the syrian government are not here to play games with the fate of the syrian people. we are not here to monger with the future of the syrian people. automatic those present are the concern of all the syrian people, including the government. we are the government exercising our authorities and we are part of the syrian people. those should specify and answer about the 400 kidnapped in the lataki latak latakia. from al jazeera and the others. the humanitarian concern is the issue of all the syria people. those are providing and it means that we are concerned on resolving these critical issues, which are in the concern of the syrian people. >> translation: a while ago in the press conference claims that delegation of the syrian government are present here to fail the process and you are here to krip el - cripple the process. what is your response? >> translation: we are official to whom an invitation was given. we answered timely and punctually and from the day one we were engaged in discussions with the special envoy. this proves that seriousness of the syrian governmen

the syrian civil war has claimed more than 250,000 lives and caused more than four million syrians to become refugees. a pair of rare, winter tornadoes cut through central florida before dawn today. one twister touched down in the sarasota area, 50 miles southeast of tampa, and two people died when their mobile home was destroyed. the national weather service says the deadly tornado had winds of up to 135 miles an hour. >> sreenivasan: over the past year, we've heard and seen the images of syrian refugees make the treacherous crossing to europe, but most syrian refugees live in neighboring countries like jordan, lebanon, and turkey. in turkey, about 250,000 syrians live in refugee camps, but many more live outside the camps in order to find work to support their families. this week, the turkish government announced it would help some of them by issuing more work permits for refugees. turkey is also poised to receive aid from europe to pay for refugee support and to slow their migration onward. in tonight's signature segment, special correspondent mike cerre reports on syrian refugees

and here is the syrian ambassador. bashar jafari. >> talking points about the humanitarian situation in besieged areas. here of course i'm referring to my country, syria.the syrian government reiterates its intention to cooperate fully with the office of icrc to deliver the humanitarian assistance to all the civilians affected in all the syrian territories without any discrimination. including the restive areas which is described 50 united nations as hard to reach areas or besieged areas. the syrian government reemphasizes that the issue of safety and security of the humanitarian workers is a priority. in addition to guaranteeing the dlifeguaranteeing thedelivery oo the affected groups. concerning the delivery of humanitarian assistance to restive areas. adopted by the united nations itself since it reconsiders the delivery of certain humanitarian convoice due to safety and security concerns. certain security council members are ignoring the root causes of the humanitarianin humanitariann syria which are the terrorist

the base of the syrian revolution does not want the syrian opposition to go to geneva, but on the other hand if they don't go, i mean, then they will lose as kerry said, the support of their closest allies. this is a very delicate situation for the syrian opposition >>> thank you very much for your insight. 30 iraqi security forces have been killed north of ramadi. i.s.i.l. are believed to have carried out the attack at the headquarters of the tenth division of the iraqi army. they have been fighting to regain full control of ramadi from the armed group. in the u.s. five people including the leader of an armed militia occupying government property have been arrested. authorities say shots were fired during the operation in the state of oregon. at least one person was killed and another injured. the group has been occupying a wildlife refuge near the city of burn since 2 january. the take over of the property was in support of two farmers ordered to go to jail for setting fire to the government land. the occupation became about landownership. they accused the government will illegally st

you're talking about more than seven million syrians - four million syrians forced out of their country, more than 7 million displaced. people who had hoped just a few years ago to start a fresh life. those dreams were highjacked by the law in the country. joining me is one of those syrians who was forced out of their country. thank you very much indeed for joining us. this is a new day, a new year, 2016. could you give us a sense how do you feel as a syrian about tomorrow? >> i'm hopeless. i feel hopeless. i can't see no future for syria, not even for 10 years. >> reporter: most of your friends here risked their lives and went to europe. >> yes. >> reporter: you chose to stay here. why? >> it's a personal decision because i didn't like to be a refugee there, so i prefer to stay here in turkey and work. i didn't want to go there and fight for asylum and to live on the government money there. i just wanted to stay here. >> reporter: the international community is pushing for a political settlement of the crisis in syria. are you hoping that we might see a happy ending to the war? >> just

mohamed is a member of the syrian opposition now he says he is unhappy with the way the lead up to the talks is being hand d handled. >> translator: there is pressure on us to give up the natural rights of the syrian people, these pressures are represented in pushing our delegation to head to the talks without any clear agenda plus giving up good will measures and mainly addressing the humanitarian situation which has nothing to do with politics and therefore we cannot tell the people who delegated us we gave up your rights and headed to geneva without stopping the air raids or receiving aid. >> we report from the turkish city close to the border with syria. >> reporter: staffan de mistura the u.n. special envoy on syria should have been sending out invitations on sunday, that didn't take place and now we are looking at possibly wednesday, some diplomates say but john kerry has stepped in again warning against any provocations by either side, what he called posturing and what has been happening are some elements of the syrian regime is no oppositions will be met and opposition speaking

the syrian government says these towns are not besieged by them. that 400,000 are not besieged, that 25 million are all udged seem bundersiege from terroristd foreign governments. after this report from caroline malone. >> aid has finally arrived, a red cross convoy left for the western town of madaya in syria. but more has to be done to help others in need. >> what's going on now is giving aid to people is not good enough. the united nations have done this exactly three months ago, and look at where we are at now. >> to the north supply trucks from the red crescent aid organization trundle through idlib heading for al-foua and kefraya. both cone invoices had to arrive at the same time as part of the deal negotiatewith the syrian government a few days ago. progovernment forces have blockaded madaya for months, cut off armed groups, people at madaya say they have been cialg being eating handfuls of salt and cats and dogs. activists say, the u.n. has more knowledge deliveries planned across syria and whether they'll let that aid through, caroline kno

reporters are gathered waiting for the syrian ambassador and the syrian chief negotiator, that's the capacity he is in here to come to speak to reporters at that microphone, and lay out his position. clearly it is probably a pr opportunity for him and the syrian government, and he is a very media savvy man. i have seen him multiple times giving news conferences in new york and he doesn't miss on a good sound bite, and i'm sure he will make the case that he is here representing the syrian government, while the main grouping of the opposition are not here, and so far have not been talking to anyone or negotiating with anyone. the main opposition grouping is the grouping that is based in saudi arabia in riyadh, that was formed in riyadh. they say they can't come -- or can't take part in the negotiations at this stage, because they say that the u.n. resolution passed at the end of last year had certain conditions in it, and they say those conditions haven't been met, and those include lifting the sieges of communities in syria, and stopping the bombardment, including the bombardment of s

>>> the syrian army retakes the key town as it continues its offensive against rebel fighterfighters >>> you're watching al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also ahead a step forward for diploma diplomacy. we are live in geneva in relation to the invitations to be sent out for the talks. zika causing birth defects. fighting for an apology. the women who were sex slaves to japan soldiers in the second world war. first, activists say syrian government forces have retaken one of the most important towns in the south of the country. it is on a key supply line linking the capital and the city of deraa. it is close to jordan and there are a number of highways crossing through the area. >> reporter: the syrian flag flys again here. it has taken the army to retake this town in the south-western province of deraa. military forces entered after securing supply lines. battles are reported to be continuing on the outskirts. the importance of the town conditioned be understated. government forces had given up how much of this territory until russian armed forces began their military ca

he hires only syrians he said work hard. >> the situation is really hard now for syrians, all of them. they are living in misery and every day they are suffocating them with these laws. majority of working illegally with no sponsor ships, most came from syria to work and live. >> human rights groups say since visa restrictions were instituted, more work illegally. he can't find a sponsor. >> the last time i went to renew my papers they asked me my work. i said i stay at home. if they knew i worked here, i'd get penalized and sent back to syria. we are not supporting any side in the war. we just want to survive. >> many others can't afford the $200 needed for official documentation. syrians such as mow ma'am whose been living here since the start of the war. >> i don't have residency. the residency issue broke us. i don't have the means to renew may papers or a sponsor. >> with the older resigned to working illegally or younger and taking on the breadwinner's role as a child, most syrians in lebanon are just trying to earn enough to live off a struggle made harder by lebanese law. al j

today all syrians who are not registered as refugees, they can easily work. they just need to have a local lebanese sponsor, whereas for syrian refugees that are registered they can use it to renew their residencies. the only thing that is mentioned in the report is the issue of fees for renewal of the residencies. this is something that has always been there. it's part of lebanese legislation. it's not something new. >>> now the u.n. has announced that yemen's peace talks have been postponed until next tuesday. another setback for yemenis who are desperate for this conflict to end, including a quarter of a million people who are in dire need of food and medicine. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: houthi gunmen herd residents away from their check point at the western gate of ta'izz. >> we are insulted and humiliated. they say we are not allowed to leave the city. >> reporter: more than a quarter of a million people have no access to food in the city. [ explosion ] >> reporter: ta'izz is under siege by houthi fighters who control the city suburbs. fight

talks on syria with only one of the sides here, the syrian government. the meeting lasted for over two hours with the head of syrian delegation. i think the u.n. felt we have to keep the momentum of this process. we don't want to do anything that will make the main opposition block come here by maybe by starting things it will encourage them to come here. clearly that has worked. they are on their way, but let's be clear what that group of opposition members, some of the key political groups, some of the key armed factions, what they're coming here for. they say at this stage they are not coming to take part in negotiations. they are coming to see whether some of the concessions they say have been offered to them are actually going to be realized. yes, they will have a meeting with the special envoy, staffan de mistura, and we're not clear whether that will be on saturday or sunday, but then they need to see some things they have been promised not just the u.n., but also from other international players in this has spokening to that gropg, and they say t

syrian forces have held the last town held by i.s.i.l. in latakia. rob matheson now reports. >> reporter: in say small town but its capture by syrian forces marks a series position by armed forces. >> translation: armed forces have been able to take control of the city in latakia. it has led us in the last two days to regain control of 18 towns and villages including rubare. it is a stronghold of the community to which bashar al-assad belongs. for the last four years it has been a key northern place for turkman fighters. it is estimated 20,000 people have fled from their homes in the turkman mountains. >> translation: it was one of the oppositions biggest strong holds. it was where they kept their supplies, ammunition and weapons for the area. also many villages west of rabeer were considered safe places for troops. >> reporter: the syrian government forces have been supported by russian air attacks. the taking of robeer means the regime and the russians are stronger in latakia. they will turn their attention to idlib still held by opposition fighter

the camera crew who filmed these pictures were operating under syrian government media guidelines. >> syria remains a country where it is difficult to speak freely and where basic humanitarian needs, the access to food, is being used as a weapon of war. the u.n. now says it needs the urgent evacuation from 4000 people from madaya who need life saving treatment >>> syria's foreign minister is in india. he is hoping to boost support for his government ahead of talks later this month to try and end the war. india has always opposed any regime change in syria by force, a poogs that favorable to the syrian government. the three-day visit follows trips to asia and russian. the u.n. talks on syria begin on 25 january after weeks of disagreement over who from the numerous opposition groups in syria may attend. the u.n. has desooifd as an-- devised an ambitious plan including a ceasefire and a transitional body within six months. it doesn't address bashar al-assad's role in the future of syria. let's speak to an associate fellow at the observer research foundation where she focuses on asia's w

and i think that the syrians are telling us something. they say we want something concrete when you start talks, give us some concrete results so we will be pushing that ceasefire discussion. now what form could this take, will it be a general, a suspension of fighting, a pause in the fighting, well there are a great number of different forum that is such a ceasefire could take, but the conditions should be that it is a real size fire and not just local ceasefire. this is obviously not what we want. we want something that will put an end to the fighting, but that is part and parcel of the talks. >> you said you didn't want to give us details as to who would be receiving and invitation. could you tell us what the criteria are for excluding groups? >> no, i cannot. all i can tell you is that the criteria are two be in line with what the security council has instructed me to do. that is to say, to be as inclusive as possible, and i'll stop there, but there's no doubt one category with which we will be very firm, that is to ensure that we inc

people, but came here to buy time to kill more syrians. >>> the syrian government, like any other government in the world, that the duty to protect its own people, to protect its own and to show to everybody that those who are imposing on the syrian people, this kind of bloodshed are not syrians. they are foreign powers endorsing foreign agendas aiming at making political pressure on the syrian government by using terrorism as a political weapon. >> let's cross over to our diplomatic it tore james bays from geneva. besides, james, exchange words, do we know the status of the actual negotiations now? >> well clearly, both sides have now been speaking to the u.n. special envoy. the government side on friday at the u.n. as part of the talks process. the opposition side still having a meeting to clarify their position with regard to the talks and the fact they'd actually like to see some developments on the ground in syria before they formally join the negotiations. clearly there are talks underway. after the meeting between the opposition and the special envoy, they made contact with those oppo

there have always been some seasonal syrian workers here. >> translator: we have here a large syrian population, which puts huge pressure on the area, and it is already an air dwla is neglected. we have to put up with them. >> reporter: the lebanese host communities now share their limited space. many of the syrian refugee camps are set up on land such as this one. but there is pressure on the infrastructure. syrians don't and often can't afford to pay taxes or contribute to the cost of running the region. >> translator: lebanese are known to be generous. we want to help. but it's only up to a point. as you see here, people are trying to cover their own cost to solve his own problems. >> reporter: there is support from the international community through the u.n. new development projects may provide a lasting solution. until then they are having to balance the pressures of having a large and sometimes desperate work force of syrians on their doorstep. >>> the family of an australian couple kidnapped last week are asking for their return. the elliotts were medics who ran a charity hos

syrian government at the table. syrian government at the table. i think that everybody pretty i think that everybody pretty much recognises this and accepts much recognises this and accepts this, including saudi arabia, this, including saudi arabia, which did agree to be part of which did agree to be part of this peace process, including this peace process, including the notion that bashar al-assad the notion that bashar al-assad could be part of a negotiating could be part of a negotiating process. process. the question that we the question that we now have to now have to ask ourselves, if the purpose of ask ourselves, if the purpose of these so-called peace talks is these so-called peace talks is to end the devastation and to end the devastation and destruction of syria, why do the destruction of syria, why do the peace talks contemplate the peace talks contemplate the continuation of war in a third continuation of war in a third of the country where i.s.i.s. of the country where i.s.i.s. are located some in what

the syrian red crescent will be in charge of sending the trucks to the towns and syrian opposition will provide protection. the convoys consist of 21 trucks with 4,000 packages be, including 2,000 med well packages and 10,000 blankets. double the quantity will enter the town of madaya in the damascus suburbs and the trucks will entertainment. the aid is part of the agreement signed between the regime and syrian opposition. >> the u.n. refugee agency helped monitor the deal from damascus. he described the agreement as an important breakthrough. >> we hope that this process will lead to a second and third and finally we all hope for a peaceful solution to the crisis, which will then open the door for human workers on the ground, and we will have access to be able to help and let people go back to their lives. among them, there are 400,000 who leave in besieged leaks, and these mean that they are denied access to pure, clean drinking water, to food and humanitarian aid. >> u.s. command in iraq asked residents in the city of ramadi to leave within the next 48 hours. the announcement comes a

with one side present, the representatives of the syrian government - the main syrian opposition group says it had delieded to travel to geneva after being given assurances by the u.n., james bays pass been following costs in geneva. >> on this, the first day of the talks, only one of the main parties actually turned up here at the u.n. headquarters in geneva. the syrian ambassador to the united nations in new york, is heading his country's delegation, and came here to set out his case to the u.n. special envoy. it was during their meeting that word came through from saudi arabia, that the main opposition block, which for days said it will not come to geneva, unless its demands are met, said that they would finally make the journey here to switzerland. when he spoke to reporters, stefan de mistura said he couldn't confirm the news until he got a written confirmation, from the high negotiating committee, but he had heard good signs. >> they raised important points of their concerns. they'd would like to see addressed from the government authorities regarding some type of improvement for

syrian forces backed by russian air power are on the offensive. live from doha also ahead on the program, a far right mob threatens to attack refugees in the center of sweden's capital. all eyes are on iowa as u.s. presidential candidates make one last push for the first vote to secure their party's nomination. the main syrian opposition group is in geneva for talks aimed at ending the civil war, but only hours after getting there they're threatening to walk out. their calling for u.n. resolutions to be acted on and demanding humanitarian access to besieged areas. >> reporter: a very large group of press here, quite chaotic scenes when they arrived here because we all want to know the position, the exact position, of this, the main opposition grouping. when the spokesman came here said that they still believe that that u.n. resolution at the end of december means there are things which should be put in place now before talks take place. he said they weren't his group's conditions, they were conditions of the u.n. security council. i then pressed h

more now on the polite of syrian refugees-- plight of syrian refugees. our correspondent is live. >> reporter: there is an air of normality about what is going on here, kids at a concert, their teachers nearby, but nothing here is simple, normal or really at all agreeable with anyone because all of these kids here, and these are a small number from this home which is classified as an orphanage, none of these kids have a father. they either lost their father in their retreat from war zones in syria or their father has died. their mothers are looking after them under the care of a charity here and they get by. in fact they're going really well. they've been integrated into a turkish school, all of them, and from the age of youngsters in play group up to 16 years of age. 135 in total. but the vast majority of syrian refugees in turkey right now are not getting aid, they're not getting any support. they are, of course-- there are, in fact, something like a total right now of 270,000 nearly in refugee camps, ten refugee camps, but beyond that there are nearly

the syrian government delegation, as you say, are now in geneva. i told you an hour ago that they were meeting in two hours time. that meeting's been pushed back for one hour, the meeting between the syrian ambassador to the u.n. and the special envoy. no timing for a meeting between opposition physician. as you say, the opposition were pretty animate in the last few days that they weren't going to come to geneva until their demands were met. that's changed a little. they now saying they're not going to negotiate until their demands are merit and right now are mid wait in a flight from riyadh to geneva. we understand 30 people on the flight representing the high negotiating commission, that's the main opposition bloch, some of the main political players and armed groups fighting on the ground in syria, but they're still making it clear although they are coming to discuss with the special envoy their concerns, they are not at this stage going to take part in negotiations until they are happy that their concerns have been properly addressed. >>> when

syrians of school age in lebanon. in public school classrooms like this one there are nearly as many syrian students as lebanese, but there are many other syrians who are not getting an education putting an already uncertain future in jeopardy there are still thousands of refugee children who were not in school. some of the syrians registered here don't turn up because they can't afford to pay for the school bus. >> translation: education is the key to a better life. it is our duty to keep them in schools and add another shift. the education ministry helped in making this process easier for them. our duty is also to treat each lebanese and syrian equally. >> reporter: the students may be treated equally, but the staff have noticed how hard the syrian students study. >> translation: yes. i am first in my class. i had to study really hard. the teachers are really good here. they help me get there. as you know, it's a public school and in lebanon it's mostly private schools. anyone who wants to study, whether public or p

syrians of all ethnicities and religions. >> so on the other side, on the syrian government side there are also issues because the syrian government has said that they will have no concessions whatsoever. but their allies the russians and the iranians are saying that there is a willingness to negotiate. so is that posturing on the syrian part? >> yes, i think it is. clearly, if there's going to be a peace agreement, there's going to have to be a compromise both on the part of the syrian government and on the part of the various opposition factions. so if you 30 of what the solution -- think of what the solution is going to look like it's going to include elements of power sharing. a presidential system, a presidential dictatorship if you will to a parliamentary system which would allow power sharing not only in the parliament but in the government. actually, a system rather like what exists in iraq. >> now the opposing sides won't sit in the same room. the talks were supposed to start today and they were pushed off. do you think this shuttle gloams frodiplomacy from room to room l work

that number is up to 486,700 syrians that live in those conditions. of those 274,000 of them live in areas besieged by the syrian government according to the u.n., another 200,000 live in areas besieged by i.s.i.l. and about 12,000 in areas besieged by non-state armed groups such as the al-nusra front. steven o'brien said that the use of siege and starvation of as a weapon of war is represent rehencible. he also said more need to be done >> you have cross-borrowed assistance and you've taken action to launch a political process. but for the millions of people trapped under siege, mall nurished and lacking supplies, this council has not done enough. we have left those people with no hope. they believe the world has forgotten them >> reporter: he was very critical of the syrian government. he said the government last year only approved 10% of the more than 100 requests by the u.n. to get aid convoys in to people that needed it the most. o'brien called this unacceptable and irnlgd the syrian government to do more to help. o'brien reminded the security co

syrian opposition leaders want confidence building measures from the syrian government before the talks begin. they want sir i can't be government forces to stop bombarding opposition held towns and cities. they are calling for political prisoners to be released and they want humanitarian aid delivered to those in desperate need. >> you can't enter negotiation whilst people are being slaughtered en masse. at least stopping this onslaught would be a sign by the regime to tell the opposition that it is serious about negotiation. >> the various groups who make up the syrian opposition are fighting on the front lines against the sir i can't be government and its allies, such as iran and russia. however the armed and political opposition lack a unified command and have very different visions for the future of syria. last month, opposition leaders met for three days in the saudi capital riyadh to try to unify the opposition before scheduled talks with syrian government leaders. >> the riyadh conference last month shows it is possible for independence for faction leaders, rebel leaders, as wel

the syrian war. but some of the opposition groups say they want an end to air strikes and a call for the lifting of sieges. syrian demonstrators outside of the u.n. are pushing for more international action to stop the conflicts. james bayes is in geneva for those talks and joins us live. do we know if any of the syrian opposition representatives are actually on their way to switzerland? >> reporter: we are hearing that come will be making their way, but we have been getting very confusing and conflicting reports out of riyadh for some hours, and it seems the plane has not taken off at this stage. so what we have right now in geneva is just one of the main delegations here and that's the syrian government delegation in the country, not quite in the u.n., but take a look around us where we are. you can see the microphones set up, you can see the u.n. officials by the door. they are here to welcome the syrian government delegation in just the next fewing minutes. the press are here, hundreds of journal

i speak on behalf of four million syrian refugees now scattered all over the world. i am lucky, i have a shelter and i go to university. but there are many stranded on the border with no shelter and nothing to eat. why do we have to pay the price? >> reporter: a sentiment echoed by those still in syria and those who risk their lives to find refuge abroad and they all feel betrayed by the world. diplomacy can bring refugees to return home and a great thing and that will largely depend if president assad and opposition are ready for some sort of compromise, al jazeera on turkey's border with syria. >>> ongoing conflicts and territorial disputes in middle east forced millions of people from their homes. and the region has more than five million palestinian refugees who left or fled their homes when israel was created in 1948 and nearly half of them are in jordan which also hosts millions of iraqis who fled following u.s. invasion in 2003, on going violence there has displaced four million more iraqis. the war in syria has made more than seven million people leave their

laura spends much of her time in the syrian part. this tent was the home of one of the boys who were allowed to the u.k. >> you can pad the inside with blankets, but it's still breezing. you can probably see your breath in there. >> last week the historic victory for the children left them with excitement. as we were talking, a 15-year-old turned up. her uncle and brother already live in britain. he can't understand why he can't get on the train as well. laura tries to keep his spirits up. >> we went to see where mohammed has to live while the u.k. authorities decide whether to allow him to be with his family. this tent house will sleep four and it's bitterly cold inside. mohammed is getting ill. >> so i think what we're going to do is the doctor is going to come out to see you. we don't know yet what will happen. it's torture. they see their friends. their friends leave. yet they're still here and they have the same legal right, and yet they're still here. >> hi, good morning. how are you? >> as we walk the camp more and more childr

and it houses the most number of syrian refugees. the number either above or just around 2 million people, and it was interesting though the prime minister also said that he wanted solidarity, with turkey, the way there was solidarity with france after the charlie hebdo attacks. he said that people should stand with turkey, and some of the reaction coming from both the european union and germany has been exactly that. that we stand by -- we stand with turkey, and will do everything on turkey's side, basically. >> all right. al jazeera in istanbul, thank you for the moment. let's take you from there to berlin, speaking to al jazeera dominic cane. we knew that many of the people caught up in this apack were in germany, and uh no we have has the big pick juries concerned. >> that's right. it was somber angel merkel whose brief report a short time ago, effectively confirming that eight german citizens were killed by this explosion, and that nine more were wounded. she expressed her condolences on behalf of the german nation to the victim

say 400,000 syrians are cut off from food and medicine. hello there, i'm julie mcdonald. this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up, the mexican drug lord el chapo escaped from a supposedly high security prison in july is recaptured. >>> cologne chief of police relieved of his duties after attacks against women on new year's eve. a warm welcome to the program. the u.n. said at least 400,000 syrians are living under siege, completely cut off with no access to food or to medicine. it said that both the government and opposition are stopping supplies. the u.n. said that the islamic state in iraq and the levant h has--4 million syrians have been registered in egypt, iraq, jordan, lebanon and turkey. many refugees camps are seen snow in this last week. well, those who have left to seek safety in europe are now struggling, of course, with freezing temperatures. medics say they've seen a spike in illnesses amongst refugees in the balkans. in lebanon here is caroline malone. >> a protest on the border between syria and lebanon less than 10 kilometers away, there are syri

>> there is pressure on us to give up the rights of the syrian people. these representatives are pushing our delegation to head to the talks without clear agenda, plus giving up the good will measures, mainly addressing the humanitarian situation which has nothing to do with politics. therefore, we cannot tell our people that delegated us that we gave up your rights and headed to geneva without stopping air raids or lifting the siege or releasing the prisoners for sending aid. >> near the syrian border, waiting for special envoy to speak due to come up any moment. the big question we are awaiting to hear the answer to is whether talks are going to take place. >> that's right. it would appear that if they do take place, it will be some days away, wednesday, at the early evident, stefan has really a colossal task. john kerry has said to try to stop the warring sides from posturing, he's said that the posturing going on right now has to stop. of course, what the opposition is worried about is the situation they're going into without any form of precondition

that's syrian president bashar al-assad. this once was a syrian airport. since the summer, the russians have built barracks, broug in 4,000 personnel, paved roads, rolled itruckloads of equipment and munitions, erecting a bit of russia in the heart of assad-controlled syria. but the relationship between russia and syria is far from perfect, as we found out when the russian admiral we interviewed used a derogatory term to describe president assad. >> ( speaking russian ) out of prison after nearly 30 years on death row, a free man. what was that moment like? >> as though i was walking on clouds. >> pelley: but hinton's story raises serious questions about how we handle unjust convictions. >> 30 years ago, a judge proudly stood up and said, "i sentence you to die." 30 years later, no one had the decency to say, "we sorry for what took place." >> i'm past patiently waitin' i'm passionately smashin' every expectation every action's an act of creation... >> rose: the show has reached the loftiest heights. in five months at the richard rodgers theater, "hamilton

all sides, including syrian government, which has the primary responsibility to protect syrians, are committing this and other atrocious acts prohibited under international humanitarian law. states in the region and beyond that can make a difference must press the parties for us is contained and unimpeded humanitarian access throughout syria. i speak specifically about members of the international syrian support group. although other measures are needed, such as the immediate end to the use of indiscriminate weapons in civilian areas, including through shelling and air strikes by any of the parties involved militarily in syria. no cause can justify the toll in civilian lives, and destroy the schools, clinics, and markets, that we continue to register around the country every day. this is [ inaudible ] to the credibility of the renewed political process. my special envoy will continue to work towards convening the talks on 25th of january. let me say a few wores about the crisis in yemen. in recent days we have seen intensified air strikes, ground fighting and shelling. we also have w

says 400,000 syrians are cut off from food and medicine. ♪ >>> hello there, i'm julie mcdonald, this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up, the mexican drug lord el capo is he captured according to the president. >>> north koreans celebrate reports of their country's hydrogen bomb test, south korea resumes propaganda broadcasts on the border. >>> a warm welcome to the program. the u.n. says at least 400,000 syrians are living under siege, completely cut off with no access to food or to medicine. it says both the government and the opposition are stopping vital supplies from reaching people who desperately need them in different areas of the country. some are so desperate that they are resorting to drastic action to stay alive. >> reporter: a protests on the border between syrian and lebanon. they are marching in solidarity with the people nearby. >> translator: we came to lebanon because of the regime air strikes. they destroyed our homes. they burned our fields. there is nothing left. they fled with their families to madaya. they put them in a big prison. >> reporter: there

students are enrolled in the syrian school. children with one lebanon piece parent are taught in the morning and syrians in the afternoon. >> at first it was a shock moving here and leaving my country. we had to get used to it. >> they're taught the lebanese curriculum. some to topics are caught--taugt in arabic and some topics are taught in english. that has been a shock for syrian students. >> they are not knowing how to speak english so they are not knowing how to explain. >> officials are trying to get them in school. in public school classrooms like this one there are nearly as many syrian students as lebanese but there are many other syrians who are not getting education, putting an already uncertain future into jeopardy. >> there are still thousands of lebanese children who are not registered in school. and some of the syrians registered at school don't turn up because they can't afford to pay for the school bus. >> education is the key to a better life. it's our duty to keep them in schools and add another shift. the ed

-backed free syrian army and the syrian arm of al qaeda. the general wouldn't tell us how many planes are flying missions, but american military sources say the russians have 36 fighter planes, and 1 helicopters. the russian military says they have flown more than 5,000 sorties, mostly from here, since president putin ordered the bombing campaign in september. what is the primary goal of russia in this intervention? >> translator: the main task is region, syrian statehood. >> reporter: this is the chairman of the russian parliament's defense committee. he was involved in the planning of the syrian mission. the united states is focused primarily on defeating isis, and russia seems to have other priorities supporting the assad regime and helping the assad regime fight its enemies. and that seems to take priority over fighting isis. >> translator: if you cut off the head, you get chaos. there's chaos in libya, chaos essentially in iraq. half the country is under isil. and the head was chopped off there, you see? so if you want to so stubbornly

the syrian opposition has given a list of demands ahead of u.n.-backed peace talks later this month. >>> venezuela is swearing in a new national assembly for the first time in 16 years, that will be dominated by the opposition. >>> kuwait has recalled its ambassador to iran in alliance with saudi arabia. there are reports that bahrain has stopped all flights to and from iran. >>> iron has unveiled a new underground missile depot. a video of the facility was broadcast on state tv. it shows iran's precision-guided ballistic missile which was tested in october. the u.s. say it would be capable of carrying a nuclear payload. and violates the security council resolution. >>> a palestinian has been shot dead by israeli forces. he allegedly stabbed a soldier in occupied west bank. the soldier has been taken to hospital for treatment for his injuries. at least 145 palestinians and 21 israelis have been killed in an up serge of violence since the beginning of october. >> reporter: a palestinian man has been shot dead by israeli military forces after he all

here is al jazeera's gerald tan now with more on the syrian government's recent advances. >> the syrian flag flies again in sheikh maskin and it has taken the army weeks of intense fighting with rebels to retake this town in the southwest providence of deraa and state television showed military forces entering the town center after securing supply lines and reports to be continuing on the outskirts. the importance of the ruined town cannot be understated. it lies on the main road linking the capitol damascus with deraa the city where the revolution began nearly five years ago and government forces had given up much of this territory until russian armed forces began their military campaign last september and the intervention is being seen as a game changer. >>urned around 180 degrees for the regime since the russians came in and just last summer the nusra front the al-qaeda affiliate was making gains in the providence and now there is a significant reversal which will affect the rebel logistics. >> reporter: russian jets carried out thousands of missions helping the syrian government reg

i did ask them are they syrian or turk, and they said they're syrian turk >>> over to our correspondent in beqaa valley. tell us what refugees are there, what are the main challenges for the u.n. when it comes to meeting their needs? >> reporter: there's more than one million syrian refugees in lebanon and many of them are living in these kind of makeshift camps that you can see behind me. this is the kind of situation replicated across the beqaa valley. they're basically relying on handouts and they have no way of making a living for themselves. regulations that have been in place mean that syrian adults can't make a living, so they do rely on ngos and aid. that is important now as the u.n. has asked for a new aappeal of 2.8 billion dollars. it didn't get enough in 2015 so they already have a shortfall. without money they will not be able to buy what they need >>> thank you for that update. at least 65 people have been killed following an attack on a military training center in libya. a truck bomb hit the site in the town. zliten. civilians are among the injured. they were taken to hos

in neighboring lebanon there are 400,000 syrians who have been displaced and who are of cool age. many face obvious challenges in trying to further their learning. caroline malone reports. >> the interpret public school once catered to mainly lebanese students. but it's size has more than doubled in recent years. it has introduced a second school shift. lebanese are taught in the morning and syrians in the afternoon. >> at first it was a moving here and leaving my country. in syria everything was in arabic. here some things are taught in english. >> it's a challenge for many syrians who studied only arabic back home. the teachers are having to adjust as well. >> we're not used to focus on some subjects. they do not know how to speak english, so they will not know how to explain or justify. >> there are more than 400,000 syrians of school age in lebanon. and the local communities are trying to get them in school. >> in public school classrooms there are nearly as many syrian students as lebanese. but there are many other syrian who is are not getting an education, putting their alr

that is syrian president bashar al assad. this once was a syrian airport. since the summer, the russians have built barracks and brought in 4,000 personnel, paved roads, rolled in truckloads of equipment and munitions, erecting a bit of russia in the heart of a assad controlled syria. this is mostly friendly territory. at least 20 miles from the closest front lines. but the russians aren't taking helicopter gun ships constantly patrolled the perimeter. they took us out along newly extended runways to watch a steady series of planes taking off. the roar was decimating. the russians invited about a dozen news organizations on this tour of the latakia air base. they especially wanted us to take note of their newest fire bomber the su-34. our russian guide in syria, major generally igor shenko is the chief spokesman for the ministry of defense. over the previous 24 hours, he said, 320 insurgents and 34 armored vehicles were destroyed. independent monitoring groups told us some of the planes we saw taking off did bomb isis targets, but most bombed more regime, g

right now many syrians are reliant on casual work to get by. estimates put the figure at around 400,000 doing meanal -- memeanal -- meanal -- meanal work. opinion is divided as to whether work permits can radically change things. >> translator: there won't be problems mixing with turkish workers, but it's important that syrians who claim to have skills and qualifications have the documents, otherwise they won't get jobs. >> translator: we would like everybody, turks and syrians to work and look after their families, but we are worried about employers who have the tendency to hire cheap syrian labor, rather than the local work force which could mean more turkish workers end up unemployed. >> reporter: but this city has strong manufacturing exports. and many economies say it will work. >>> in a significant step for the columbian peace process, the government has released some imprisoned farc fighters. it isn't yet clear how many fighters have been released, but the president previously said he would pardon 30 farc fighters. the prisoners had been

that could soon change when syrian refugees get work permits. under the new plans, one in 10 in the workforce here could be syrian. the idea is to approve workers like this in a fast food cafe in northeastern syria. he was lucky enough to have a turkish sponsor to register the business. he's making enough to give his family a basic lifestyle but says the poverty suffered by the vast majority of syrians in turkey is appalling. he believes work permits could make others people like he does. >> i am against the idea of going to europe, because i'm waiting to go back to my open country. if we don't go back to defend it, who will? >> he is in a better position than most. in this area, nearly everyone is syrian and nearly everyone is desperate to improve on an extremely basic way of living. many rely on casual work to get by. estimates put the figure at around 400,000 doing mean yell work for around $200 a month. that is less than half the national minimum wage in turkey. opinion is divided about whether work permits conradically change things. >> the