in school girls who reportedly snatched any of this week the french soldier has been killed in northern mali. he was from perishing regiment and he reportedly it was killed by an improvised explosive device had been planted by the hottest group has launched its military intervention in mali in january last year after islamic militants overran around two thirds of the country and threaten the capital on the coat is more from defence ministers on the fifth field. we are thus night in northern mali who has mountains. a french soldier lost his right cheek such a massive pile of fruit one can in the morning was killed by the exclusion of an itu t t one of those improvised devices placed by god is great. you can resize it a useful christina died for the labor seat of molly the security of money to feel secure the freedom and security of fronts and your id. this was going on in mali also fake security crimes that is the reason our troops are there cannot be convicted of false issue that is open a can of soda the leader of the syrian opposition has made a powerful state in the united states to end.

three rebel groups in northern mali agreed to a ceasefire deal. it was reached with the help of the u.n. and african union. the recent fighting threatened to descend into all-out law. the army launched an offensive to retake the rebels hold. 20,000 were killed as the rebels added more towns to their games. let's break this down. the story of mali's recent turmoil was complex. the government was forced out in a coup in 2012. army officers said it failed to contain a rebellion by fighters in the north. a month later the rebels took control of the north and declared independence. within weeks the toureg group and another group formed an alliance and declared the area under their control, which is an islamic state. but their pact did not last long. fighters backed by al qaeda turned on the mlma and took over the cities. the fighters began to push towards the government controlled south. in january last year the french were asked to intervene. they did so and pushed out the al qaeda-backed rebels. within a few months the government signed a peace deal

a french soldier has been killed in northern mali. he was from a parachute regiment and was killed by the to -- improvised explosive device from a jihadist group. france began military intervention in mali last year after the capital obama co. was threatened along with two thirds of the country. here is the latest. >> in northern mali a french soldier lost his life. the chief sergeant, at 1 a.m. in the morning, was killed by the explosion of an ied, one of the improvised devices -- placed by the roadside. he died for the security of mali, and also for the security of france and europe. because what is going on in mali also affects france. that is why our troops are there in mali. >> in south africa the anc party founded by president mandela with city heading to victory in the election, with about one third of ballots counted, the african national congress declare that 60% of the vote -- the first free election for people born after apartheid voting for the very first time. they have ruled south africa since white minority rule ended 2

the latest on the unrest in northern mali. on thursday, separatists claiming 14 soldiers had been killed and 70 more taken prisoner. the government rejected claims that the army has lost control of a number of northern cities. the town has fallen under the control of the separatists. the defense minister was in contact about the need for future support. alex smith is standing by. a pretty embarrassing situation of defeat, really. what is the latest? >> the bodies are being counted and i spoke recently to the charity which is running essentially the medical services for the public. they say there are about 15 dead bodies in the streets. it is still very difficult to give the number of casualties and the number of wounded being treated. clear tos were very move to an area of town that was safe seems to explain the low number of civilian casualties during the heavy fighting that took lace on wednesday. they are taking control of at least five towns as disputed by the government which said another town has fallen. what more can you

it comes as the security council held an emergency meeting on insecurity in northern mali. there's renewed fighting between the separatists and the army. james baez reports from new york. >> reporter: protests as the situation in northern mali remains extremely tense. these people are opponents of the mainly separatist group the mnla, which took chrome of parts of the town protesting a visit by mali's new prime minister. some carried posters saying no u.n. after the weekend clashes in which eight malian soldiers and 28 members of the mnla were reported killed. the situation is causes deep concern at u.n. headquarters where the security council met in a hastily confined session. they were addressed by video link by the head of the u.n. mission in mali. >> the priority is to revive the political process. the international community should be unanimous in the pressing of the armed groups that are signatory or adherence to the agreement. it can only be addressed and the results will be for political needs. >> reporter: talk of the need for reconciliation but sitting right next

. >> three main rebel groups in northern mali have agreed to a cease-fire deal with the government. recent fighting has threatened to descend into all-out war. at least 20 soldiers from killed as rebels added other northern towns to their gains. >>> the nigerian rebel group boko haram has taken a toll on education. but even before the recent violence and last month's kidnapping of 270 school girls, women in the impoverished north didn't have much choices with culture traditions and economic challenges push them away from schools and into early marriages. we have reports now in borno state. >> she said she believes she was 13 when her parents matter her off. there were many things she didn't learn including her age. one of eight siblings, her family could not send her to school. she now has three children of her own. she's 6, 3, and 1. she has been coming to the educational center hoping to support her own family. >> i was upset. i couldn't go to school. i'm envious of other girls who were able to. i had no choice but to accept defeat. >> this is one of the modest attempts of born kno

. >> three main rebel groups in northern mali have agreed to a ceasefire deal with the government reachede help of the u.n. and the african union. recent fighting has threatened to descend into all-out war. in the past week, the army launched an offensive to retake the rebel stock hold of kadal. egypt's presidential election campaign has officially ended. friday was the final day of campaigning for next week's vote which former military chief el sisi is expected to win. in cairo, his supporters cheered on their candidate. sisi turned for a -- called for a strong turnout in the election on monday and tuesday. >> translator: i ask all e job descriptions, especially women who can prove their deep sense of patriotism by going to vote. i want to ask the young people to participate regardless of who you want to vote for. i want all egyptian men and women to know, irrespective of their religion or ideology, there is something we should share, and that is our love for egypt and our protection for egypt. >> the trial of three al jazeera journalists in egypt has been adjourned until june the 1st. t

should there be a ceasefire in northern mali. the president says yes. >>> one of football's biggest stars may not make it to the world cup. hassam will be here with all the details. >>> preparations for egypt's presidential election are in full swing. the two-way race between the former army reece abdul fatah al-sisi, and the leftist hamdeen sabahi will be held on may 26th and 27th. as nicole johnston reports, the third power transition in as many years is creating more uncertainty for mean egypt chance. >> reporter: these are the men in charge of egypt for the last three years. first hosni mubarak - president for 30 years. it all came to an abrupt end in 2011. for three weeks anti-government demonstrators rallied in tahrir square, demanding hosni mubarak resigned. in february they got their wish. he stepped down, handing power to the armed forces. the commoneder in chief -- commander in field marshal. he was the temporary head of state. he was the head of the soup ream council of armed forces or skaf and ruled for the next 17 mo

operating, had training camps in somalia, recruiting people from niger, trained in somalia, sorry, and northern maliso, it's definitelya going to be a challenge for africa's leaders. >> we know thousands of people have been killed by boko haram in recent years. something needs to be done. i am annual obege, national human rights lawyer. thank you for your time. >>> fire fighters appear to have gained the upper hand in southern california. a dozen fires have been burning in san diego county since tuesday. the flames are mostly contained now and residents are returning home as evacuation orders are lifted fires are dying down but for some, the crisis is just starting al jazeera lease a barnard, what is the situation right now, lisa? >> reporter: firefighters are making progress with cooler temperatures and lighter winds. as we drive around, much more than flames. we are seeing this: lots and lots of roadblocks in the area. police are not letting residents pass. they are very strict. we spoke with one woman on this side who said her husband is with her dogs in their home on the other side of the line a

. >>> coming up on the programme - northern separatists in mali agree to a ceasefire after humiliating government troops. we ask whether all-out civil war has been averted. plus... >> i'm lawrence lee in the historic scottish town of st andrew's. do they see themselves as scottish or british - members of the u.k. or the european union. soon they'll have to decide. >>> in sport - an indiana pacer mare returns for the n.b.a.'s defending champions, miami heat.  >>> here is a reminder of the main stories at al jazeera - there has been several explosions outside the somali parliament building in mogadishu. heavy gun fire is being reported. al-shabab claimed responsibility. in thailand anti-coup protesters call for an end to military rule. an army spokesman told reporters the former prime minister yingluck shinawatra is being treated well in custody. >>> another of the main stories is the head of the roman catholic church. pope francis who touched down in amman, this is the first top of his 3-day middle east tour. pope francis will be celebrating mass and mach refugees who fled syria. the p

began last saturday during a visit by the prime minister, musa mara and threatens to tip the northern part of mali state of war and france that has troops in the country said it wouldn't have been. election results are due in malowii a day after the president demanded a ballot recount. the election commission dismissed her allegations that vote rigging was widespread. and we report now from the commercial capitol of malowii, plantar. >> the democratic progressive party accused of vote rigging and the president and her party officials all his opposition party infiltrated and hacked in the counting system. >> therefore she has made the allegations and opposition, i don't see how the opposition can rig an election, we don't know how to do it. we don't know what it means to do this. but this is finding an excuse. >> reporter: they want a manual count of votes but they told her the computers have not been hacked. a recount could mean more delays and officials keep telling them result also be announced as soon as possible but uncertainty here is making people uneasy and some people are concerned about w

mali. the prime minister says troops are being sent into the northern city after clashes left dozens dead. the president of south korea breaks down in tears as she apologizes for the ferry disaster that left 300 dead. she announces plans to dismantle the coast guard that has been slammed for its poor response to the disaster. of theming up, some biggest hollywood stars in history hit the cannes film festival in a tank. altogether to promote their new movie. we will climb back on board our tour of europe bus in the run-up up to the parliamentary elections. next stop, germany. mali wherell go to the prime minister has declared a state of war against separatist fighters in the northern city. officials say 28 people, mostly soldiers, have been kidnapped by the insurgents from the rebel group mnla. let's bring in our correspondent. there have been new reports of gunfire. what more can you tell us? spokesman -- i spoke to the spokesman of the mnla about an hour ago. since then, there has been machine-gun fire. i spoke to civilians who believe it is now dying down. it came from the army. it was t

. >>> mali's prime minister deployed troops to recapture the northern town of kidal, warning that his government is at war with terrorists. dozens were killed in fighting between the fighting of rebels. six government workers and two civilians are among the dead. meanwhile the united nations called for the immediate release of around 30 civil servants who have been taken hostage in the town. >> four have been killed in a suicide car bombing in karnel. it happened on a busy street in an area that is mostly christian. there's no claim of responsibility. >> at least 32 children have been killed after a school bus caught fire in northern columbia. local media assess the children were on the way home from church. columbian officials say the bus was designed to hold 38 passengers, but was carrying about 50. it's not clear how the fire started. >>> campaigning in columbia's presidential electionnded. the president santos called on voters to support his bid for re-election, saying a vote for him will take columbia a step forward to finding peace with f.a.r.c. rebels. his main rival says if he

. >>> mali's prime minister deployed troops to recapture the northern town, warning that his government is at war with terrorists. dozens were killed in fighting between the army and rebels on saturday. we visit the region. six government workers and two civilians are among the dead. the united nations called for the release of 30 civil servants who have been taken hostage in the town. >>> syria's air force chief was killed in fighting. general hussein ishaq reportedly died on saturday after rebels attacked a defense base. he is one of the highest ranking commanders killed in the 3-year conflict. >>> a citizen journalist in syria told how he suffered but survived a chemical attack, taking place in august, near damascus. he has since escaped to the u.s. and is working to raise awareness of the war. here is his personal account of his journey. >> i am 27 years old. i just made it here to the united states almost two months ago. i came from a town in the west of damascus. i got exposed by sarin attack, on august 21st. my heart stopped for three minutes. i lost my ability to breathe. i felt

mali. the prime minister says troops are being sent into the northern city after clashes left dozens dead. the president of south korea breaks down in tears as she apologizes for the ferry disaster that left 300 dead.

mali's newly appointed prime minister arrived for a visit. ththey turned out in protest at the airport. they said that the prime minister should not visit because they refused the northern demand of autonomy or enter into peace talks with the rebels. the prime minister is infuriated. >> i think the least we could have expected from the u.n. peacekeeping forces was that the governor's office as not attacked. >> they want tougher action from the north the guest said that mali is now at war with what it calls terrorists. it's acceptin sending armies toe they have been based for some time. last week they held a tribal gathering where they have vowed to fight to the end. the country is once again on the brink the war. >> voters in malawi head to the polls on tuesday to elect a new president and it's corruption that is going to be key election issue. we have more. >> this seems normal. people working very hard just to feed their families. but civil servants are often not paid on time. millions of dollars have disappeared, and literally stolen. the government is struggling to pay bills. malawiens say they're struggling. >> it's not good. >> the realities that many people don't

mali's prime minister says his country is at war with separatists. he was in the country's north when the armed group kidnapped dozens of civil servants from a northern town. it also attacked the governor's office in the area. the prime minister was trying to revive peak ta-- peace talks wi the rebels. >>> borneo is disappointed about how the government is dealing with a threat from boko haram. they're behind the kidnapping of more than 200 school girders. the growing frustration with the slow pace of efforts to rescue them. we have the report. >> reporter: he's the senator from borneo state, the epicenter of most of boko haram's attacks in recent years. he says he's unhappy with how the government is handling the crisis. >> i feel disgusted, and i feel very, very bad for a country like nigeria who has a lot of resources, a lot of man hourman and they cannot contain a small group? >> reporter: for the security forces, boko haram has represented new challenging. at times they're outgunned by boko haram fighters, something the senator says shunts be happening begin how well-funded the nigerian army is. >> between 2012 and 2013, we gave them about $1.5