutely crying out for assistance. this is a remote area takes a long time to get here. there are landslides on the way.

he gives up a solo home run to andrew simmons. the braves on the board down by one.e diekman provides zero relief. he provides four hits and two runs. braves scored five unanswered. they come back to beat phillies five-two. buchanan has not won in months. >> you get quality starts, counting last year, he goes out, battles. he has made improvement this year. this by far was his best up. i mean that was he cruised into the seventh. so it is a shame. that would have been a nice one to get under his belt. >> temple's fight song, fight fight, fight for cherry and white takes a new meaning as lea skill who had fight of her life trying to beat cancer, scores a touchdown at the the cherry and white game. devon still's little girl you may have seen it the but you can watch this over and over again. the she's in remission. temple spring game. watch her go 45-yard to the house. and once she scores, boom, spikes the ball in the end zone. does her touchdown celebration dance, and what a scene at the temple football cherry and white game. >> i mean she loves playing football. me a

andrew simmons begins our coverage in the outskirts of kathmandu. >> this was a family home. but like so many others it is a place of loss. there were a number of family members rescued from this location. many hours ago. and they said that there was still relatives beneath the rubble. now at this time there was an officer earlier on shouting hello and banging bricks with his bear fists but sadly there have been no sounds whatsoever. just a place of dust, a place of the smell of the scent of people passing away. there is here bear hands involves. street after street there are situations like this going on. but this is really now more of a recovery operation than it is one of a can you. rescue. people like possible optimistic, but people we've spoken to so far in the past eight hours has been mournful rather than hopeful. and there is also a contrasting mood of anger in many parts of the city. particularly around the local authority building where people are demanding tents where they can settle because their homes are either so damaged that they can't basically have anything

>>>aj's andrew simmons is in kathmandu. >> no one knows the true figure of deaths yet. we are looking at a figure well beyond 2,400, according to the government now. all of the time that is being updated. so it is a mood really of gloom eally of gloom despondency. >>> by know means enough. only runway at the airport. they are trying to sort of triage the size of the planes to get the most equipment and rescue workers in. meanwhile, the position here is desperate because a search has been going on with people with their bare hands, no diggers or major mechanics, mechanicals around to take part in that search. just this desperate situation. in the hospital, a really big crisis in terms of the supplies of drugs and, also the space to treat people. you are seeing patients now in the open. and, of course with the weather closing in this isn't a good situation. also trying to communicate with people, it's desperate hard because there is a fear here, a massive fear. you better take on board this quake not only took out a big swathe of this country but shook the highest mountai

andrew simmons has more now from kathmandu. >> reporter: every aspect of emergency services is pushed beyond the limit right now here in kathmandu's teaching hospital, which is described as an institution of medical excellence. doctors are working literally around the clock. hundreds of injured are here. in fact some of the patients are actually out here in the cold now. many have been in the car park earlier, and then the rain brought them here under the porch. there is a desperate situation going on here although doctors insist they will carry on coping. they have enough medical supplies and new supplies are arriving all the time. they say there's a shortage of fresh drinking water, which is a major problem developing all over the capital right now on top of the issues over no power. of course generators are working here but there's a shortage of fuel and this is presenting a threat to all the services. the airport more and more flights are coming in with aid, but there's only one runway there. it's a very desperate situation in terms of trying to coordinate everything. there are pe

andrew simmons, al jazeera donetsk, eastern ukraine. >> the greek deputy finance minister said germany zero the country $300.000000000 for occupations during world war ii. the government has never put it in an official request. the parliamentary panel started work on claiming repayments until last week. greece has until the end of the monday to reach a funding agreement with you're rezone creditors before it runs out of money. >> people in ferguson, missouri are voting thursday to elect three new city council members. they hope to boost african-american representation in a city that's become a symbol of racial tension after months of protest. we met some of the candidates. >> the crowd at st. mark family church may have been small. >> an informed voter can make a difference. >> the field of city council candidates particular black ones in ferguson, missouri has never been so large. four african-americans are running for three open seats in the april 7 election. >> we have an opportunity to effectuate sustainable real change right here in ferguson. >> change is exactly what many have fe

andrew simmons is one of those that aid workers say is being neglected. >> this is a vast area. no one realized how extensive the damage was here. we drove for something like 30-kilometers through village after village. devastated villages. now the original estimates of dead were put officially at around 1600 leer. but in actual fact, many unofficial estimates put it around 5,000 even 6,000. i have to say, i have not seen anything quite like nit a rural area, buildings that were really constructed from boulders and mud are just absolutely devastated. if i show you over here now in this village, there is a search operation going on by the chinese. they are convinced that they have around five to six bodies beneath this rubble. they feel pretty pessimistic they will find anybody alive. but the main issue here is the late nature of aid getting through. right now people are crying out, for assistance this is a remote area. and a long time to get here. the weather has been very very wet unseasonally so, and it is a mixture of concoction of utter disaster following the original disast

andrew simmons. al jazerra. >>> the u.s. city of baltimore has did claude a curfew until 5:00 am.iots erupted after the funeral of a policeman that died in police dust is a a lawyer for freddie gray's family says his make was 80% severed, they are calling for police reform. >> we ask the prosecutors to reexamine their sentencing policy, they are brutal boards us, they are worst than any country in the world. there is no other country that even comes close to the imprisonment of its citizens of the united states of america. we are asking the police to look at their policies that we believe that if they have cameras and, there is firm control legislatively of the on-off switch and harsh penalties for impermissibly turning the cameras off they will work to increase civility like nothing you have ever seen before. >> as the protests continue in baltimore over the death of freddie gray, the city's racial and economic divide is coming under the spotlight. gabriel elizondo reports. >> reporter: while on one side of town they continue to protest calling for justice against police brutalit

andrew simmons, al jazeera kharkiv, ukraine. >> away board director at the charity chernobyl children national joins us live from dublin. we appreciate your time so much, can you tell us about the success rate of this particular operation that these children need? >> this operation is entirely successful and this is why it is so worrying and of such huge concern to hear the doctor who has had the pleasure to meet over the number of years in relation to the ukrainian funding. 6,000 babies are born each year with heart defects in the ukraine. 50% of them are not operated on because of lack of facilities and qualified medical teams in the ukraine. without cardiac surgery the children who need heart operations similar to the one you just witnessed have little hope of living and beyond five years or even less, but with intervention and the success rate is fantastic. it's very high. >> so financially how have these operations been happening so far up until this point? >> up to this point chernobyl the irish based charity chernobyl children international, we run a direct intervention program

and, andrew simmons has more. >>> the crowds are either homeless orefrusing to return to the houses for fear of another earthquake. >>> this is where many of them have come from, from street-to-street, homes destroyed, and, the army is trying to save lives, and their success rate has diminfished. and, their efforts are now more direct. and, this officer was frustrated that he hasn't gotten specialized search equipment. >>> we have to work, he tells me. and, really help, if we had equipment like sensors. >>> and this is the sort of scene you come across all over this district and this was a really close community, and now look at it. >>> two families had lived amongst these ruins and now five people are dead. >>> his only son is ten-years-old here and he's dead now aged, 21. >>> you found him here,. >>> yes. >>> look. >>> and, i found, the dead body of my son. >>> everything, my life is finished. >>> as soldiers use their bare hands in the search of the body of their son's grandmother, she was 87. and a short distance away, this is the square, one of the world tear ranch signs and devast

andrew simmons al jazeera, ukraine. >> a fire has been put out on a submarine in russia. there were no weapons on board in the submarine's nuclear reactor had already been shut down. there is also no injuries. now the ruble has hit highs for the year against both the u.s. dollar and the euro. a remarkable turn around for the russian currency, which lost 40% of its value last year. we have more from moscow. >> a plunging rubble that's so late 2014. this season the first quarter of of 2015 the ruble is the best performing currency in the world. >> indeed, rubble has been up 20% from its lowest point at the end of january. >> the scenario that everyone was forecasts is not realizing. >> they put this down to a slight rally in the price of oil and a you rainan cease-fire that although repeatedly violated does seem to have calmed the conflict. but when it comes to why the rubble is strengthening analysts certainly are not unanimous. ivan thinks that oil is a factor but that's something else is having a bigger influence. >> russian population. >> there are people who are up loa

andrew simmons, al jazeera kathmandu. >> and the severity of the situation making it difficult to get help where it's needed. fais jamil on the ground. >> main market has been home to hundreds of people since the earthquake struck on saturday. now today a lot of locals have come out themselves to see the damage and see how big it is. but people here very, they are very stressed out. the weather here has also been bad. in the last 24 hours we've seen rain thunderstorms, people have come out because of the quake. then they go in when the rain comes and then they're feeling all these aftershocks and they have to come out again. it's been a very tough situation here, this is just the capital city of nepal. we haven't heard what it's like outside the capital. there is cleanup of locals but it's been minimal. aftershocks cause rubble to fall down all over again. people do what they need to, just so they can get by. but the main issue is we're not sure of the extent of the devastation. there are some rescue teams but spread very thin. they're not sure what is operating in the capital and out

andrew simmons al jazeera, ukraine. >> two weeks after the dramatic presidential elections in nigeria saw goodluck jonathan debeated put mahammadadu buhari. >> one of the most powerful governs in nigeria. he resides over millions of people and controls huge resources. but most importantly he and his colleagues trees the country have enormous influence of state and national decisions. ignoring them has cost the current ruling party a lot in last month's elections. >> very critical and very important playing a very important role in making checks and balances in the national equation. and to allow five governs to lead the party together with so many other senior officials those that are really key was a huge mistake. >> that set the tone for the crashing defeat of the ruling party. now our attention has shifted to the election of governs and. >> so much is at stake. >> only political political influence over an estimated of 20 million people, that's why candidates are fight forgive every vote. >> governors have hauls had a happened in every election. despite the separation of powers the

andrew simmons has more. >> reporter: what we're seeing here is really extrordanaire.ese people five days after this earthquake struck trying to go through their homes, what is left of them. it's just a pile of rebel. look over there, people still in shock. it's remarkable really because only one child died when the quake struck this tiny settlement, and over there, look, the children just still in shock, really people not sure what to do where to go. this entire district has really been untouched by help for so many days. only now is aid getting through, and that's only a small number of tens and some food. it's a critical situation here without any shadow of doubt, but looking here i still can't take in how, no more than one child died. most people were in the fields so that's a reason why it happened this way. but look at the damage. and right through this area. here. there isn't one home left standing. >>> a german court has rejected a claim for damages to be paid to relatives of afghan civilians silled in an air strike in 2009. the attack by a u.s. aircraft on two

andrew simmons, al jazeera donetsk, eastern ukraine. >> a spokesman for the international mop forking mission to ukraine joins us live from ukraine. thanks for joining us. you just got back from the east of the country. tell us what you saw. >> we were at the donetsk airport and in some of the. a late areas formerly populated areas around the airport. the scene there the best way i can describe it is like hell on earth. even the trees themselves, none of them were untouched by rocket fire. the village itself near the airport, very few people left, maybe about 40. not one of the homes was untouched by live fire. then also, a big big problem not only there but throughout the conflict zone is unexploded ordinance. one home there was an unexploded rocket in the front yard of the home. people are living without electricity, without running water, without gas, very little provisions in the shops, as well. we didn't see any chirp there which is probably a good thing because of the amount of that unexploded ordinance, it poses a very very big danger to them. >> those people remaining there ho

a drone captured video that shows the scale of the devastation in the capital of kathmandu as andrew simmons reports for us now, a severe shortage of necessary supplies is only adding to misery there. >> reporter: they're fighting over sheets of plastic. anything resdmrem bells shelter is in short supply. tents aren't available now, and the crowds are either homeless or refusing to return to houses for fear of another earthquake. this is where many of them have come from from street to street it's the same. homes destroyed. the army is trying to save lives, but their success rate has diminished. their efforts now are more directed at recovering bodies. this officer is frustrated that he hasn't got specialized search equipment. we have to workman you'lly, he tells me. it would really help if we had equipment like sensors. this is the sort of scene you come across all over this district. this had been a really close community, and now look at it. two families had lived amongst these ruins. now five people are dead. he's recovered some family photos from the rubble. his only son, sonny, was 10