among the gunmen were many members of stronghold. they'd captured armored vehicles which flew the russian flag. immediately, i heard they were preparing for a battle with right sector. >> jones: they're hostile to western journalists, but i convinced the separatists to let me come inside their headquarters. the united nations has accused armed separatists of torture, killings and abductions. i was introduced to the chairman of the self-proclaimed donetsk people's republic, denis pushilin. pushilin once worked for a russian company involved in a notorious ponzi-style scam. he told me he was planning a referendum that would give his new republic legitimacy. >> after the referendum is finished, we will quickly create structures of civil and military power. why military? because all military other than those created by the donetsk people's republic will be considered occupiers. should the aggressor step up their attacks, we will ask russia to send peacekeeping troops into the region. >> jones: but it quickly became clear pushilin wasn't

. >> the corridor alonging damascus to government strongholds passes through homs. >> both the regime and opposition, they can't control the whole country. they are it's part of their plan to partition the country. >> once the rebels would withdraw, homs city would no longer be divided. they will use the heart of the revolution but the war is still not over. al jazeera, istanbul. >> still ahead on al jazeera, campaign countdown in south africa. the ruling anc plans to hold its final rally ahead of polls next week. >>> and floyd "money" mayweather shows his class once more in las vegas. >> welcome back to al jazeera. our top stories. search teams have given up hope of finding any more survivors of a landslide that swept through the northeast. more than 2,000 people are reported missing and 4,000 others have been displaced. a cease-fire in the city of homs is holding while groups agreed to stop fighting and leaving strongholds by sunday. at least three people have been killed, a grenade was thrown at a passenger bus while a second blast was near a resort. south africa's elections just a

is to be an al-qaeda stronghold. the town is now under the army's control. and soldiers there say they are ready to capture even more ground. >> we control many areas now. we're preparing for an offensive against al-qaeda's last stronghold in the area. >> the town has been an al-qaeda base since 2012. houses have been destroyed in the intense fighting. thousands of people have no shelter. >> our houses were destroyed. we lost everything, and we're concerned about the ongoing military operations in nearby towns. >> troops have been deployed. al-qaeda's last stronghold in the province. they try to negotiate an end to the violence but the army said al-qaeda fighters have only two options, surrender or be killed. >> the attack by al-qaeda shows the risks involved in launching a major offensive against a group well trained in hit-and-run tactics. now force secretive forces are expected for revenge attacks across the country. >> now talks have been held in you drain aimed at ending the pro russian rebellion. we have more o

on friday armed groups agreed to stop fighting and leave a last-remaining stronghold. rebels are seeking assurances from the government before they moved out. >>> campaigning for egypt's presidential election has begun, with action taking place online. a former army chief abdul fatah al-sisi is one of two candidates running in the may 26th poll. he started his campaign with a message on twitter saying: . >> the only other candidate is hamdi sabad. >> he started his campaign. he is a leader of popular current and came third in the 2012 elections won by mohamed mursi. . >> al jazeera is demanding the release of its journalist who have been in prison in egypt for 127 days. the trial of peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy, and baher mohamed has been adjourned until may 15th. they are falsely accused of providing a platform to the outlawed muslim brotherhood. a fourth journalist abdullah al-shami has been detained without trial assistance last august. he's been on a hunger strike for 104 days. al jazeera rejects all the charges. >> his number one priority as we are truly hopi

al jazeera hoda sent us this. >> they are the last rebel stronghold. 1 fighters are inside. but for months, they have been under siege. now, they may be given safe passage out as part of a deal with the government. the rebels who were reportedly in retreat to the northern countryside of the city. but those areas are also under siege. the deal would allow the state to regain control of a city known as the capitol of the revolution. >> now, it is impossible to take back the city. we were so hungry. we couldn't even walk 100 meters. i used to weigh 73 kilos. now, i weigh 53 kilos. >> this 24-year-old arrived in istanbul a few days ago. he said the bombardment and the government siege on rebelheld areas forced neighborhoods to are you surrender one after another. >> reporter: in early 2012, the regime began a campaign to retake lost territory in the city, the neighborhood came under one of the government's most intense assault during this war. activists like absula appealed for help when international observers visited the area at the time. the world didn't act. for hilid, it wa

i'm in the stronghold, and coming up, i'll explain how colombia's rebel group has managed to survive this long. >>> pro-russian separatists say at least 40 fighters have been killed in ukraine after government troops fought to retain control of the country's second largest airport. on monday armed men stormed the terminal stopping flights and leaving passengers stranded. it was a day after the new president vowed to tackle terrorists in the east one hours

near the rebel stronghold of starbucks in the southern port city of odessa. over one hundred and thirty people had been detained after dozens were killed with a trade union building was set on fire police said that those detained could face charges ranging from participating in lyons to premeditated murder for police putting the number of people who died at thirty seven. most of whom were either choked on smoke or died from the pr that the building's windows. more than two hundred people were also injured. local authorities previously saying the death toll was forty three. and the eastern ukrainian thomas loans to the stronghold for the anti government protesters also seen confrontations between ukrainian troops and anti government activists for the latest would speak to our correspondent the parkinson who has been traveling in the country's eastern regions but kate's can you tell us more about the situation on the ground there. and what's been happening so far the lean and funny and kinda many financially into many calm situation many people and i kept on th

that comes a day after government forces launched a major operation in the nearby rebel stronghold of slovyansk. >> paul brennan is live in donetsk. o.s.c.e. observers are freed. tell us more about what happened? the referee: what we have been told is we are on the road side in donetsk. we are awaiting the arrivals of oece observers, there's a cop contingent prepared to take them further south. security here are twitchy. we have been told that others are aware of our location here. everywhere is on a height state of alert. what we have been told in relation to the freedom of those o.s.c.e. observers is that a joint effort was made with the russian special envoy, together with the council of europe. they came here at 5am, basically at dawn, and special envoy lukin wept -- went into slovyansk to secure the release of these detainees. all 12 have been released. they are making their way south, carefully and slowly, as i understand it, because of the situation on the roads, coming south from slovyansk, and they have been delayed a little bit because of unrest and fighting in a little town

send an antique up and force isn't expected to result from home was the stronghold and essential region. your position and think of going to be on a ceasefire in the city and the air the spot. seriously i'm easy to see reports said on the troops will pull out from central homes. syrian government forces have rounded rebel held areas of the sixty nine to danzig out an opposition activist in holmes county. the decision to it show was made on the condition. the detainee opposition fridays saturdays a standby show on sunday seeking effect and in connection to the fourteenth and analysts say ethos and regains for control of homes government forces are likely to intensify their offensive against the opposition strongholds. these include the northern city of aleppo and annie is around the capital damascus. japan's finest tristan thompson is promising to help improve infrastructure in the asian nations. this generally strong growth us to make a commitment on sunday at an annual meeting of the asian development bank. finals bonuses and other officials from sixty seven countries and texture is am

whereabouts of hundreds of syrian opposition fighters who have been trying to leave their last stronghold in the old city of homs is unclear. they have been sloutd to leave under a u.n.-brokered cease fire. in the last few minutes, we have heard reports that they may not have made it to safety, that they could have been detained. we have we have no more details at the moment. in the meantime, their withdrawal is seen as a major victory for president bashar al-assad's forces. >> from rbeirut in neighboring lebanon >> reporter: syrian army soldiers fan out in the city of homs after armed rebels left their last stronghold. it took three years for the syrian army to regain control over syria's third largest city. fears battled and many lives have been lost in the fighting. government officials toured destroyed neighborhoods and promised reconstruction. >> disagreement is the milestone in the history of syria. we pray to god homs will be the cause of the solution as it was the cause of the crisis in the first place. we hope all will come back. >> this was a deal brokered by the iranian ambassa

yemen forces say they captured a native al-qaeda stronghold in the province and taken back followingen day offensive against suspected fighters and the u.s. shocked the embassy from where we report. >> reporter: the u.s. embassy expands its operation in yemen, it's a precaution measure amid growing fears of attacks by al-qaeda militants. security is very tight here. the u.s. plays an active role in yemen which set up the drone attacks. al-qaeda has many times promised to hit back. >> the drones are very counter productive in that they clear to backlash against the government, against the ethnicity of the government and of against americans. >> reporter: the u.s. drones remain the most effective weapon against al-qaeda senior members and while they have killed a few of them, many remain at large including this man, al-qaeda's leader. but it stopped military commander ramini but this is the man topping the c.i.a. capture and kill list, al-qaeda bomb maker is thought to be able to design nearly undetectable bombs. >> translator: if these leaders get captured or killed that will be a sev

the minister of defense is seen here known as major al-qaeda strongholds.ighting continues in the mountains. al-qaeda has an extensive network of hideouts. the group enjoys protection by powerful tribal leaders. the army said it's determined to defeat al-qaeda. >> we're tightening the noose against al-qaeda fighters. but we're not fighting against a regular army. al-qaeda is using guerrilla tactics. >> reporter: but it's a delicate mission for the yemeni government. the security forces have been weakened by years of internal and armed conflicts. in a country like yemen, foreign support is widely seen as an attack on islam. >> if foreign troops are deployed, popular support will drop significantly. we know the americans. they don't want peace for yemen. >> reporter: this isn't yemen's first war against al-qaeda. each time the government has claimed victory. but months later al-qaeda and the arabian peninsula, al-qaeda's most active branch in the world, would emerge stronger and more organized. al-qaeda has become a major source for concern not only for yemen

them the tv broke off the top let's get more now on that operation and the latest from the rebel stronghold all thoughts of young scuffles with cuts and a mac os us reports ukrainian and known to history. so click here to said tuesday they had to take in the city and port is at ports and tv tower from separate and felt a heavy fine tuning. progression and cool tees from fifth to fourth by barricades and then set them on fire the interior ministry said to me by a rebel stronghold of silly and he's now in the cool bike trips to the militia checkpoints continue to define the ukrainian army when you don't want the checkpoints are already taken by the army and yesterday the right decision. this was the most addictive us of the sun occasionally blow to infiltrate the city. but that's it. and now we are checking people's passports and documents and local registration of me and the buckeyes with the government in kiev said there were green and a half more to call an anti operation little is forgiven fourth wheel free cd into a new regional entities or agents. he's not just with some kind and told m

can we expect the same from other strongholds in the country? >> that's very possible. during his rest briefing, the newly elected president of ukraine said the antiterrorist operation will go on and it will be much faster and quicker and will definitely not be dragging for months postop we have seen his words put in action, already several hours later when the antiterrorist situation started. it's possible the fighting and the crackdown on the separatists will be continuing in other strongholds in other places. >> thank you very much. >> moving on to some other news -- another step toward becoming the next european commission president. >> in addition to the center-right he campaigned for, he has received backing from the eu's centerleft bloc, strengthening his chance of securing the top spot. but it's not completely clear if you will get the supporting needs from across europe. the presidency is still up in the air. >> that comes as leaders take a good, hard look at the future of the union. and i.e. you and radical parties toward big victories and britain and france s

insurgent strongholds. true russian forces did occupy government buildings in more than ten towns in eastern ukraine. but what yet. isn't that a technical problem with our report will falsely gets a goal of the craggy is that in augusta. he tells us more about the visit by the ukrainian prime minister to the city which it is not to have the desired effect things remain tight end to the death set up to the russians the boat is set to attack the police station they didn't actually know keep riots they got what they want it bad that the permit been erected during the class is on the second of may you're accused of serious violence against the ukrainian demonstrates is the cost and they had been convicted that they were simply released under pressure from the supremacy demonstrate its summit and then stated milling around outside the police station armed with batons and whatever other kind of improvised weapons that they could get hold of wearing helmets and saying that they were expecting to be attacked by a m

>> syrian army soldiers fan out in the central city of homs after armed rebels left their last stronghold took three years for the syrian army to regain control over the third-largest city. fierce battles were fought here and devastation is everywhere. many lives lost in the fighting. government officials toured destroyed neighbourhoods and promised reconstruction. >> this agreement is a milestone in the history of syria, we pray to god that homes is the cause of the solution, as it was the cause of the crisis in the first place. >> this was a deal brokered by the iranian ambassador. it gave the rebels a safe exit, and the syrian government full control of what was considered the capital of the rev lyings. in return rebels freed pro-government hostages held for months. the rebels allowed aid to reach some of the besieged villages to support president bashar al-assad. >> translation: there's respect for the ceasefire according to the agreement between both parties, and annees by god and -- annees by god and syrians to reach their goals. for the president this is a victory, a success in gov

reached on friday to let fighters leave the old quarters and surrounding areas - a last remaining stronghold in the city. homs is the third-largest city and has been called the capital of the revolution. it was one of the first cities to rise up in 2011. much fell to opposition forces. the government laid siege to areas once home to tens of thousands of people. by the start of 2014, only the old city was still held by armed groups. if the deal holds, it will fall into government control. >>> al-qaeda leader has reportedly ordered the group's syrian branch to stop fighting rival rebel groups. the al nusra fronted has about in conflict with the islamic state of iraq and levant. the i.s.i.l. has been disowned by al qaeda. in an audio group they were told to concentrate on fighting the syrian government and its allies. >>> a troop launched an offensive in the east. ukranian's interior minister said they will not stop, they are trying to retake government buildings seized by separatists in kramatorsk. it comes a day after government forces launched a major operation in slovyansk. paul brennan is

but the ukrainian army steps up its stride against separatist strongholds. shots ring out nearby. armed separatists rushed towards the barricades. i'm an -- a man has been struck by a bullet. >> i did not see who shot me. >> rumors are right that the ukrainian army is on its way and that civil war is a real possibility. tragedy of o'dea said weighs heavily on the town -- the tragedy of odessa weighs heavily on the town. click the conflict could have an effect on energy. russia provides about 30% of europe's natural gas and g-7 energy ministers meeting today in rome want to reduce reliance on those supplies. other world news for you now -- adams freed without charge after four days of questioning over the notorious ira murder of a belfast mother of 10 in 1972. the leader could still face charges over the killing 40 years ago. the murder trial of oscar pistorius resumes. let's get more on the trial today. >> i have to say he looked a lot more rested, clearly benefiting from two weeks off from the trial. it was a bruising time for him, the first seven weeks of the trial, more than a

pro russian separatists still have a very stronghold on. it's important to look at this in the bigger picture of the geo political chess game going on involving moscow. they are calling this latest action by the ukrainian military quote unquote, a crime, and say they are getting thousands of calls from russian speakers and russian, those of russian orgin here in eastern ukraine, demanding help and protection from the russian government. no way to verify those claims, obviously, the fear among the west and certainly a lot of folks in ukraine, is that that answer for russia could come in the form of those 40,000 russian troops that have been on the ukrainian russian border going through military drills that president putin would finally give them the order to invade ukraine here. there's been talk of sending them in as peace keepers, also simply as an invasion force. >> thank you so much for that update. as the tensions continue. now, back in this country, and a story that has the white house playing defense this week with news that john boeh

buses to fortify barricades and then set them on fire the interior ministry says the nearby rebel strongholds love the honesty is now encircled by troops. but some militia checkpoints continued to defy the ukrainian army the checkpoints are already taken by the army investigate the right decision. this was the most addicted us of things i would occasionally the globe and infiltrate the city. but that's it. and now we are checking people's passports and documents to local registration of me and to appease it. the government in kiev and says there will be no let up in what he calls an anti operation little is forgiven the deal was and what we are facing in the donetsk region and eastern regions. some kind of a short lived uprising with you. that is in war particularly in the us agenda tactics are harsh. we are both owned by groups of saboteurs were led by well qualified professionals but it has been eliminated russell allen. pm says the arm and holding on sunday announced a russian soldiers go down to the ukrainian helicopters with anti aircraft missiles on friday pro russian locals say the arm

the anti government protester stronghold. formally this now would join bow correspondent keith parkinson she's been traveling across eastern ukraine and eight. we understand the situation they are the east of the country at the pickle is very fluid what can you tell us about the situation there now. yes across the east and the ukraine it's still a very tense situation the ukrainian interior ministry has vowed to continue in ministry operations saying things and will not stop it into operation that they've dubbed the anti operation meant death in the same egg going to continue pushing foliage with that. on the other signs of a hearing any idea finds message is from that the anti government in a shack across the east in the region and we've seen than reinforcing that barricades in various towns and cc sent me here in sunny and which is a nice descent of the unrest is very difficult and is around the sixteenth amendment as planned maintenance rates will also found tht we tie it on the building in one place and residents of actua

the separatist stronghold, the saturday market is a sorry site these days. shattered windows, half empty stores and worried people. when this is happening here, i don't know who to telephone for help. they are killing us. our own army. >> the marketplace, of course, is the place where you deal, where you trade but there is no expectation here at least for an imminent deal with the kiev government. there is the fer haven't desire for stability, for peace, but there is no appetite for reconciliation. paul brennan, al jazeera, slovyansk. >>> in turkey, search separations for the coal mining disaster that struck last week have been called off after the last missing miners were found. two bodies were pulled out of the mine today. the death toll now stands at 301, 485 miners were rescued alive. protests have erupted across the country as grief turns into anger at the government's small response. celebration continues in india as modi prepares to become the next prime minister. his victory tour brought him to the holy city of india. as al jazeera reports, the crowd

. >>> yemen's military has launched fresh airstrikes against al-qaeda fighters in their last stronghold in the south. this follows an attack on an army post. he ten shoulders soldiers died including a senior commander. hash a.m. al bara has the latest from the capitol. >> al-qaeda fighters launched two surprise attacks against government positions in azan killing soldiers and a senior army officer. the attack came at a time when the army was preparing for a decisive battle in al-qaeda, last stronghold. it is an area called el holba. there are reports that tribesmen were trying to negotiate a deal with al-qaeda where al-qaeda would create safe package but the army rejects it saying al-qaeda fighters have only two options: surrender or get killed. it's a totally delicate situation. the army wants to win this fight as soon as possible with minimum casualties among the civilians in those areas and tribesmen have been saying they don't want a long military confrontation because they have thousands and thousands of villagers forced to flee those areas in the past. >>> the man tasked with find

. >> reporter: the separatist stronghold of slovanks it's a worrying sight today. shuttered doors and worried people. >> i don't know who to telephone for help. they're killing us, our own army the marketplace is where you deal, about you trade but there is no deal with the eminent government of kiev. paul brennan, al jazeera, slovanyks. >> demonstrators gathered on the streets. with elections just days away they look to focus on the financial market. investors also demanded that the new italian republican did i protect the public service from cuts. >>> government has officially exited the strict spending program. such as how bad did things get? well, in 2011 the government was down $13 million. so it requested a 107. billion dollars bailout. the price was a three-year program of deep spending cuts, especially to assets. it will make them many years. we have reports from lisbon. and the economy is showing promising signs of life. >> reporter: the streets of lisbon have been invaded by vehicles that come in many shapes and sizes, but they all cater to tourists and v

as we returned to the base in apatzingan, there was big news >> this is the stronghold of the knightsemplar, and we're hearing that there's about 500 members of the self-defense, the federal police and the military are getting ready to take this town. >> it would be the first big joint action since the government announced the plan to legalize the autodefensas. >> but the federal troops ordered the vigilantes to wait on the edge of town while they went into the city to make arrests. >> the templars taunt them with threats over cb radio >> we've been waiting here for around 5 hours, and something is going on - because these people are just not going to apatzingan, we'll have to wait. >> frustration over the government's control of the operation is building. >> while the vigilantes were waiting on the outskirts of apatzingan, the message came through that the operation was over - the military and the police had retaken control - without their assistance. in the end they were finally allowed to drive through the town - their part reduced to a symbolic gesture. as we walked through the pl

al qaeda's last stronghold in the province. top army commanders putting plans for a final mission to recapture the town. al qaeda fighters say they are muslims. >> translation: they kill our people. islam is innocent of these people. >> reporter: the government is week in these areas. tribesman have the final say, and their support is crucial for the government to win its fight. it's been now three weeks since the start of the military offensive against al qaeda. the army says it's a matter of days before it restores control over the areas. many al qaeda leaders and fighters retreated to remote rural areas. >>> in libya a rogue general threatens attacks against arm militia in benghazi. [ gunfire ] >> at least 51 were killed yesterday. the government says former general haftar attacked the headquarters of two groups. his offensive included air strikes. government officials say it amounted to a coup. the general warned he will not stop until libya is cleansed of those he considered extremists. militia killed 200 prom incidents pe

one thing i want to make clear is that education and boko haram, they have their stronghold in the northf nigeria in borno state. a lot of the schools actually closed because there was so much fear. people actually decided well, is it worth me sending my child to have an education where she could get killed by boko haram, or should i just keep her home? people in that part of the region, education for them is a situation of life and death. for that part of the country, one idea that i've heard people talk about is this idea of making sure that there are armed security guards at every boarding school in that part of nigeria, which, you know, i don't necessarily know how comfortable i feel with nigeria moving to those kinds of drastic measures. i think it would be much better for the government, the nigerian government, and through accepting help from the united states and the united kingdom, to really try and destroy this terrorist group boko haram. >> do you have a word about your own personal safety when you go home? >> yeah. i mean, absolutely. so as a nigerian who's grown up abroad an

they were not able to push their way into the main stronghold, where pro-russian separatists militias are dug in and well armed of the the violence is spreading south and west toward odessa. they're 30-plus people died and many more were injured in running street battles between police, demonstrators and separatists. the pro-russians ended up in a main building, taking refuge from the violence. soon the building was in flames and people were jumping from the windows. ukrainians blame russian military and intelligence officers for sparking the violence. moscow calls the latest ukrainian crackdown a crime and say they are getting thousands of calls from russian citizens, russian speakers and ethnic russians here in eastern ukraine asking for their help. of course, the fear is that help will come in the form of those 40,000-plus russian troops currentsly on the border invading eastern ukraine. arthel, back to you. >> thank you very much. all of that marking the most serious day of violence since february when more than 80 people were killed during protests against the country's now ouste

. >> reporter: this used to be an al-qaeda stronghold.but the town is now under the army's control. >> we control many areas now. we're preparing for an offensive against al-qaeda's last stronghold in the area. >> the town has been an al-qaeda base since 2012. houses have been destroyed in the intense fighting, thousands of people have no shelter. >> our houses were destroyed. we lost everything. and we're concerned about the ongoing military operation in nearby towns. >> drops have been deployed. tribesmen are trying to negotiate an end to the violence but the army said al-qaeda fighters have only two options. surrender or be killed. the attack by al-qaeda shows the risks involved in launching a major offensive against a group well trained in hit-and-run tactics. now forces are expecting more revenge attacks across the country. al jazeera. >> concern is growing over a potentially deadly virus that has made it into the united states. roxana saberi has that story and other headlines from across america for us. >> reporter: tony, 18 hobbs w

. >> reporter: this used to be an al qaeda stronghold in shebwar province, the town of azan is under the army's control, and soldiers there say they are ready to capture more ground. >> translation: we control many areas now. we are preparing for an offensive against al qaeda's last strong hold in the area. >> the town of holpa has been an al qaeda base since 2012. houses have been destroyed in the intense fighting. thousands have no shelter. >> our houses were destroyed. we lost everything. we are concerned about the ongoing military operations in nearby towns. >> troops have been deployed near here, al qaeda's last stronghold in shebwar province, tribesman are trying to negotiate an end to the violence. al qaeda fighters have two options - vender or be killed. >> reporter: the attack by al qaeda on military positions shows a risk in launching a major offensive against a group well trained in hit and run. security forces are expecting revenge attacks across the country >>> concern is growing over a deadly virus that made its way into the united states. roxana saberi has that and oth

and we will become stronger than we are today. >> the separatist stronghold of slovyansk, it is a sorry site. shuterred windows, half empty stores and worried people. >> when this is happening here, i don't know who to telephone for help. they are killing us. our own army. >> the marketplace, of course, is the place where you deal, where you trade, but there is no expectation here at least for an imminent deal with the kiev government. there is the fervent desire for stability for peace, but there is no appetite for reconciliation. paul brennan, argues, slovyansk. >> record flooding has swamped the balkans in sush i can't, some people were stuck on top of their homes waiting for help. more than 15,000 people have been evacuated. the storms have trig earned more than 200 landslides and killed 5 people. in bosnia, 11 people have been killed and more than 10:00 told to leave homes. bosnia and serbia appealed for international help after declaring a state of emergency. it is the worst flood to hit the area in more than 100 years. the battle to raise the minimum wage has been front and cente

mrs thompson and syrian opposition forces are expected to withdraw from the city is home to their stronghold in the central region with trying to keep the best i've ever been in gravitas of the work ahead of the present election. seeking a third term on. officials at the world health organization are concerned about an outbreak of the only state he represents the health emergency. it's the first time since the swine flu pandemic five years ago that they've issued such an alert international spread of polio to date in twenty fourteen constitutes an extraordinary events in a health risk to other states for which it ordinated international response is essential. polio is a highly infectious disease particularly among young children. it invades the central nervous system and can cause paralysis virus and then nearly wiped out around the world for pakistan afghanistan in nigeria. but kelly jo officials say the disease has spread to seven other countries including syria in camera the sioux city for cases have been reported so far this year. that's twice as many as this time last season the disease

the latest in a string of incidents after a military offensive targeted al-qaeda strongholds. let's go there and the fighting. >> in the capitol, security forces have intercepted a car packed with explosives on the way to the capitol. wherever you go now, there are deployments, security forces, blocking main roads. they are pretty much concerned about al-qaeda taking the fight to the heart of the capitol. >> the bigger picture because if al-qaeda is coming into the heart of the capitol, there are other places where it is probably more entrenched. what do you know about the overall story there? >> reporter: it's a delicate situation, a very despisive moment. >> dormant cells have been active in aden and different parts of the country. this is exactly why security forces have been telling people to be viglant warning them about suicide bombing attacks particularly here in the capitol. thank you very much indeed. >>> vladimir putin has come under criticism after flying into crimea for his first visit since russia seized the pec peninsula from ukraine. more now from lauren taylor

the news comes as the government said it was taking troops to free the stronghold in the north. what can you tell us so far he echoed >> so far, independent confirmation of the release indicates they have been working on it since they were taken saturday afternoon. civilians. and four they were taken at the same time or just after the prime minister's visit. they then held them and as you said, army reinforcements have ,een arriving in large numbers 1500 and last 48 hours in kick out -- kigal. i understand they are in good health among and all but two will need some medical assistance. that is probably just because of them being tired. as we know, rebels are still occupying the local government offices they seized over the weekend. >> that has not changed. they are occupying the governor's office, the head office in kigali. he is able to mobilize the claimtion and they still it as their territory, as the capital citizen -- city. and stalemate is not over over the weekend we had the prime minister effectively calling for war against them. that is amended that still needs to be so

slivers of red mark rebel stronghol strongholds. other areas are held by the islamic state of iraq and the kurds. rebels in the city were expected to start leaving on saturday. but their withdrawal is being delayed by a few hours. rebels are asking a u.n. delegation to supervise them. they also want injured people to be assisted by the red crescent. al jazeera's reporter sent this from neighboring turkey. >> the old quarters of homs and its surrounding neighborhoods are the last rebel strongholds in the city. some 1,000 fighters are inside. but for months, they have been under siege. now, they may be given safe packa passage out as part of a deal with the government. the rebels will retreat to the northern countryside of the city but those areas are also under siege. the deal would allow the state to regain control of a city known as the capitol of the revolution. >> now, it is impossible to take back the city. we are so hungry. we couldn't walk 100 meters. i used to way 73 kill owes. now, i weigh 53 kilos. >> this 24-year-old arriv

it's a dense area that is known to be a stronghold of boko haram. they operate free lly between cameroon, nigeria and chad. you're talking about a terrorist also that has a very strong defensive fortification in these areas. they are armed to the teeth, rocket propelled grenade launchers, and for countries like the united states, flying manned and unmanned surveillance flights, they are known to have acquired antiaircraft weapons, christine. so, it's going to be very, very challenging. when you're talking about 20,000 nigerian soldiers on the ground and you're adding another 80, which most likely these are not combat troops. we must stress, these are not combat troops. these are mostly folks that are going to be maintaining the aircraft used to provide the surveillance flights, it's going to be a pretty difficult challenge. >> vladimir duthiers, we hope they can use all that technology to the fullest. thank you. >>> five minutes after the hour. happening today, the first meeting of a house committee looking in the attacks on a diplomatic u.s. compou

but today, us agriculture remains a stronghold for child labor. >> i know most kids come out here to help their parents out, get the money to pay the bills. >> it's just another day on the fields of america.

a politician works the crowd in one of his strongholds. she is reaching out to the youth, saying he will carry on their unfinished revolution. he was in the presidential election of 2012 when voters chose the islamist mohamed morsi. the former political prisoner says the egyptian people have toppled two presidents in recent years but have seen no benefits from the change. he promised no one would go to sleep hungry if he is elected. but look what he's up against. runner is hugely popular and is already getting the presidential treatment from the egyptian media. the former army chief commands more airtime and more deference. he told us it's an unfair contest, but he won't leave the fray. >> we have to fight. i don't think it is a fair i will stay in my home, the paradise of democracy to come. he has hadaving now, a very enthusiastic reception here and has a loyal following. many see him as a champion of the poor. they know that in the selection, they have a tough fight ahead. >> another campaign stop. he denies this is mission impossible bu

in ukraine pro-russian separatists shot down a helicopter that was on its way to a stronghold. 12 people were killed, including an army general. a portable missile was used to bring down the chopper. local people captured the aftermath of the crash, a thick plume of smoke rising above the wreckage of the helicopter. it was brought down by pro-russian rebels that had transported personnel. one of them was an army general. ukraine's outgoing president told parliament the aircraft had been hit by russian-made antiaircraft missile. the real war is going on in the east of our country. i have just received information our helicopters, which is bringing armed servicemen from military rotation, was shot down by terrorists. there is a sense of lawlessness in eastern ukraine. today militiamen were guiding the -- guarding the airport after a fierce battle earlier in the week. on monday, four members of the security organization were abducted by demolition men. they have not been seen since. >> as the days pass we get more concerned. but we are using all our toernment contacts reestablish contact wi

but today, us agriculture remains a stronghold for child labor. >> i know most kids come out here to help their parents out, get the money to pay the bills. >> it's just another day on the fields of america. >> hi, can you tell me your name? >> gabriella. workers like gabriella are not uncommon. >> how old are you?

here the leuser ecosystem is one of the last remaining strongholds for indonesian wildlife. it's a 6-million-acre protected park, but it's being illegally cut down to make room for palm oil. >> we've driven into the leuser ecosystem. this is a place of tigers, elephants, rhinos, and orangutans. it's supposed to be protected. but we've been tipped off by rangers here that there is illegal deforestation going on as we speak. we're going to go and try to film them and get right up close to the destruction. keep going. we've been hiking for hours to get here, right on the edge of where the trees are being cut down. i'm standing just meters from where the chainsaws are operating. i'm whispering because we've been told by our guides that these people are highly dangerous. [chainsaws in background] and it's likely to get violent if we move any closer. [man shouts in distance] you can hear the trees falling through the canopy. it's one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. [chopping] and it's being destroyed. every day we consume palm oil, labeled as vegetable oil. and a lot

however, they have not been able to fight their way into the main stronghold of slovyansk, where the russian militants are still holed up. there have been casualties on both sides. and the violence is spreading both west and south to the key port city of odessa. yesterday we saw clashes there between the ukrainian fighters, ukrainian riot police, pro-ukrainian supporters and russian separatists. 30 people died in those clashes. at one point the main pro-russian stronghold, there were people who had to jump out of the building there. the ukrainians continue to blame the russian government for inciting this violence. they say moscow is really the pupp puppeteer behind this. and as a result of the ukrainian military offensive, they have received, quote, thousands of phone calls from ethnic russians and russian speakers here in eastern ukraine asking for help. we have no way to verify those claims, of course. moscow now says it is, quote, weighing its options to figure out what they are going to do. obviously, the fear here, molly, is that what moscow's answer will be is sending the 40,0

that's in the northeast of the country, a stronghold for boko haram.he last year there's been emergency rule in three states to try and cope with their threat. who supports boko haram? it's a region where people feel alienated from the capital and the federal government. boko haram draws local support on the ground from those in poverty and lacking education. they also have ample funding. >> boko haram maintains a very good sized funding pool. they are involved in a number of criminal activity such as bank robberies and car snatching. possibly also drug trafficking and other forms of smuggling. they kidnap people for the purpose of extortion. they're possibly getting some support from some local business people. and possibly northern politicians. and they're also getting some funding. >> reporter: estimates of the number of fighters range from the hundreds to a few thousand. there may be some links to al qaeda in north africa, but the group so far has been primarily focused on nigeria. but its threat has been growing. gordon carrera, bbc news. >>> if y

say he is good to them and they support him whole heartedly and as you can see around me it's a strongholdy devisive and love him or not and little is known about him and even in the run up to tell , election and we don't know a lot about him. >> he is a work aholoic and now perhaps he will be governing india as a whole. what we do know about him is he is the son and doesn't come from a political genisee like gandhi and comes from humble beginnings and worked his way to the top of the pyramid if you like during these elections. india media reported that he has a wife and that he was married at a very young age but that the marriage didn't last, it was a very short-lived marriage and he never officially has gotten divorced but he has not married since. so he is known as a bachelor and known to be really married to the job. but a part from that we don't know a lot about his personal life. >> all right, thank you very much indeed for now who is live waiting the arrival of the man himself, the man of the moment, modi. now we can speak to shana and see who is a spokeswoman for the bjc and is li