Cultivated for the years to come, giving your company the resources and stability to thrive. Mufg we build relationships that build the world. And now, bbc world news america. This is bbc well news america , reporting from washington. Iraqi forces join shia militia fighters to surround the town but so far islam estate is not surrendering. Let the race began. Republican ted cruz announces he is running for president in america, the first two officially declare with a whopping 19 months to go. Could cannabis oil help cure serious diseases like cancer . We go inside the fears medical debate and investigate the claims. Welcome to our viewers on Public Television in america and around the globe. In iraq, Coalition Aircraft have joined the effort to regain control of to greet from Islamic State forces. The bbc understands that reconnaissance flights were requested by the Iraqi Government last week. Iraqi forces are preparing a largescale operation to retake to greet. Our defense correspondent has more from the front lines. Reporter this is the road that leads to tikrit. With iraqi forces on one side and Islamic State fighters on the other. The city is now surrounded but there is no surrender. The commander of one of the strongest shia militia backed by iraq. He did he denies the attacks at all. We are not in a hurry. We are destroying their supplies. The longer it goes on, weaker Islamic State will become. The areas around tikrit have now been liberated. This is as far as we have been allowed to go because of the fighters. All around this evidence. This the wreckage from one of the extremist suicide bombs. The iraqi army the battle for tikrit has largely been on the sidelines. We are going to stand back and let you run through the lanes all by yourself. Iraqi soldiers have been trained by american and spanish forces. They will have established six weeks to train a brigade but that is not enough. A strong iraqi army made up of shia and sunni is needed to overcome the sectarian divide. The shia led militia is seen as potentially destabilizing. But it is the shia militia doing much of the fighting and dying in the war against Islamic State. These are some of the thousands who the party lost their lives leaving women and children behind every a few thousand miles south of iraq, another conflict is ending. The president of yemen has asked sunni gulf countries to step in and fight shia rebels across the country. They say they will take necessary measures against those rebels. American and British Forces pulled out of the country because the situation was deteriorating so fast. The United Nations has warned of the verge of civil war. I spoke with the lead director of the program for international studies. How much of a concern is it what is happening in yemen at the moment . It is a concern not only because of what is happening but what might happen. If you have a fullblown war between the saudis and the iranians, which is what this is increasingly turning out to be this will be very bloody. Its going to be bloodier than syria. In a very poor country where you can do an awful lot of damage for 10,000. Why is it yemen where this property war is taking place . The saudis are convinced they are iranian proxies. They did not start off as iranian proxies. They are set about the saudi influence coming over the border. They are looking for help anywhere they could get it. The iranians thought it was a good way to focus the saudis a little bit. It has turned into something that is viscerally about how they feel about syria, about iraq, except its right on their border. They have always been concerned about yemen. Yemen has put people in saudi arabia. It is the poorest country right next to one of the wealthiest countries. What happens now that the americans and the brits have pulled out . I think there will been effort to see if something could be put together diplomatically. Im not sure that effort is on to be successful. My sense is in many of the gulf states are getting ready to go in and see this as a lesson. The americans and british and other countries are saying, cant we find a way to compromise . Now is the time not to compromise but to push for victory. If we go down that route, im afraid this is going to be very long and very bloody. Question the consequences spill outside of yemen, or is it confined to a proxy war within yemens borders . Because yemen is internationally connected, you can say it is not that that you you dont have people coming through international airports. You could argue that human is more contained. But we have seen terrorism in yemen coming out. We saw the guys in the Charlie Hebdo attack being trained there. We saw bonds bonds they tried to send out of yemen. My guess is also with this isnt going to stay confined to yemen. Thanks very much. A quick look at other news now from around the world. The president of afghanistan thanked the u. S. For helping stabilize the country and bring education to nearly 3 million girls. Speaking at the pentagon, he said he understood the sacrifices made by American Forces during their mission in his country. Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu has apologized for his controversial comments made during last weeks elections. The leader has said the arabs or voting in droves. In a statement, netanyahu said he sees himself as a Prime Minister for everyone, regardless of religion, race and sex. Britains Prime MinisterDavid Cameron has said he wont seek a third term in office if he wins the general election in a few weeks time. He said he would serve the full five years of another parliament and then leave downing street. The race for the white house has begun. A full 19 months before the actual votes. Today republican senator ted cruz of texas became the first candidate to make it official and announce that he is running for president in 2016. At Liberty University in virginia. He is not considered a front runner in the contest as rivals are also exploring their options. For more of what promises to be a long road ahead, i spoke with the abc political consultant who joins us from los angeles. Will they love him on the American Election see more generally . Reporter he is a very outside shot at the race. In many ways he is like barack obama he will be a Disruptive Force, though. He may not have the likelihood of winning the nomination, but he will be very disruptive in the process along the way. What do you mean by that, matthew . Reporter he will call some candidates to go further right than they want to. And he will calls contrast with himself and other candidates. Ted cruz is somebody who has demonstrated he is not interested in being mr. Congeniality in the course of this. He wants to be disruptive in the process. He has ambition, but hes going to be a Disruptive Force is going to force other candidates to playoff him. What are the specific issues that conservatives like him for . He went to Liberty University because he is one of the few people in the race that will emphasize social and cultural issues in the course of this. Possibly Rick Santorum or mike huckabee, but everyone else wants to run on economic or domestic issues. Hes going to run on the cultural divide. Hes going to run against hollywood, against the National Media that he believes doesnt represent the cultural interest in his view of the country as a whole. Thats where hes going to play in this race. Its 19 months until americans go to the polls to vote in the president ial election. You can forgive viewers from around the world for thinking, has it really started already . What are these candidates doing getting into the race so soon . We will be bored stiff by the time it comes to november of next year. Reporter unis well will have to go through this process along the way. Theres probably going to be 2022 candidates running for the republican nomination. My guess is part of the process and white is starting so early we have probably seen half candidates went out out before they even get to the iowa caucus next year, in the early part of next year. Thats part of it, who can raise money, who can get endorsements. That is why get started so early. By thanksgiving or christmas you will probably see a whole series of candidates that were not able to do that drop out long before voting starts with the caucus. Katty kay its going to be a very long campaign. President obama has described the Prime Minister who died at the age of 91. He turned a city state into one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Our correspondent reports on his life and legacy. Reporter it is the end of an era. Not just for those who remember their countries difficult birth. He prided himself on being an unsentimental man. His death has brought out strong emotions among the people. He fought for independence and our nation where there was none. We wont see another man like him. His body was then taken to the president ial palace where they are already gathering to say farewell. More flowers relayed. With messages of condolence from old and young. I grew up with him in his generation. It is such a loss. We wont have another leader like him. He was born into a chinese family in what was then british ruled singapore. It was prominent in the Independence Movement and became the city states first Prime Minister in 1959. Against his wishes, singapore was expelled from the new Malaysian Federation six years later. He set about building a firstclass economy, attracting investment and imposing stability on the multiracial city through a strong government , something for which he made no apology. Marvelous, everything works. I know why it works, because i made it work. Its hard to think of another leader who has had such a Lasting Impact on this country and the lines of people you see here waiting to pay their condolences are a mark of the respect that singaporeans feel for the man they believe virtually built their nation. Most are willing to forgive his ruthless intolerance his influence is so profound its hard to guess which direction singapore will take now that he is gone. And Honest Administration will be his lasting legacy. The heavyhanded control he favored seems increasingly out of place in the 21st century. Katty kay youre watching bbc world news. Still to come, a year after an outbreak of ebola struck west africa the fight continues with one charity charging that much more could have been done right from the beginning area from the beginning. His legacy is the stuff of history books and shakespeare. Now king richard the third is capturing the imagination once again. Thousands of people queued up on monday to attend a public viewing for the late monarch. Once thought lost to history his remains were rediscovered between a city car park in 2012. Sean lloyd has been speaking to those waiting to get entrance to the cathedral. They came in the thousands, some facing a threehour wait to share a piece of history. The first in the queue was bradley from atlanta georgia. Were all sharing stories about why we are here. It feels like a really special moment to pay our respects inside. The flowers are from england. I brought them with me for richard. Im so deeply moved by this whole project. At half past nine, the doors opened and the line of people gradually began to file inside. Visitors were welcomed into an atmosphere of dignified reflection. The coffin of king richard iii as it lies in repose. They sense that is king of england, they are all connected with the story. We are all part of the national story. Yesterday, 35,000 people came into the city to capture the catch a glimpse of the simple coffin as it was taken into the cathedral. But these visitors still face a long wait. They shared determination to patriot to the monarch before the reburial service on thursday. Katty kay it is exactly a year since the deadly outbreak of ebola was confirmed and Health Experts are warning the danger is still not over. Some blaming what is called a Global Coalition of inaction that lead to tragic consequences in the affected countries. The virus killed more than 2000 people in sierra leone, denny, and other countries. Slowly and very cautiously life is returning to some degree of normality. Schools have reopened in liberia after six months of children being told to stay away. At the height of the outbreak, guinea liberia, and sierra leone were under siege. Patients were turned away from full treatment centers. This man later died. The medical charity mss says the world ignored its calls for help early in the outbreak. It is particularly critical of the World Health Organization for not declaring an International Health emergency much sooner. The who accepts it made mistakes at the start of the crisis but said it since half into affected countries as soon as possible. By the time ebola struck in guinea, in liberia, we are weak we do not have the resources. With the number of doctors we have, only one doctor was trained for this. The world has come along way since the peak of the ebola outbreak. In sierra leone away, there were almost 600 cases a week. Now it is fewer than 60. Liberia has managed about three weeks without a new infection but has now recorded one fresh case. Look at what is happening in guinea. Infections fell sharply but are gradually keeping up again creeping up again. This outbreak will not be considered over. For those still fighting ebola on the front lines, many challenges still lie ahead. The biggest mistake we could make now is to think the job is done. Surgical services are down, vaccination and care for pregnant women, all of these have been dramatically affected. The top priority at the moment is to get those Services Back online. Guinea, liberia, and sierra leone have lost hundreds of Health Workers to ebola. To help ensure an outbreak this deadly can never return to west africa. Katty kay since the outbreak first was confirmed, still fighting to many cases of the virus. The medical value of cannabis has been fiercely debated for years. Used as a pain reliever it is widely excepted, but can cannabis do more than that . Can it help to secure serious illnesses as well . Could an oil form of the plant reduce malignant tumors . Iwatch children bury their moms. I know what is in front of me and im doing everything i can to prevent that. Sarah and her family are running out of time. She has stage four cancer but chemotherapy isnt working. The doctor say theres nothing more they can do. Left with no options everybody seeks out cannabis oil. There is a certain stigma, especially being a mother. Everyone looks at it like you are getting high, and its not. It is a natural option that the government is ignoring. I want to live. I have to live. Cannabis has been used as a medicine for centuries. It is legal in half the u. S. States. A British Drug Company is trialing a new cancer drug. Cannabinoids, there is a lot of research looking at properties against cancer cells. Its a long road and is not going to be the wonder drug for cancer. Stephanie leroux says she has evidence cannabis has worked and it is backed up by a doctor. I only did cannabis and it is gone. The scans i have is evidentiary proof of that. What more do you need . Reporter a lot more, according to one of the worlds leading cancer doctors. These are natural products. Reporter the man who helped ural Lance Armstrongs cancer needs data and real evidence. Whether it be doctors or patients who say here are my records, lets put it in a medical journal and be transparent with what i have, what i was treated with, and what the outcome was. Until then, it is snake oil. I dont want people to get false hope. Reporter so what is the evidence . There are hundreds of lever towards that have been punished. That have been published. A human trial that said eight of nine patients responded to treatment, even though they all did die. Making the oil is still an underground industry. The cannabis is legal, but the solvency is using or not. The solvents he is using are not. Do you think this is a cure for cancer . It is, and it can be. It depends on a persons particular condition or how advanced the cancer is, but we have seen thousands and thousands of people get better from using this oil. Reporter this is what sarah is trying. I squeeze out a very little and then i just i believe it works for others, and im hoping it will work for me. Reporter it is her only hope but it is also unproven medicine. Katty kay a ferocious medical debate there about the effect of medical cannabis. That brings the program to a close. You can find much more of the days news on her website as what is happening in yemen. You can find us at twitter. Thanks so much for watching. Do tune in again tomorrow. Make sense of International News at bbc. Com news. Funding of this presentation is made possible by the Freeman Foundation newmans own Foundation Giving all profits from newmans own to charity and pursuing the common good, kovler foundation, and mufg. Build a Solid Foundation and you can connect communities and commerce for centuries. That is the strength behind good banking relationships, too. Which is why, at mufg, we believe financial partnerships should endure the test of time. Because with time comes change and what matters in the end is that you are Strong Enough to support it. Mufg we build relationships that build the world. Bbc world news was presented by kcet los angeles. Captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc it is time to reclaim the constitution of the united states. Ifill senator ted cruz is running for president , the first candidate to officially enter the 2016 race. Good evening, im gwen ifill. Woodruff and im judy woodruff. Also ahead this monday as the deadline for a deal with iran looms, we talk with the chief of the United Nations nuclear watchdog. Ifill plus. He said we have reason to believe that tristan died from shaken baby syndrome. Ifill when a family tragedy turns into a legal nightmare. Doubts and scrutiny over a diagnosis that triggers charges of abuse and puts some caregivers behind bars