are attempting to move north it greece. homeless, an issue in relation to peopling camping out in the u.s. capital. hundreds of family of i.s.i.l. fighters and some injured fighters themselves are to be given safe passage out of the refugee camp in the syrian capital damascus. the u.n. backed deal is to make it possible to deliver aids to thousands of people trapped in the area by fighting. syrian government forces have been blockading that area since 2012. fighters from other rebel groups may also be evacuated understand a disagreement with the syrian authorities. about 18 thousand people are trapped in that camp south of damascus. most of them palestinian refugees. activists say buses have started arriving to transport fighters and the families out of the area. many i.s.i.l. are expected to head to rack six hours away. >> reporter: a u.n. confirming that the united nations is involved in this deal in syria but backing away from reports that it is a u.n. broke-- brokered deal. the u.n. is an observer, but not part of it. this deal, the details of which are still very vague, poten

territory. greece estimates they could spend half a billion dollars on the refugee crisis this year and most of this money is being reimbursed by the e.u. the real cost may come in the form of lost tourism. on the island of lesbos our correspondent reports. >> reporter: this refugee crisis has put this woman at the top. >> translation: in summer we made up to 2000 euros a day. now about 500. before it was 50 a day. >> reporter: she is one outside one of several outside the refugee camp. here they can warm themselves by her stove, eat and recharge their cell phones. others too have centred on the opportunity. refugees and migrants have sent up a tent city with vendors supplying the hardware. those with money have moved into small hotels dotting the cost which would normally be closed in december. they breakfast with police and aid workers. in town they buy credit for cell phones. here too they can buy boat and bus tickets for their journey out of greece. the refugee windfall ask evident all over town. -- is evidence all over time. this may be a temporary replacement of the tourism indust

residents to leave that area. greece's parliament has voted to recognise palestine as a state. the palestinian authority president abass was present for that vote in athens. greece is now 9137th country to recognise palestinian state hood. in 2012 palestine was given nonmember status after a vote to recognise it as a sovereign state. a total of 1 is 36 united nations members had chosen to recognise palestinian state hood and the last country to vote in favor for that was france. that happened in december last year. now we have greece doing the same thing. crossing over to our correspondent. how symbolic and how significant is this. it is a non-binding vote. >> reporter: it is a symbolic, non-binding to the agreement government, but it's very-- greek government, but it is very important for the palestinians because what they think now is since the parliament approved the resolution, we think it gained a unanimous vote, that means it's reflective of the political landscape in this country and that means those political representatives who are representatives of the greek people suppo

unwanted, but refugees are giving a boost to the economy of one of greece's biggest cities. biggest cities. bring your family and friends together to discover the best shows and movies with xfinity's winter watchlist. later on, we'll conspire ♪ ♪ as we dream by the fire ♪ a beautiful sight, we're happy tonight ♪ ♪ watching in a winter watchlist land, ♪ ♪ watching in a winter watchlist land! ♪ xfinity's winter watchlist. watch now with xfinity on demand- your home for the best entertainment this holiday season. >> the sports story everyone's talking about. >> don't miss the world exclusive undercover investigation. only on al jazeera america. >>> hello again. you're watching al jazeera. a reminder of our headlines. voterss in central africa after a long awaited presidential election. the country has been marred by violence after the throw of the president in 2013. the u.s. says coalition air strikes have killed ten senior i.s.i.l. leaders in iraq and syria this month. amongst them are the suspects in marissa tacks with one having links to the master minds abdel hamid

program, they may feel unwanted, but refugees are giving a bevelled to the economy of one of greece's biggest cities. when you're on hold, your business is on hold. that's why comcast business doesn't leave you there. when you call, a small business expert will answer you in about 30 seconds. no annoying hold music. just a real person, real fast. whenever you need them. so your business can get back to business. sounds like my ride's ready. don't get stuck on hold. reach an expert fast. comcast business. built for business. to discover the best shows friends together and movies with xfinity's winter watchlist. later on, we'll conspire ♪ ♪ as we dream by the fire ♪ a beautiful sight, we're happy tonight ♪ ♪ watching in a winter watchlist land, ♪ ♪ watching in a winter watchlist land! ♪ xfinity's winter watchlist. watch now with xfinity on demand- your home for the best entertainment this holiday season. >>> hole again. you're-- hello again. you're watching al jazeera. a reminder of the headlines. voters are in polls in long awaited election in african republic. ramadi h

of a cover up. hundreds of thousands of refugees have arrived in greece this year. many of them fleeing with regard in syria. tourist numbers have declined as a result, but some greek businesses say they're getting an unexpected boost from the new arrivals. from the southern city, our correspondent reports. >> reporter: it is greece's second largest city with a population of more than a million people. the city's coastline is a major tourist attraction, but it's also an hour's drive to the border with macedonia which is the main crossing point for refugees to the rest of europe. over a million refugees have passed through greece in 2015. many of them went through the city and that has brought much needed cash to the local economy. , >> translation: some of the refugees came here with money to spend and get by. as far as the economy is concerned, all restaurants, cafÉs and boutiques, all shops and booths. >> reporter: cheap hotel rooms have been in demand. the hotel association says more than 25,500 syrian refugees have booked a room for a night or two in the first half of 2015.

: these people have options, return home, apply for an asylum here in greece if they feel they qualify, remain here in limbo as illegal migrants for as long as they may, or use extensive networks to smuggle themselves deeper into europe and this last is an option that greek authorities unofficially condone because they have forced greece to create space for 50,000 migrants here, in effect, making greece a sort of buffer zone. that many people here feel has left the greeks with very little in the way of solidarity from the european union >>> a german womb accused of being part of a knee owe nazi cell that murder ten people have denied involvement in the killings. they took place between 2000 and 2007. it is the first she has spoken publicly in two and a half years. >> reporter: arriving in court the alleged last survivor of one of the most violent neonazi gangs in post-war germany. in two and a half years she has been on trial. she has remained silent until now. also in court relatives of some of the ten people, the national socialist underground are accused of murdering. elite turks--

tried to change the constitution to allow him to extend his 27-year rule >>> greece's parliament is about to vote on whether to recognise palestine as an independent sovereign state. it is a symbolic gesture and non-binding. it will be followed by an address by the president. on monday he said the palestinian authority will issue passports bearing the name, state of palestine, next year. current passports are stamped with the words "palestinian authority". in 2012 palestinian was given nonmember status at the u.n. general assembly after a note so recognise it as a sovereign state. the last country to vote in naifr to recognise palestinian as a state was france and that was back in december last year. palestinians in the occupied west bank have been raising money to help rebuild homes destroyed by israel's army. since october at least ten houses have been torn down. as part of a policy of wrecking down homes. our correspondent has this report. >> reporter: these are the ruins of what was a family home. it was demolished earlier this month. the rest of the building was badly damaged m

stir up memories of those that fled from war zones. >> hundreds of thousands arrived from greece. tourist numbers declined. some businesses say they are getting a boost from the arrivals. we have this report >>> it is greece's second-largest city, with a population of more than a million people. the city's coastline is a major tourist attraction. but it's an hour's drive to the border with macedonia, which is the main crossing point for refugees for the rest of europe. over a million refugees past through greece in 2015. many went through the city. and that has brought much-needed cash to the economy. >> some of the refugees came here with money to spend and get by. all experiments and shops had a positive boost. >> the hotel association says more than 25,500 syrian refugees booked a room for a night tore two. the number is expected to rise because there are others staying in cheep hotels. the cheapest room in the street costs about 20 euros. the city's mayor says greece is not after the refugees money. >> people, mainly syrians, which had some economic ability. they said in the

the vote in athens. greece is now the 137t 137th country to recognize palestinian state hood. we have the latest from the greek capital. >> when you hear the words of president abbas hailing this moment as a historical one, it gives you an idea how the palestinians really feel about it, but president abbas also said that he feels proud to be at the greek parliament and he also said the releases between greece and the palestinians is historical and very, very close. now of course with the palestinians also it's very important to keep the moment going because over the last year, the british, the french, the spanish and the irish parliaments have also called on their governments to recognize palestinian as an independent state. now, it is not expected, because it's non-binding resolution so therefore the government of alexis tsipras is not expect to follow suit, and recognize palestinian as an independent state. >>> forbes loyal to yemen's government are closing in on the capital sanna. houthi rebels took control of the city in september last year. as the civil war continues, despit

refugees give a much-needed boost to businesses in greece's second city. ♪ >>> the syrian army backed by russian air strikes says its troops have fought their way into the southern rebel held town. the new offensive focuses on a strategic location on the main road connecting the capitol and the government strong hold, damascus, to the southern city. syrian rebels say the assault was supported by the heaviest russian aerial bombing campaign so far in the south. it's part of the government's offensive since russian joined the fight in september. >>> moscow's strikes on syria have killed more than 2,300 people so far. 792 of the dead, more than a third, were civilians, of which 180 were children. russia has denied its air campaign is hitting civilians. hashem ahelbarra has been following the story and join us live from turkey. first of all, tell us what is the latest that we know about this attack on the town, and why is this particular town so key? >> reporter: barbara, the syrian government backed by russian fighter jets managed to advance towards areas in the town. the air strikes starte

just a year. >>> and greece's parliament votes to recognize palestinian statehood. ♪ >>> hello there, thank you for joining us, the iraqi military is reporting progress in its major offensive against the islamic state of iraq and the levant in ramadi. iraq's government says it's soldiers are advancing on the city center, where it's mates about 300 fiers remain. isil has held ramadi since may. its first objective was to cut off supply lines into the city. progress has been slow, because the iraqi government wants to rely on its own troops and sunni tribes rather than shia militia who have been accused of human rights abuses. retaking ramadi would be among the most significant victories against isil thus far. this map shows ramadi in isil's support zone. this is where it's fighters are allowed to move freely. this helps isil maintain these areas, where it has enough of a presence to control local populations. these no longer include sinjar. and there are the attack zone areas where isil conducts offensive maneuvers. zana hoda has more. >> reporter: it has been described as the final as

countries including nigeria and senegal. >>> greece estimates it spends half a billion dollars each year helping refusee refugees. some parts of greece won't get the funds. >> reporter: they used to be at the bottom of the hoss at that palt industry. she parks her food van on highways and waited for occasional business. the refugee kreis put her at the top. >> translator: in summer we made up to 2,000 euros day. now about 500. before we made 50 euros ai day. >> she's one of several outside of the refugee camp. here refugees can warm themselves by her stove, eat and recharge their cell phones. others have sensed opportunity. refugees and migrants have set up a tent city ft surrounds olive groves with vendors supplying the hardware. those with money move into small hotels dotting the coast which will be closed this december. they breakfast with the police bussed in from athens and aide workers. in town they have cell phones and they can also buy boats and bus tickets for the journey out of greece. the refugee windfall is evident but they worry this is a partial and temporary replaceme

greece and they tell me they know the risks and they can all die. >> translator: we have no other alternative and no chance to live here or in afghanistan and we can't stay here. we have to go to europe. we want to go to germany. >> reporter: entire families of refugees are waiting here in the turkish coastal town of kashmir, sick, tired and cold, some have been here for days. waiting for a call from the smugglers and have to be ready all the time. outside there are more children and adults. they sit and wait. it's cold here. and the winds are strong. all determined to cross the aegean sea to get to greece which seems close but remains out of reach. >> i'm coming here because we have lots of problems in afghanistan and faced a lot of challenges. there are not good facilities for the young generations to learn something and we cannot guaranty our life. >> reporter: every morning they hope the sea is calmer. greece is a short distance away but crossing the aegean sea is risky. the journey to the greek island could take an hour depending on weather conditions but this is a dangerous

steps and return to greece where they face an uncertain future. >> and bayern munich finally reveal details about the coach who will replace the current coach. coach. >> are yemen's foreign minister says a cease fire has been extended by one week. overlieer peace talks aimed at ending the war broke up without agreement. u.n.'s special envoy for yemen has confirmed peace talks will begin early next year. >> after nearly nine months, the conflict, this is what a cease fire looks like on the ground in yemen. >> fighting on the streets of the city of tais. each side has accused the other of violating tuesday's truce. negotiated at united nations talks in switzerland. >> we entered the province from every direction and side. we reached the city center. this is evidence the houthis have no popular support. >> the formation of mechanisms that could be used to at least deescalate the conflict in yemen. >> how much does it matter that these peace talks bear almost no relation to what's happening on the ground and on the ground it seems the situation getting progress and peace isn't right at

to a new life. the challengessing refugees on their next step north from greece. plus, housing the homeless, what's being done to stop people having to camp out in the u.s. capital. >>> you're watching al jazeera live from doha. modi is in pakistan, the first visit by an indian prime minister in 10 years. his surprise trip to meet his counterpart on his birthday comes after a long period of bad ties between the two nations. >>> russian airstrikes killed at least 14 in the syrian province of aleppo. many others were injured after the raid struck a hospital. >>> almost 3,000 people arrived in haiti's makeshift camp since july and they're still coming. they were forced to leave the dominican republic after the government began a crackdown on what it called illegal migrants. >> mosul in the north is rack's second biggest city and was seized by isil in may of last year. in ramadi, much closer to the capital baghdad, the military said it's making only slow progress. it began it's latest offensive there tuesday. they face car bombs as they face isil forces pulling out in the city center.

across the mediterranean to greece so far this year. we spoke to the greek migration minister about the challenges of coping with the hundreds of people arriving every day. >> almost 1 million people have crossed greece to europe this year so far and thousands of them remain stuck in athens. the greek migration minister would the crisis requires a global response. >> it's a european and global problem that is happening in greece. therefore, greece cannot manage it on its own. i believe that the decision made by the european union to create proper refugee camps in turkey and that resettlement take place from there is the main solution. we have asked for 1,600 officers to be sent and only received 800. we have asked 100 desks for fingerprinted, got 50. we requested 100 coast guard vessels and got 10. therefore, there is no blame game. >> failing to stem the flow of refugees reaching its shores, greek officials say their borders are protected, but they will not allow people to drown in the sea. >>> burundi's parliament has voted against allowing african union peacekeepers into the country

people crossed into greece from turkey by sea, nearly 4,000 others died trying to cross the mediterranean in europe's worst refugee crisis since the second world war. >>> 11 refugees bound for greece including three -- children have drowned in the sea. the refugees seemed to have been trying to reach the greek island of sumos. just days ago, 18 people drowned while heading for another greek island. >>> the greek parliament has voted to recognize palestine as a sovereign and independent state. the resolution is a symbolic gesture >> reporter: a unanimous vote urging the government of alexis tsipras to recognize the state of palestine. >> translator: the greek parliament pledges to promote all of the necessary procedures to recognize the state of palestine, and to make every diplomatic effort for the immediate resumption of credible peace talks between the two sides. all of those accepting the proposal please rise. [ applause ] >> reporter: the resolution was prepared by the syriza party which is leading the coalition government. the president of the palestinian authority was

unfolding in the sees around greece and turkey - seas. the body of this boy, a tleerld syrian refugee washded up on the shore of a turkish beach in september this year. his father lost his entire family that day. he has recorded a message to be broadcast on u.k. television on christmas day. >> translation: no translation (speaking in foreign language) >>> the international organization for migration says more than a million people driven from their homes by war, poverty and persecution have arrived in europe this year. more than 800,000 refugees and migrants attempting to reach europe have come via greece. the real numbers may be higher as countries are struggling to track all the arrivals. the u.n. says attacks by boko haram have forced many children out of school. more than 2,000 schools have closed and some have been looted or set on fire. zimbabwe's government wants thousands of farmers who benefited from its so-called lands reform program to pay an additional land tax, but the high cost of managing the property has left many of them struggling, and as our correspondent reports, t

, marden. >> 18 people have died. ten of them children after a boat carrying refugees to greece sank. local fishermen alerted the local coast guard when they heard screaming. 14 horse were rescued and taken to opt. many in serious condition. many are said to be from iraq, pakistan and syria. 600 people have died taking the mediterranean sea route this year alone. >>> still to come this half hour, yes, we can says sporters of spain's new left party. is it time for the prime minister to leave the stage? >> and the high price to pay for changing economic landscape. a community in iraq being affected by the loss of its river. >> hello, a reminder of the top stories. spokesman for burundi's president has told al jazeera he does not want african troops deployed to the country. the a.u. believes the nation is on the brink of civil war and is prepared to send 5,000 peace keepers without burundi's accident. >> the. >> as u.n. sponsored peace talks in yemen wrapped up, troops loyal to the president has gained control of an important city in the northwest. government forces have aseed the capit

crossed into europe this year, more than 800,000 people have crossed into greece from turkey by sea. nearly 4,000 others have died trying to cross the mediterranean in europe's worst refugee crisis since the second world war. 11 refugees including three children have drowned off the turkish coast. seven people were rescued off the resort. the refugees seem to have been trying to reach the greek island, which lies opposite. just days ago 18 people drowned. a symbolic gesture as it is nonbinding, more from athens. >> a unanimous vote to recamiers the state of pal steen. >> the greek parliament led to promote the procedure, and recommend and state of palestine, and to make every effort for the needed assumption of credibility peace talks between the two sides. ladies and gentlemen, all those accepting the proposal please rise. >> and resolution was prepared by a series party which enjoy as majority and is leading the government. the president of the palestinian authority was watching closely. he welcomed the resident lewis. >>> we call on countries to support a tuesday solution in the

by swimming in the coast or climbing barbed wire. 125 of the migrants were treated. greece estimates it could end up spending more than half a billion dollars on the refugee crisis this year. most of that money is being reimbursed by the e.u. but the real cost may come in the cost of lost tourism. from the island the loss boss our correspondent reports. >> reporter:-- lesbos. >> reporter: this woman parks her food vans and waits for occasional business. the refugee crisis however has put her at the top. >> translation: in summer we made up to 20,000 euros a day. now about 500. before it was just 50 euros a day. her van is one of several outside the refugee camp. here refugees can warm themselves by her stove, eat and recharge their cell phones. refugees and migrants have sent up a city in olive groves. those with money have moved to small hotels which would normally be closed in december. they breakfast with police and aid workers. in town they buy credit for cell phones. here they can buy boat and bus tickets for their journey out of greece. >> reporter: the refugee windfa

streets as vigilantes. >>> greece is now telling the--it's saying it is not getting enough help from the european union in what it calls the refugee storm. 50,000 people have arrived there this month alone. >> greece are meeting its obligations an but this is something that the whole european union and member states have encountered without having found an adequate solution. >> a group of refugees have been fighting macedonian police at the macedonian border where they have been held for a number of streets now. macedonia has a policy of only allowing refugees from syria, iraq and afghanistan. >>> almost 2,000 refugees were rescued from 11 boats in the mediterranean sea. navy ships from italy, spain and a ship owned by doctors without borders. it was the largest body saved in a month. >>> the fbi is now investigating shooting in san bernardino in california as an act of terrorism. there are reports that the woman who took part in the attack and pledged allegiance to isil in a post on facebook. but the fbi said it is unlikely the couple were directed by isil to carry out the shooting.

independent state. the resolution is symbolic. it's non-binding. greece is now the 137th country to recognize palestinian statehood. omar has more from the greek capitol. >>> when you hear the words of the president hailing at this moment as an historic one, it gives you an idea how the palestinians really feel about it. but as president abbas also said, he feels proud to be at the greek parliament and he said the relations between greece and the palestinians is historical and very, very close. it is also very important to keep the momentum going, because over the last year, other parliaments have called on their government to recognize palestine as an independent state. now it is not expected, because it's a non-binding resolution, so the government of alexis sipries is not likely to follow suit. >>> although the vote is imbollic it is an important reminder to the world of palestinian suffering. >> when you are talking about 140 countries who have done so, the wave of recognitions that came from europe, and latin america, between the -- the year 2010 and 2012 and 2014 had waned and

and they were treated for various injuries. >>> greece says it could spends over half a billion dollars on the refugees. but the real cost may come in the form of lost tourism. from the islands of lesbos john psaropoulos reports. >> reporter: he used to be at the bottom of the hospitality industry. she parkedded her food van beside highways and waited for business. the refugees crisis has now put her at the top da. >> translator: in summer weigh mate you to 200 euros a day. now up to about 500. before we mate just 5067 her van is one of several outside the refugees camp. here refugees can warm themselves by her stove, eat and retheir cell phones others have sensed the opportunity. refugees and migrants have set up a at the present time city. with vendors supplying the hardware, those with money have moved in to small hotels dotting the close which would normally be closed in december. breakfast with police and aid workers n town they buy credit for cell phones here too they can buy boat and bus tickets for their journey out of greece. the refugees windfall is evident all over to

stranded for weeks on the border between greece and macedonia. as many more reach the mainland, there are concerns over the growing number of refugees sleeping on the streets. we have more from athens. >> setting foot on mainland europe with big hopes and dreams, these refugees have arrived in the greek capital after risking their lives crossing the aegean sea from turkey and landing on greek islands. this iraqi refugee says he had no choice. >> i would definitely die if i stayed in iraq. that's why i took the risk. i want to feel human. >> the syrian couple says their one and a half-year-old son has eye cancer. they want doctors in germany to treat him. i asked his mother if she was happy to be in europe. >> no. i'm not happy. i want syria. i want to return there. i won't forget it. >> most of these refugees will take different routes to germany and elsewhere in europe. many won't make it. >> greece is under tremendous pressure and overwhelmed by the sheer number of refugees arriving on its island every day. hundreds of thousands of people have been registered and allowed to continue

being stranded for weeks on the greece-macedonia border. hundreds of others are arriving having taken boats from turkey. there is increasing concern that the number of refugees who are sleeping on the streets. we have a report from athens. >> setting foot on mainland europe with big hopes and dreams, these refugees have arrived in the greek capital after risking their lives crossing the aegean sea from turkey and landing on greek islands. this iraqi refugee says he had no choice. >> i would definitely die if i stayed in iraq. that's why i took the risk. i want to feel human. >> the syrian couple says their one and a half-year-old son has eye cancer. they want doctors in germany to treat him. i asked his mother if she was happy to be in europe. >> no. i'm not happy. i want syria. i want to return there. i won't forget it. >> most of these refugees will take different route to say germany and elsewhere in europe. many won't make it. >> greece is under tremendous pressure and overwhelmed by the sheer number of refugees arriving on its island every day. hundreds of thousands of people hav

coming up in just a moment from greece. it is the end of the road in greece for hundreds of refugees. ♪ >>> and the lessons to be learned after deadly floods in southern india. ♪ sure, tv has evolved over the years. it's gotten squarer. brighter. bigger. it's gotten thinner. even curvier. but what's next? for all binge watchers. movie geeks. sports freaks. x1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv. tand that's what we're doings to chat xfinity.rself, we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around. >>> hello, you are watching al jazeera. these are the global headlines. the u.s. secretary of defense is calling on gulf countries to do more to fight isil. he said that sunni arab nations in particular should be doing more. >>> hundreds of rebel figh

monday at 1300 gmt on al jazeera. don't miss it. >>> now greece he is mates it could spend $500 million by this year. most of the money is being reimbursed. >> this woman used to be at the hospital of hospitality industry. she would park her food van and wait for occasional business. but the refugee crisis has put her at the top. >> in summer we made up to $2,000 euros a day. now about $500. we used to make $50 euros a day. >> here refugees can warm themselves by her stove, eat, and recharge their cell phones. others, too, have the opportunity. migrants have set up a tent city with defender vendors providing the hard washing. hardware. in town they can buy pictures in and out of greece. >> the windfall is in town, but some believe this could an partial and temporary replacement that migration seems to have chased away, an industry greek islands spent decades building up. >> lesbos hotel experienced a drop in business. most travel agents and hoteliers here expect a drop in business. >> it depends on how visitors will react. will they come as volunteers to act, then it's positive.

greece sank. local fishermen alerted the coast guard when they heard screaming. 14 others were rescued and taken to hospital. many are in serious condition. the refugees who side are said to bdied are said to be from syria, pakistan. >> a palestinian pianist escap escaped, he left his country to make the perilous journey from turkey to lesbos to germany. we have more to come for you this half hour. we look at the high price to pay. the community in iraq affected by the lots of its river. >>> and a whole new war. why the americans want to let the genie out of the bottle by bombing agrabah. >> i'm off the coast of hawaii. >> we are on the tipping point of an ecological disaster. >> this coral is not dead. >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> this is what innovation looks like. >> can affect and surprise us. >> i feel like we're making an impact. >> let's do it. >> techknow - where technology meets humanity. >> "inside story" takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the soundbites. we're giving you a deeper dive into the sto

turkey wait it out in the cold night in hopes of cross to go greece. plus. >> reporter: i am tania page reporting from johannesburg's downtown music hub. a recording studio trying to launch more african artist on his to the world stage. the only way to get better is to challenge yourself, and that's what we're doing at xfinity. we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around. >> "inside story" takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the soundbites. we're giving you a deeper dive into the stories that are making our world what it is. ♪ >>> held going, here a quick recap of the top stories on al jazeera. nato planning to send air defenses to turkey along its southern border with syria. helping turkey patrol its airspace it's hoped that i

parliament and also says the relations between greece and the palestinians is historical and very, very closed. now of course with the palestinians it's also important to keep the momentum going because over the past year the british and french have called on governments to recognize palestine as an independent state. now it is not expected because it's nonbinding resolutions and therefore the governments are not expected to follow suit and recognize palestine as an independent state. >> government forces continue to fight taliban in afghanistan southern helman district which fell to the taliban on monday. afghan forces have captured a few out posts but the main city is still under taliban control and the latest attempt by the group to hold territory they have taken since nato ended combat operations nearly a year ago and the taliban currently controls 29 of the 398 districts in afghanistan and have taken four in helman providence and produces most of the world's opium and it is used by international forces in the past. in september the taliban seized the capitol kunduz providence

people have died. ten of them children after a boat carrying refugees to greece sank. they alerted the turkish coast guard when they heard screaming. 14 horse from rescued and taken to hospital. many are in serious condition. almost 600 people have died taking the eastern mediterranean route this year alone. >>> still to come this half hour, yes, we can face, say supporters of spain's new left party. and u.s. debate coming up. >> the only live national news show at 11:00 eastern. >> we start with breaking news. >> let's take a closer look. >> a reminder of the top stories in al jazeera. a spokesman has told al jazeera he doesn't want african union troops to go into the country. the country is on the brink of civil war and threatens to send 5,000 peace keepers without burundi's consent. the they were envoy to syria will send out talks to january on u.n. backed peace plan for the country. >>> an as u.n. sponsored peace talks wrapped up on the day without a breakthrough, troops loyal to the president has gained control of an important city in the northwest. they have seized the city from

story. >> parents want to take him and his four siblings to greece. they know the risk and they can all die. >> we have no other alternative. no chance to live here or in afghanistan. we can't stay here. we have to go to europe. we want to go to germany. >> entire families of refugees are waiting here in the turkish coastal town of chesarie. waiting for a call from the smugglers they have to be ready all the time. outside there are more children and adults. they sit and wait. it's cold here and the winds are strong. all determined to cross the aegean sea to get to greece which seems close but remains out of reach. >> why we are coming here we have lots of problems with afghanistan. in order to learn something, we cannot guarantee our life. >> reporter: every morning they hope the sea is calmer. greece is a short distance away. but crossing the aegean sea is risky. the journey to the greek island of kios could take hours but this is a dangerous journey. the international organization for migration say more than 650 people have died this year trying to cross from turkey to greece. man

on the taliban 11 refugees bound for greece, including three children have drowned off the turkish coast seven people were rescued that refugees seem to have been trying to reach the freak island, which lied opposite just days ago, 18 people drowned while heading for another greek island. this comes as a number of refugees arying in the european union has reached record levels. the international organization for migration says 1 million, 5,000, 504 people have arrived so far this year. most of them and that's more than 800,000 came by sea, to greece's shores. and that sex thousand dies while attempting to reach europe across the mediterranean. half of those arriving were syrians. and 7% were iraqis. for more on this, we are joined now by tom brooks, here in the u.k., mr. brooks thank you so much for joining us here. obviously the immigration crisis nothing new, hundreds of thousands of people have been coming for the past couple of years but to see 1 million in 12 months really does show you that the situation is changing and changing rapidly, europe wasn't ready a year ago, is it

american science >>> turning to greece where there's concern of refugees on the streets. thousands arrived in athens. on the border between greece and macedonia, and other refugees flock to the capital of the greek islands in. >> stepping foot on mainland europe, with big hope and dreams. they arrived in the greek capital, after risking their lives. this iraqi refugee says he had no choice. >> i would definitely die if i stayed in iraq. that's why i took the risk. i want to feel human. the syrian couple says their 1.5-year-old son has eye cancer, they want the doctors in germany to treat him. i asked his mother if he was hope to be in europe. >> no, i was not happy. i want syria, i want to return there. i will not forget it. >> most of the refugees take different routes to germany and elsewhere in europe. many will not make it. greece is under pressure, and overwhelmed by the number of refugees arriving on its islands in every day. thousands of people have been registered. and allowed to continue the journey to europe. others tightened or closed their borders, thousands have closed the bor

in athens, greece is now the 137th country to recognize palestinian statehood. well, we have a senior official and says although the vote is symbolic it's an important reminder to the world about how the palestinians are suffering. >> when you're talking about 140 countries who have done so the wave of the recognitions that came from europe and latin america between the year 2010 and 2012 and 2014 had waned and stopped and now it is revived again. this cumulative process brings in international support and legal consequences and brings in eventually more support vis-a-vis what interests us at the time which is punishment and isolation and real sanctions against israel to stop its action in palestine. we have to continue patiently with the confrontation with israel and struggle against israeli occupation in the father and local popular struggle against the israelis and the international arena. i mean we really have to emulate the south africans in that sense of really gradually bringing more recognition and bringing more sanctions against israel and bringing more pressure from the inte

and the winds are strong. all determined to cross the agean sea to get to greece which seems close but remains out of reach. >> why i am coming here, we have lots of problems in afghanistan. we have faced amount of challenges. they are not good for the young generation in order to learn something, and we cannot guarantee our life. >> every morning, they hope the cease is calmer. a short distance away but crossing the agean scene is rick. >> the island could take up to an hour depending upon weather conditions. but this is a dangerous journey. the international organization for migration says more than 650 people have died this year while trying to cross from turkey to greece. many of them were children. in the last few weeks, at least 15 children have drowned in the age agean sea. >> the rights group says the recorded death of refugees using two our routes in the mediterranean have reached over 2,900. since october, more than sent children have died crossing the age agean sea. at the meeting point on the coast of checman as the right moment came, the first overloaded dingy sets off

greece >>> and lights, camera, but no action, why thailand is struggling to maintain its hollywood connections. ♪ >> "inside story" takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the soundbites. we're giving you a deeper dive into the stories that are making our world what it is. ♪ >>> and the top stories for you. hundreds of rebel fighters and their families have been leaving the syrian city of homs as part of a ceasefire with the government. >>> the u.s. defense secretary has called on gulf countries to do more to fight isil. he said that sunni arab nations in particular should be doing more. >>> and the taliban has warned the u.s. president that his troops are not safe in afghanistan. a group of its fighters attacked an airt in kandahar, killing more than 70 soldiers and civilians. >>> climate change talks in paris says that significant progress has been made. the french foreign minister has reviewed a new slimmed-downdraft text on reducing carbon emissions with three-quarters of the attendees now agreeing. they have just 48 hours to put pen to paper on a defi

greece, there's concern at the growing fm of refugees on the streets. thousands arrived in athens. other refugees are flocking to the capital from the greek islands in. omar al salah has more. >> stepping food on mainland europe, with hopes and dreams. these refugees arrived in the greek capital after risking their lives crossing the agean sea, and landing on the islands in. the iraqi refugee has no choice. >> i would die if i stayed in iraq. that's why i took the risk. i want to feel human. the syrian couple says their son had eye cancer, and want doctors in germany to treat them. i asked his mother if they were happy to be in europe. >> no, i'm not happy. i want syria, i want to return there. i will not forget it. >> most of the refugees will take different routes to germany and elsewhere in europe. many will not make it. >> this is understand tremendous pressure and overwhelmed by the number much refugees arriving on the islands in every day. hundreds of thousands of people have been registered and are allowed to continue their journey to the rest of europe. others tightened or

turkey to try to stop people from making the dangerous journey by sea. greece's border control problems, a majority of people who make it to europe do so through the greek islands. we have this report from athens. >> the debate over the european border and coast guard focused on greece, because this has been the entry point for 800,000 migrants into europe no year. the greeks have been in need of greater assistance than so far received from their e.u. partners through the existing european external borders agency, which operates on a fuel voluntarily base. the greeks, too, insisted that they are up to the task of policing european external borders and fingerprinting migrants. the sheer number of people arriving were ultimately overwhelming. early they are month, the greeks invoked emergency assistance status, forcing e.u. partners to provide them with more aid than they have voluntarily done. the greeks only did this after they were threatened with, pugs from the schengen open borders treaty. border security is a sovereign duty and the greeks have been eager to prove that they can perfo

were a commander from the guard >>> greece says it is not getting enough help from the european union on the refugee storm. it has become the main entry point for refugees in europe. 50,000 people have arrived this month alone. >> translation: greece is meeting its obligations and add hearing to all obligation on the issues. this is something that the whole european union and the members have encountered without having found an adequate solution >>> last with mass macedonian please at the agrees mass macedonia border where they have been held for several weeks. a few thousand people are stuck there because mass macedonia has a policy of allowing in only refugees from syria, iraq and afghanistan. almost two thousand refugees and migrants have been pulled off 11 boats in the mediterranean. ships took part in the rescue effort. it is the largest number of people for more than a month. bad weather has flowed the influx of refugees into europe in recent woks. brazilian president has said the impeachment proceedings against her is a coup. she is accused of manipulating government acco

. prime minister stipar as met with president abbas on monday. greece has economic and military ties with israel. some people say that this move is an appeal from those who support palestinians. >> i am in favor. but i'm in favor of keeping diplomatic relations with israel. is it possible? yes, i'm in favor. >> the vote is symbolic and the resolution is non-binding for the government. this will give palestinians hope that the recognition is a step closer. >> palestinians in the occupied west bank is raising money to help rebuild homes. at least ten houses have been torn down. it's part of a decades-old policy of demolishing homes of palestinians accused of attacking israelis. >> these are the ruins of what was a home. demolished by the israeli military earlier this month. the rest of the buildings was also badly damaged, making large parts of uninhabitable. this woman said she does not know why she and her young son is being punished for a crime they didn't commit. >> my husband is in prison. he's probably worried sick about us. >> since october there has been a wave of violence across is

the heart of the continent. 800,000 so far have entered the e.u. from greece. several balkan countries have built border fences to block the passage of refugees, turning greece into a bottleneck. many are heading north and want to settle eventually in germany. our correspondent reports now on the border between greece and macedonia. >> reporter: tired but determined to carry on. heading into the unknown to start a new life. the border here has been tightened with new restrictions, only iraqis, syrians, and afghans are allowed in. macedonia is next, but reaching northern europe is not easy. many have escaped wars, rape, and the islamic state of iraq and the levant. this is a town that until recently was under isil's control in northern iraq. >> translator: it was cleared from isil, but everyone there wants to establish their own authority. we decided either we live in peace or die together trying. >> reporter: the journey remains long and hard, the next goal is to cross through macedonia, serbia, and beyond. the flow of refugees is constant, so far over 2,000 people have cross

new life. the challenges facing refugees on their next step north from greece. >> i'm tanya page reporting from central african republic where as christmas, not everyone is happy about the pending election. >>> to sports news, one of the most powerful football men faces a court in uruguay on corruption charges. details coming up. >>> isil fighters are expected to be given safe passage out of the refugee camp in the syrian capital damascus in a deal negotiated with president bashar al assad's government. the u.n. is backing the move aimed at making it possible to deliver aid to thousands trapped by the fighting. the isil fighters and some members of the syrian rebel groups are expected to be transferred north wards. the yarmouk camp has been blockaded by government forces since 2012. 18,000 people are trapped in the camp, most are palestinian refugees. activists say buses have already started arriving to transport rebels and their families out of the area. many isil fighters are expected to head for raqqa, six hours away. >> qatar's foreign minister has been meeting his russian co

tsipn greece. we have to remember that the first party the partido popular, a natural ally, also a new party, both don't have the absolute majority but they have a pretty strong power in parliament right now. they cannot do everything that they want but they can negotiate with other parties such as socialist party which is like center left. >> will we see a coalition? >> that's difficult to say. we have never ever had a coalition in spain. we have had either absolute majorities with the socialists or center right, right now we have an absolute majority with partido popular. and the nationalists and the communists. now we could see a coalition, i would say that's not likely. i would say having talked to some of the leaders myself i strongly believe they are going to go for a minority government with some support for some measures, you know like reform of electoral law constitutional reform. so i would say no, we won't see a coalition in the near future here in spain. >> david it's really interesting to try figure out what caused this division in the government. spain has the second high

the mediterranean sea to greece so far this year. al jazeera's omar saleh spoke with some. >> almost 1 million people have crossed greece to rest of europe so far this year and thousands of them remain stuck here in the capital athens. the foreign minister says the crisis requires a global response. >> greece cannot manage it on its own. i believe that the decision made by european union to create proper refugee camps in turkey and that resettlement take place from there there is the most immediate solution. we have asked for 1400 frontex camps to be sent and only got 900. therefore there is no point in getting into a blame-game. >> greece also rejects criticism from the european union that it is failing to stem the flow of refugees reaching its shores. the greek officials say their borders and shores are protected but they will not allow people to drown in the sea. >> spaniards are facing the possibility of going back to the polls after the country's most fragmented election ever. neither the conservatives nor left leaning rivals have won enough seats to govern. barnaby phillips repor