i'm mart -- martine dennis. syria's war enters its fifth year. how the conflict wrecked lives, broke homes and left a nation divided. twin blasts at a church in lahore. 10 killed many wounded. their homes stood mere. the island nation of vanuatu tried to recover from the deadly cyclone. and lewis hamilton with support from arnold schwarzenegger. >> when it comes to the new race - i'll be back. >> the defending champion starts with victory in australia. >>> march 15th, 2011. there was a civil war in libya between muammar gaddafi, and opposition groups. the world feared a nuclear disaster at the fukushima plant after the japanese tsunami, and tickets went on gaol for the olympics games. and the beginning of the syrian war. the government responded by cracking down on demonstrations. five protesters in deraa became the first victims. in july a group of army defectors turned their weapons against the government and announced the formation of the free syrian army. the next month hundreds of people were killed by government forces in the town of hama.

i'm martine dennis. these are the top stories. shi'a houthi rebels have taken over the airports in tiaz and other parts of the city. the fighters are pushing southwards in the direction of aden, where president abd-rabbu mansour hadi is trying to hold on to power. libyan peace talks held in morocco appear to be on the verge of collapse. fierce fighting rages between militias vying for control. a top military commander loyal to the government is among the dead. >>> now more on our top story, that of the situation in yemen. the u.n. security council is due to meet in urgent session later on sunday. al jazeera managed to get hold of a draft of the statement expected to be considered by the security council and it assess the u.n. security council condemns the deadly houthi attacks, and adds the houthis are undermining the political transition in yemen and threatens its security and denounces a refusal to withdraw from government areas. >>> robert mcfadden described what the u.n. security council could do to prevent yemen's dissent. >>

hello, i'm martine dennis you are with al jazeera live from doha. also to come. twin blasts from a church in lahore. 14 kill and more wounded. their homes stood here. the island nation of vanuatu tries to recover from the deadly category 5 cyclone, and... >> phil lavelle - it's 2015 - not the future. apparently this is what the future will look like. noisy, isn't it. find out more later in the programme. >>> when a group of children were arrested for scrawling anti-government graffiti on a wall in syria, no one could have predicted what would follow. the protest which began is now in its fifth year. the united nations says more than 220,000 syrians have been killed. more than 7.5 million people have been forced from their homes, but have stayed within the country. 4.5 million are thought to be trapped in areas that are besieged or hard to reach. in all, more than 12 million syrians are in need of help inside their own country. 4 million others registered as refugees. here is the report on how it all began four years ago. these are the images that helped spark the

i'm martine dennis. also to come live on the program. on the verge of collapse as fighting rages towards the capital. >>> the miracle sea road. we join thousands of south koreans celebrating a holiday. and reaching a conclusion. let's start in yemen where houthi rebels have taken over the airport in ta'izz. that is the third largest city. the fighters are pushing south from the capital sanaa in the direction of aden. that's where the president is trying to hold on power. meanwhile, the united states has pulled out its last of special forces. giving this special explanation. we reemphasize our support for his efforts to lead yemen through crisis. natasha guinane reports. >> reporter: people in ties gather to protest prohouthi rebels in the city. >> translator: they want to drag us into war and we refuse. >> a helicopter flying over a military convoy below was the sign this pro-houthi courses might be closer to a collision course with abd rabbu mansour hadi. since he was forced to flee the capital. ta'izz puts them on the course of least r

i'm martine dennis. we'll be live from singapore in a moment. but also to come on the programme, they defeated muammar gaddafi, but can they defeat i.s.i.l. we are back in the libyan city misrata, fighting for their lives. france looks to the right with conservatives, and the national front coming first and second in local elections. >> it's like people are changing. >> using politicians to get a laugh in south africa - how that has one cartoonist in trouble. >>> first singaporeans are in mourning for their country's founding father lee kuan yew, who died at the age of 91. he was widely credited with transforming the island. he has been criticized with being undemocratic and authoritarian. >> reporter: without lee kuan yew singapore as the world nose it may not have existed. the fourth generation saw his homeland occupied. first by the british and then by the japanese. after training as a lawyer in britain, he became leader. a post held for 35 years. he was no independence leader. singapore became independent against its will - kicked out of mal

hello, i'm martine dennis. you are with al jazeera live from doha. also cyclone pam crashes into the pacific il of nation vanuatu. eight are killed. >>> four years after the start of hostilities towards president bashar al-assad, we look at how the war in syria led to the rise of i.s.i.l. >>> healing relations narendra modi visits jaffna to meet the displaced from sri lanka's long civil war. first, iraqi forces battling i.s.i.l. say the city of tikrit will be freed within 72 hours. control of tikrit which is the home town of former president saddam hussein is seen as crucial in the fight against the armed group. people, at least 13 kurdish peshmerga fighters have been killed in i.s.i.l.'s shelling. this incident took place south of the oil-rich city of kirkuk. let's talk to our correspondent jane arraf, in the iraqi capital. first of all, tikrit how credible is the optimism from the iraqi forces that they could liberate this important town within three days. >> well liberate is a sweeping word. what they are saying is they believe that they are confi

i'm martine dennis. also coming up in the programme - we are in misrata to meet libya dawn a powerful militia accused of tearing the country apart. >>> head to head - did they see eye to eye. greek and german

. >>> hello, i'm martine dennis you are with al jazeera live from doha. a year on from the disappearance of malaysia airlines flight 370, it emerges the underwater beacon battery had expired. >> the willingness to speak out for what is rite to shake up the status quo, that is america >>> president obama pays tribute to civil rights campaigners saying the march is not yet over. how do women survive in mexico when their husbands are kidnapped or killed by drugs gangs? . >> boko haram has become the largest group to declare its allegiance to the islamic state of iraq and levant. the announcement came hours after three suicide bombers killed 50 people it came after coordinated attacks across the city of maiduguri. we have this report in abuja. >> reporter: another bloody day in northern nigeria. these are victims of the latest attacks by suspected boko haram fighters. medical workers struggle to save those that they can a scope that is routine in the north. dozens have been killed in three coordinated attacks. a city home to a million people displaced by boko

pam that smashed into vanuatu with winds up to 270 k/hr >>> hello, you're with al jazeera, i'm martine dennis. also to come - fresh investments in a new capital city. plans unveiled at egypt's global financial summit. >> egypt's prime minister sets off in the tamil heart land of >>> the government admits mercenaries are part of the campaign against the rebel group in iraq >>> at least 8 people are confirmed dead after cyclone pam hit vanuatu. u.n. emergency teams are being rushed to the island after 270 k/hr winds caused widespread destruction. gerald tan has the latest. destruction in the wake of cyclone pam. aid workers described the scenes as unbelievable. the category 5 storm uprooted trees, tore down powerlines and ripped off roofs. many buildings stand, but it is feared the damage to villages in remote islands will be extensive. communication is down. assessing the full impact could take time. >> there has been a destructive cyclone, and hitting a country that is using a lot of the chances meaning they are vulnerable to this intensity. we are planning for the force case scenario. the ap

>>>hello welcome to the al jazeera newshour, i'm martine dennis in doha. these are the top stories. >>> yemen's houthi rebels seize an airbase from the president's forces 60km from his stronghold of aden >>> recovery efforts restart in the french alps where a german airliner

hello, i'm martine dennis live from doha. also coming up in the next half hour - peace talks begin. not with each other. libya's feuding factions refuse to meet face to face. >>> a russian dissident is released from prison after serving a 15-day sentence for promoting a protest rally. >> hanging by a thread a dramatic helicopter rescue of 200 skiers from a broken italian cable car. >>> but first, a senior commander of the al qaeda-linked rebel group al nusra front has been killed in syria. he died in a government car in the city of idlib on thursday. the al nusra front claimed he was killed in a u.s. drone attack last week. now the group is confirming his death in idlib along with several other commanders. zeina khodr sent this update from beirut. >> senior commanders of al nusra front killed, a major blow a powerful hit at an important time. a time when the group is coming under pressure from many channels including international channels. they want nusra to disassociate itself from al qaeda. al-nusra is al qaeda's branch in syria, on the list of terror organizations and sanctions

i'm martine dennis. also to come on the program... ..anti-government forces move towards yemen's president. there are reports his saudi ally is massing troops on the border. the advance

i'm martine dennis.rens ] >>> anti-government forces move towards yemen's president, there are reports his saudi arabia ally is massing troops on the bo

pam that smashed into vanuatu with winds up to 270 k/hr >>> hello, you're with al jazeera, i'm martine dennis. also to come - fresh investments in a new capital city. plans unveiled at egypt's global financial summit. >> egypt's prime minister sets off in the tamil

i'm martine dennis. also coming up in the programme - we are in misrata to meet libya dawn a powerful militia accused of tearing the country apart. >>> head to head - did they see eye to eye. greek and german leaders give few clues as to how they go bust >>> supreme court strikes down a law allowing people to be arrested by police for comments online >>> first the u.n. special envoy to yemen says talks aimed at resolving the crisis there will appear in qatar. houthi fighters are in yemen's third-largest city tiaz. the escalating violence is pushing the country towards civil war. we have more. >> reporter: this is a country on the brink of civil war. the residents of tiaz are not going violently. thousands protest against the advance of shia houthi fighters. in return they are fired on and tear gassed. the third largest city was taken on sunday with government buildings and international airport under houthi control. yemen is divided between a north controlled by the houthis, backed by rain and a south do

. ♪ ♪ >>> hello and welcome to al jazerra, live from dough there are, i am martin dennis. coming up in the next 30 minutes. meeting libya dawn. one of the powerful militias accused of tearing the country apart. >>> head to head, but did they see eye to eye? greasegreece and german leaders give few clues as

i'm martine dennis. also to come on the program... ..anti-government forces move towards yemen's president. there are reports his saudi ally is massing troops on the border. the advance on idlib - why syrian rebels are forced to work together >>> and we go to myanmar, home to one of the world's most unusual vineyards >>> we start in france where the recovery operation has resumed in the alps where a german jetliner crashed. these are live pictures coming from seyne-les alpes, with the search is located. there efforts could be hampered by bad weather. a german plane came down on tuesday, killing all 150 people on board. our correspondent jacky rowland is there and joins us now. the resumption of the operation got under way at first light. >> yes that's right. so far the weather has been clear. we have been seeing helicopters taking off. because of the mountainous terrain is active. they are having to winch the teams down on to the hillside and they are having to walk for several kilometres to reach the cr

i'm mart -- martine dennis. syria's war enters its fifth year. how the conflict wrecked lives, broke homes and left a nation divided. twin blasts at a church in

i'm martine dennis in doha. the battle of saddam hussein's hometown.raq's army says it is making gains against isil. >>> israel's prime minister prepares to address the u.s. congress within the next hour. but barack obama calls it a distraction to a nuclear solution with iran. >>> vowed from bidding farewell several e.u.

. >>> hello, welcome to the newshour, i'm martine dennis in doha. these are the top stories - houthi rebels push further south towards the president's stronghold. >>> libyan peace talks on the verge of collapse as fighting rages for control of the capital. a warning that indonesia's

i'm martine dennis. also to come on the programme. [ sirens ] >>> anti-government forces move towards yemen's president, there are reports his saudi arabia ally is massing troops on the border >>> the advance on idlib, why syrian rebels are forced to work together >>> and at least nine are dead and several missing in a mudslide in central peru. >>> we begin in france where the recovery operation resumed in the alps where a german jetliner crashed. this is a live picture from the village where search crews are based. efforts ever recovering bodies and wreckage is being hampered by the weather. a german plane came down killing all 150 on board. the search has got underway. >> it began at first light. we saw a couple of helicopters land behind me. in fact helicopters is the only way for many searchers to access the site. they are high up in the mountain. the helicopters are having to wimping the rescue -- winch the rescue teams down, where they have to walk across the rugged terrain. it's expected it could

. >> hello i'm martin dennis. you're with al jazeera live from dough he has. also to come on the program talks over iran's nuclear program resume in switzerland. the clock is ticking to reach a framework deal. >> houthi rebels in yemen released the prime minister and several cabinet ministers from house arrest. >> could it be bye-bye to bibi, the last full day of campaigning in israel's election. >> more than 90% of buildings in the island nation have been destroyed, the president calling on the world to help his people. aid agencies say flights have confirmed their worst fierce of widespread destruction. here's our correspondent now andrew thomas whose managed to reach vanu you atu. >> the president of atu described the cyclone as a monster that will take many years to recover from. he believes half his countries population has been affected. there isn't information from the southern islands yet the ones believed to be most badly hit. 90% of buildings have been damaged, whether it's a tree through the roof like this one or totally destroyed. what was it like

i am martin dennis. welcome to "al jazeera america" in doha in the program: libya's rival government gets closer to a deal to end the violence as isil-linked fighters carry out another attack. >> dozens of brazilian politicians accused of taking bribes in exchange for oil contracts. >>> how a weakening russian economy means dining out is dying out in moscow. . >> for five months of fighting iraqi forces are still trying to repel isil forces from the town of al l bagdadi. it's close to a u.s. military base where iraqi soldiers are being trained. jane araf is in baghdad and joins frus there now. jane give us an idea then of how far iraqi forces have managed to push back isil. >> reporter: well, in the town of baghdadi, about 16 kilometers from the huge air base where the u.s. iraqi forces and other coalition partners are stationed, the iraqi military says that just a few days ago, it managed to take back pretty much all of the town of baghdadi. >> word "all" is disputed by others on the ground including th

. ♪ ♪ >>> hello and welcome to al jazerra, live from dough there are, i am martin dennis.o coming up in the next 30 minutes. meeting libya dawn. one of the powerful militias accused of tearing the country apart. >>> head to head, but did they see eye to eye? greasegreece and german leaders give few clues as to how they will prevent athens from going bust. >>> get out move facebook. india strikes down a law allowing police to arrest people for comments online. ♪ ♪ >>> the u.n. special envoy to yemen says talks aimed at resolving the crisis there will be held here in qatar. houthi fighters are now in generally's third largest city. jamal has warned that the escalating violence is pushing the country towards civil war. charlie has more. >> reporter: this is a country on the brink of civil war. but the residents are not going quietly. thousands protest against the advance of shia houthi fighters in return, they are fired on and teargassed. their city, generally's third largest, was take own sunday with government buildings and international airport now under houthi control. ye

i am martin dennis. also to come on the program. the double displacement.report on the palestinian families who fled to damascus only to be forced out again by the war in syria. >>> discovering the damage, residents of the pacific island nation of vanuatu count the cost of the deadly cyclone. >>> and hong kong gets cultural. a multi billion dollars festival indicators to china's growing obsession with art and an took antiques ♪ ♪ >>> but first, international negotiations are resuming in switzerland to reach ideal owe iran's nuclear program. there are hope that his some progress can be made, although the deadline to reach a framework deal expires at the end of the month. both eight rain vinnie foreign minister and the u.s. secretary of state john kerry arrived in kits lands on sunday. also on sunday john kerry indicated that the u.s. is now willing to negotiate with bashar al-assad for a resolution to the conflict in syria. our diplomatic editor james bays reports now lousanne. >> reporter: secretary of state john kerry in egypt where he called for a fresh s

i am martin dennis. to "al jazeera america" in doha in the program: libya's rival government gets closer to a deal to end the violence as isil-linked fighters carry out another attack. >> dozens of brazilian politicians accused of taking bribes in exchange for oil contracts. >>> how a weakening russian economy means

hello, i'm martine dennis. you are with al jazeera live from doha. also cyclone pam crashes into the pacific il of nation vanuatu. eight are killed. >>> four years after the start of hostilities towards president bashar al-assad, we look at how the

. >>> hello, i'm martine dennis you are with al jazeera live from doha. a year on from the disappearance of malaysia airlines flight 370, it emerges the underwater beacon battery had expired. >> the willingness to speak out for what is rite to shake up the

i'm martine dennis in doha. the battle of saddam hussein's hometown.raq's army says it is making gains against isil. >>> israel's prime minister prepares to address the u.s. congress within the next hour. but barack obama calls it a distraction to a nuclear solution with iran. >>> vowed from bidding farewell several e.u. members are stopped from attending the funeral of boris nemtsov. >>> and we'll see how the chinese government is joining the fight to end the ivory trade. ♪ >>> but first, iraq's army says it has remained territory from the islamic state of iraq and the levant in the battle for tikrit. the battle was launched on monday. militias and tribal fight verse joined the campaign to drive isil out. isil has controlled tikrit since june last year. from baghdad, jane arraf reports. >> reporter: the attacks started with shelling. these mortars are aimed at paving the way for fighters to advance towards tikrit. the iraqi military along with shia militias have pushed back isil from small cities and towns, but saddam hussein's hometown has special si

>>>hello welcome to the al jazeera newshour, i'm martine dennis in doha. these are the top stories. >>> yemen's houthi rebels seize an airbase from the president's forces 60km from his stronghold of aden >>> recovery efforts restart in the french alps where a german airliner crashed, killing 150 people on board. >>> talks with rival governments begin in morocco - they both agree to a draft proposal >>> and to meanar and one of the world's most unusual vineyards >>> but first, we go to yemen where rebels are moving closer to president abd-rabbu mansour hadi, and there has been a major development, they have taken an airbase abandoned by u.s. forces a few days ago. the houthi rebels have been pushing south from sanaa towards aden. that's where president abd-rabbu mansour hadi has been trying to consolidate the power. the air base was taken after a battle between abd-rabbu mansour hadi's forces and the rebels. president abd-rabbu mansour hadi wants the u.n. security allow force by other military. let's talk to a political analyst and editor-in-chief for the y

hello, i'm martine dennis live from doha. also coming up in the next half hour - peace talks begin.er. libya's feuding factions refuse to meet face to face. >>> a russian dissident is released from prison after serving a 15-day sentence for promoting a protest rally. >> hanging by a thread a dramatic helic

. >> hello i'm martin dennis. you're with al jazeera live from dough he has. program talks over iran's nuclear program resume in switzerland. the clock is ticking to reach a framework deal. >> houthi rebels in yemen released the prime minister and several cabinet ministers from house arrest. >> could it be bye-bye