the president announced the formation of a ten-member committee to negotiate with the houthi's. try to convince the houthis to end their demonstrations seeking to force the government to resign. >> translator: they should stop being driven by sinful pride which can lead them to adopt practices which have failed in the past and will continue to fail. >> reporter: but there are scarcely any signs that houthis are about to comply. thousands of supporters march almost on a daily basis. the integration of 20,000 of their armed militia, delaying their disarmament of the ma -- militia, and expanding their presence. on the other hand the government has asked the houthis to lay down their arms and participate in a national unity government. >> translator: they have their own agenda with domestic and external goals which they endeavor to achieve. >> reporter: fierce fighting continues. for quite a few months, houthi fighters and government forces have been trying to drive one another out with little success. more than 50 fighters on both sides have died in the last few days. a government

the ultimatum comes from houthis who control areas in the north.y are mainly sunni yemen, but make up a majority in the northern highlands, including the region around the capitol. they have been fighting the government since 2004 saying they are discriminated against. the government says they want to rule aim pose islamic law. the latest crisis is due to the hout houthi's government operation proposal to divide the area into six regions. >> translator: the situation is tense, it is strongly sense. simply [ inaudible ] these armed houthi groups are laying siege to the capitol city. it is the main capital city of yemen. the houthi group would like to put the country in a sectarian war. the houthi group has betrayed the revolution, they seized the military camp and held an alliance with the president. they also betrayed the people and the transition period as they are undermining the state -- the state efforts. they also betrayed the national dialogue as they strayed away from all of the outcomes and agreements made. namely handing down the arms toge

in the past houthis demanded an end to marginalization in the northern region. government says the faction aspires to take over and rule the country. supporters of the president have also taken to the streets asking for the government to do more to tackle the rebellion and end insecurity. the president is facing enormous challenges not only from rebels in the north and al-qaeda in the east, but also from a powerful movement in his own constituency. and-of his current cabinet members are stanch supporters of the deposed president. a powerful reminder of the fact that real change in yemen is still an unattainable goal. >>> the death toll from the oh bole la outbreak has passed 1,200. >>> islamabad's heavily guarded parliament district has been sealed with shipping containers and is packed with soldiers. the smov to -- move is to control the protesters who are calling for the prime minister's resignation. they are accusing him of rigging last year's elections. >>> in eastern china, emergency crews have rescued 12 minors trapped after a gas explosion. at least 27 mo

so at most, the houthis are looking for one or two cabinet positions but the bigger point is if they can get the government to step down on the fuel prices and get the government to be dissolved. the party here in yemen, i think that will be the big goal for them at the moment. >> is it more economic, with the cuts in the fuel subsidies? >> in terms of the people at the protests, i would say that the majority of houthi supporters, but in terms of national sentiment right now, the houthis have hit the mark in terms of populist rhetoric. the president met with a group of different political actors and tried to get their support in negotiating with the houthis, but the message that he got back was in a this government is being effective, and needing to be replaced and the people are not happy with the subsidy cards. so they are really tapping into a popular sentiment, even if on the streets, the majority, of the vast majority protesting are houthis. >> if we look at yemen as a whole, as possibly the arab state, but it has it's own resources, oil, and why has that been so badly mismanage

several months ago, houthi rebels took a region. they are fighting to take the oil rich region in the northeast. clashes with troop -- government troops have been going on there for months. they resumed rebellion and were able to take large areas of territory. in the past houthi's have demanded an end to marginalization. and now they say the government aspires to take over other groups and rule though country. supporters are asking the government to do more to tackle the houthi rebellion, and return security. the government is facing enormous on -- obstacles including outbreaks in his own government. real change in yemen is still an unattainable goal. >>> the battle between rival militias in libya has moved closer to the center of the capitol. rockets were fired into the city. for weeks the groups have been fighting for control of the capitol as well as its airport. much more to come on al jazeera, including we're taking a look at the dangers facing aid workers. >>> and coming up in sport, we'll meet the man who declares himself the

we are expecting a pro-houthi rally and anti-houthi rally in the coming hours in the capital. there's rhetoric. the hutus accusing the government of not listening to their demands. the government says the hewitties are introns gent. never before has yemen been so divided along the sectarian lines. >> will you follow event for us, we'll come back as it develops. thank you. >> next month fiji holds an election, the first in the country since a coup in 2006. self-appointed prime minister frank bainimarama is hoping to win a democratic vote. dom as reports from sydney. >> fiji's prime minister promised an open for u, he'd take any -- forum, he'd take any questions - but not, it seems, from opponents. frank bainimarama made the trip to sydney to campaign for the fijians living abroad. he is looking for legitimacy. will it be a fair election in june. fijians living in exile in australia doubt it. >> i don't think it will be fair. as to free, that remains to be seen, because of the intimidation that is exercised by frank bainimarama, and people connected with him. outside the venue f

the houthis are a minority group except in northern yemen.they will set up a protest camp and stay and will only go back home if their demands are met. >> translator: let me make it clear to everyone. if the authorities open fire at the protesters we won't tolerate that, and we will respond. >> reporter: crucial negotiations are underway in a northern province, the houthi's strong hold. if talks go nowhere, many fear the houthis might move into the capital. if that happens the sunni majority will take up arms. wherever you go, supporters and opponents all agree that the houthis are now a major political force in yemen. it may be an indication that they are likely to play a bigger role in the future of yemen. >>> china is celebrating the birthday of the late leader. it is thought his policies are responsible for turning the country into an economic powerhouse. chinese state tv is airing an drama series on his life, but certain details are missing. >> reporter: propaganda dressed up as entertainment is nothing new on state-controlled tv. which

there government loyalists and their houthi rivals have held separate protests in the capitol.ere comes this report. >> reporter: a day of mass gathering across yemen. here, government loyalists gathered in this street. it was the focal point of the 2011 prodemocracy movement that toppled the president. but now they say they are united against the shiite houthis. >> translator: we're here to [ inaudible ] if for whatever reason violence erupted here it will spread across the country. it will be a catastrophe. >> reporter: talks have reached no where. the standoff between the shiite rebels and the president has lead to the worst crisis the country has seen since all of the feuding factions began two years ago. there doesn't seem to be any education -- indication that the government and the houthis are willing to reach a compromise. they are calling for their own people to take to the streets on a daily basis. another defiant crowd on the other side of the city. the houthis dismiss accusations they are plotting to seize power. >> translator: we took to the streets to denounce cor

who are the houthis, and what do they want?y are tribesman from the northern highlands, belonging to the za heedy sector. fighters lyle to the houthi tribe battled government forces since 2004. now they are demanding 20,000 of their member be included in the yemeni military, asking 10 ministries to be allocated to them and a delay in the disarmament of their weapons. a disarmament deal was broken by the u.n. this year, and asking for handlinga and aljaf, their strongholds to be part of the capital sanaa. let's talk to a journalist based in yemen. peter, it sounds incredibly complex, but the hutus seem to have a long list, a significant list of demands. >> i know. thank you for having me. the first thing i have to say is the list you read out is not exactly what the hutus asked for. and one of the problems is that there have been a lot of rumours around what they are asking for. they have produced a statement, which they have sent to the u.n. and to the wider international community, and they have made their demands clear, and t

but now they say they are united against the shiite houthis. >> translator: we're here [ inaudible ] if for whatever reason violence erupted here it would spread across the country. >> reporter: talks have reached nowhere. the stand oif between the rebels and the president has lead to the worst crisis the country has seen since all of the feuding actions agreed on the transition to democracy two years ago. there doesn't seem to be any indication that the government and the houthis are willing to reach a compromise. for the time being they are calling on their own people to take to the streets on a daily basis. another defiant crowd on the other side of the city. the houthis dismiss accusations they are plotting to seize power. >> translator: we took to the treats to denounce corruption. we are very poor because of wide-spread krcorruption. >> reporter: inspired by their leader's fiery speeching the rebels insist this is a fight for democracy. the man who led their friday prayers is a sunni cleric, a tackful move to discredit those who say the houthis are more driven by a sectarian ag

houthis joined in the protest against the president, and soon they fell out with any rulers. they resumed the armed rebellion and were able to take large parts of the territory. 6. >> this is an expansion that until now turned into a political party. to allow the yemenis to work with them. the main priority in the next few weeks should be to integrate them into the government. >> reporter: in the past, the houthis were marginalized. and now they want to rule the country. supporters of the president have also taken to the streets in the last few days, asking for the government to do more to tackle the houthi rebellion. not only from rebels in the north and al qaeda in the east. but also from a powerful movement in his own constituency in yemen. half of his members are staunch supporters of the deposed president. a reminder of the fact that the change in yemen is still an unobtainable goal. >> now aljazeera is demanding the release of its three journalists, held captive in eugene ramirez for 1003 days. they were accused of helping the muslim brotherhood, they were given sentenc

houthi community.follows a meeting on friday calling on the hutus to end hostilities against the government. the latest from happena. >> president hadi has given the go ahead for the negotiating commission to travel and discuss sticking point, which is forming a government and finding a solution to the issue of subsidies. the government is aware that he had to stop the subsidies. they were fighting into the budget. on the other hand 50% of the population, and they can't afford to pay rising prices of fuel. this could be the last chance given to diplomacy. the president warned if dip loam as i fails, armed forces were ready in an operation against the hutus >>> thousands of libyans rallied in tripoli on friday in what they called a victory, demonstrating the end of fighting. they have called on the rush of the general national congress saying they would recognise the gns from the legislative policy. >> china's top leadership has been meeting in the capital to decide how hong kong would slebility its new

they are all anti-houthis. >> translator: civilians and members of the army are all united behind thedent. we want all of the houthi fighters out of the country. >> reporter: these people say they are ready to fight. this rhetoric is dividing yemen and raising fears of a surge of violence. >> translator: i'm here to support the roop -- republican. we are a ma sure nation, and we know our real enemies. >> reporter: security forces are on high alert. these are extraordinary times in a divided city, where tension is exacerbated by the power struggle. two years ago, many of these protesters were the same people that took to the streets calling for democracy. now they are disappointed. yemen is now a country on the verge of sectarian violence. >>> kurdish forces are continuing to battle fighters from the islamic state group in western and northern iraq. they hold the city of mosul and other towns and villages. >>> the humanitarian situation in iraq remains serious as i.s. fighters continue their advance in the northern town, iraqi forces have rescued a group of women and children. the town

the yemeni government signed a ceasefire agreement with houthi rebels in the country's north. the truce was reached after several weeks of fighting. we have more on that. >> reporter: anticipation in northern yemen after the signing of a ceasefire. it ended fighting between the yemeni army and houthi rebels. >> they were fighting for control of the oil-rich area. last month the two sides reached a similar ceasefire, but it soon collapsed. a presidential committee says guarantees are in place. both the parties have agreed to put an end to the conflict, pull out of their positions and hand them over to the mediators. there are causes for concern. some of the factions affiliated with the hutus, as well as some of the local tribes are not happy with the agreement. they refuse to give up some territory under their control. it presented the main parties to the agreement with a challenge. >> we lay down a plan to eliminate points of tension to observe a ceasefire and both to back off. this is an initial step. reasonables this is one --. >> reporter: this is one of the least-developed

in yemen, supporters of the shiite houthi rebels have begun massing and the capital as talks continue between the government and the rebels leader in the north. today marks the deadline issued by the houthis for yemen to roll prices and in fuel to dissolve the government, which they say is corrupt. tens of thousands of students marched in the chilean capital santiago thursday to demand free education. police fired tear gas and water cannons as a small number of protesters threw rocks and sticks. student protests erupted in chile in 2011 over demands for free and quality education for all. president michele that shall it has vowed to reform the system, but students are demeaning a greater voice in the process. a congressional watchdog says the prisoner exchange that freed army sergeant bowe book all from the taliban was illegal. the government accountable the office says the obama administration failed to give congress enough notice before transferring five guantÁnamo prisoners in the swap. bergdahl has returned to active duty with a desk job at a base in texas amidst a probe into his

. >>> still to come, yemen's houthi rebels gain popular support in their struggle against the governmentin mandalay, an effort to ensure last month's violence never happens again. >> hard core! hard core! [ cheers ] >> and in sport, the man who spent $2 billion to buy a basketball team rallies his new supporters. ♪ when you compare the top speed of dsl from the phone company with the top speed of comcast business internet... well, there's really no comparison. why pay more for less? call today for a low price on speeds up to 150mbps. and find out more about our two-year price guarantee. comcast business. built for business. stuart! stuart! stuart! stuart! ♪ check it out. this my account thing. we can tweet directly toa comcast expert for help. or we can select a time for them to call us back. the future, right? ♪ this doesn't do it for you? [ doorbell rings, dog barks ] oh, that's what blows your mind -- the advanced technology of a doorbell.. [ male announcer ] tweet an expert and schedule a callback from any device. introducing the xfinity my account app. >> hundreds of days in detenti

there are two protests, one by the how t houthis. thessa fear that if both parties fail to reach a deal, the country might plunge into further anarchy. >> afghanistan's election commission has recouldn't more than two/3rds of ballots. the country is under ent international pressure to inaugurate a new leader by early september. jennifer glasse explains in the election headquarters in kabul, the review process has faced its own challenges. >> in warehouses like this one on the edge of kabul, afghans are trying to figure out who won afghanistan's presidential election. former finance minister or foreign prime minister abdullah abdullah. they argue over which ballots will count like this dispute over a ballot box from eastern afghanistan. >> we had 568 votes. we opened the box, there was nothing. >> so he wants the votes thrown out. >> will ultimately be the decision of the election commission. it's deputy chief is satisfied with the progress here. >> substitution. >> i am confident that such a thorough review has never been done anywhe

the country's president rejected the houthi's demand. they have been protesting for years, demanding the current government resign and subsidies be increased for fuel. >>> the somalia government is seizing weapons from the warlords that have been fighting each other. it's a hard task because citizens don't believe it will make the country safer. . >> reporter: after years of struggling the somalia government seems to have realised the need to scoop up illegal weapons. here african union peacekeepers and government troops raid the houses of people they call war lards and suspected militia leaders. officials call the operation a success, and say they'll continue until they bring back a measure of stability to the country. >> we will not stop until we reach a point where we need a warrant of arrest, and not guns to arrest criminals. the current chaos cannot continue. >> not every militia leader has been disarmed. this man is keen on keeping the private armies. use from a former war lard say the men fight for the government. and that earned

for several months armed houthis have clashed with go forces >> ukraine is accusing pro-russian separatistsf killing dozens of citizens. the separatists deny the attack. emma hayward reports. >> reporter: in the town, there is little comfort, only signs of war. these pictures, which appeared on a proseparatists website are said to show the aftermath of shelling. all the people here can do is try to stay as safe as possible. >> translator: it's scary. very scary. we pop out for a minute to breathe in fresh air, but that's it. we can't do more. we have no water here either. >> reporter: what is clear here is the worsening humanitarian situation. while the separatists self declared government in donetsk was enforcing strict new laws in the area it now controls. >> translator: death penalty will be for the following crimes first aggravated murder. the murder of two or more people, or child or pregnant woman. second for military crimes. third for crimes related to aggravated violation of the codes of war. >>> and the journey to try to reach safety can be a treacherous one. but more people are wi

it's the stronghold of the houthi community, to try to find a solution to the sticking points. this has been a prerequisite for the hutus. trying to find a compromise about the second main issue, which is the subsidies. the government says they have to scrap the subsidies, because it was biting into the budget of the countries. 50% of yemenis are poor and can't afford to fill their tanks. they'll have four days to come up with an agreement, otherwise the situation will further escalate. >> this has a lot of countries worry, gulf countries are meting. yemen is a topic of discussion. >> yemen ni is an important issue, just as the countries that have borders with yemen. and part of the country borders saudi arabia, they don't want instability. they are fighting ray allal qae the south, they can't afford other problems. they backed the president and have asked the hutus to pull out, and try to find a solution, because yemen is in a transitional area. if they fail, no one knows what the country will look like. >> that live from sapper. >>> a check on the world's weather - not yet. w

the truce ended weeks of fighting between the yemeni fighting and houthi rebels. they were fighting for control of the oil-rich area, along the border. >> last month the two sides reached a similar ceasefire. a presidential committee said guarantees are in place for a lasting agreement. both the parties have agreed to put an end to the conflict, pull out of their positions, hand them over to the mediators. >> there are causes to concern. come of the factions affiliated with the hutus, as well as the local tribes not being happy. they refused to give up their territory. >> it's presented a caping. >> we laid down a plan to eliminate points of tension, observe a ceasefire, and both sides back off to where they came from. this is an initial step. >> this is one of the least developed parts of yemen. it fuels rebellions against the state. with the hutus, the government is trying to counter al qaeda in the arabia peninsula, and a separatist movement in the south. faced with a failing economy and overstretched military, the emmeny's -- yemeni's trouble in the north may

. >>> still to come - we are back in the capital of yemen, where houthi protesters continue a chant for change. plus... >> you are saying at the last moment, no media coverage whatsoever. >> that's what it is, he's the boss. >> reporter: who. >> mr ph. >>> controversy and protests when fiji's prime minister campaigns for votes in australia. >> and in sport jane day makes a move at the furniture in new york. details coming up. >>> hello, here are the headlines - libya's government lost control of the airport in tripoli. egypt's president denied his armed forces were denied with actions in libya. >>> israel's prime minister warned people in gaza to leave a site where hamas members may operate. binyamin netanyahu's army will attack locations they believe hamas is using. in the eastern city of donetsk in ukraine, dozens of prisoners of war from forced to march with heads bowed in an act of defines to kiev. >> foreign ministers from several arab states are meeting in jeddah. there to discuss the crisis in syria and the spread of the islamic state group, which has made large gains in iraq. th

yemen is facing mounting protests from a shia rebel group known as the houthis. the group has issued a friday deadline for yemen to roll back a hike in feel prices, which have impacted the poor, and to dissolve the government, which they say is corrupt. thousands have gathered at protest camps in the capital. in her roshan month, at least 39 people are dead and seven others missing following flash floods and landslides caused by torrential rain. a record of over 8.5 inches of rain fell in three hours. in egypt, leading activist and blogger has launched a hunger strike to protest his third imprisonment since the start of the 2011 revolution. alaa abd el-fattah has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in a protest. during a prior stint in prison, he missed the birth of his first child. he launched his fast monday after finding out his father is in dire health. you can see sharif abdel kouddous interview with alaa abd el-fattah at our website democracynow.org. in afghanistan, the attorney general has ordered the expulsion of "new york times" corresponde