you're watching, it's the al jazeera newshour, help rolls into madaya and other syrian towns where people are starving. at least nine are killed in a shopping mall in iraq's capital. >>> and video is released on the drug kingpin's hideout. >> and he really made the grade. musical tributes to the pioneer david bowie, who died at the age of 69. >> i'm rahul pathak, your sports in doha. lionel messe, we'll hear from the argentinian later in the program. >> much needed food and medical supplies are being unloaded from trucks in syrian towns that have for months been cut off from aid. supplies have also been delivered to pro-government villages of alfoua and kefraya. in eastern boutta, about 176,000 people are said to be cut off and united nations says i.s.i.l. tighters have cut off cities of dar azur. caroline malone reports. >> aid has finally arrived. carrying desperately needed aid to madaya in western syria but much more has don to be done. >> not good enough. the united nations have done this exactly three months ago and look add where we are at now. >> reporter: to the north, sup

work on the so-called syrian crisis so long as we were negotiating with genuine parties having a say rather than waiting assurances, support or back up by foreign sides which will resulting nothing about exacerbating the issue. over the past five years, the syrian government, the syrian authorities, have been extending all what they can to lend a helping hands to the syrian people, including humanitarian aid. so a great deal of flexibility, the syrian government will have insisted on more than one occasion, we had welcomed the general and welcomed the delegation and today we are welcoming mr staffan de mistura. on every occasion our cooperation and our will had been put to the test. we have proven our goodwill, we have proven our genuineness and we have demonstrated our bona fides. we have also demonstrated the positive position taken by the syrian government in line with international endeavours based on the u.n. measures. however, the problem was always with the other party and today as if these talks of the other party who delayed six days before reaching geneva, as if the spo

. 2.5 million syrian refugees in turkey. living outside refugee camps, struggling to begin again, and wondering where to go next. next on "pbs newshour weekend". >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: lewis b. and louise hirschfeld cullman. bernard and irene schwartz. judy and josh weston. the cheryl and philip milstein family. the citi foundation. supporting innovation and enabling urban progress. sue and edgar wachenheim, iii. corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we are your retirement company. additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: good evening and thanks for joining us. president obama is calling the implementation of the nuclear disarmament pact with iran a "milestone" achieved by being unafraid to negotiate with adversaries. in remarks at the white house today, the presi

on the explosion in istanbul. we'll see you tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. >>> a syrian suicide bomber suspected of setting off an explosion in the heart of turkey says biggest city. hello, welcome to al jazeera, we're live from doha. also to come on the program, food and medicine finally arrive for people suffering in some of syria's besieged towns. >>> on him prices continue to fall. crude is now below $31 a barrel, the lowest in more than 12 years. >>> the first arabic language song to top the israeli charts. >>> the turkish government said a young syrian suicide bombers was behind an attack in the historic district of istanbul. ten are dead, among them german tourists. turkey's government will share details of the attack with berlin. we have this report. >> it's the heart of istanbul and one of its most popular tourist spots. this is the square, less than an hour after an explosion, the site cordoned off and security tight. schwa it was a suicide bomb. i saw it. it was chaos, everyone was running around. police didn't see this coming. they were upset, and trying a evacuate the area

trucks in three syrian towns which for months have been cut off by war. in a deal reached with the government the aid convoy left damascus earlier monday heading for madaya. supplies have also been delivered to the progovernment villages of al-foua and kefraya. eastern gutta is one of the villages not included. maybe 200,000 are cut off in parts of the eastern city of dar azur. we'll hear from caroline malone in just a bit. 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

delayed. the indirect negotiations between the syrian government and opposition were due to start monday, but there's still no agreement on who will take part. u.s. secretary of state john kerry said that issue will be resolved in a day or two. a member of the syrian opposition is unhappy with the way the lead up to the talks is being handled. >> 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 a

tunisia. desperate lives of syrian refugees struggling to make a living in turkey >>> doubts are emerging over talks planned for monday continue. there is disagreement over which opposition groups should attend. >> translation: we don't have any thoughts on moving the start of talks from january to february. this is the position of both russia and the u.s. we are confident in the coming days these talks will begin >>> syria's opposition coordinator has accused russia of trying to disrupt the negotiations. >> translation: there must be a clear agenda for negotiations to work towards a political transition and not to chat and waste time while people dpi under shelling and hunger. this is unacceptable >>> the u.s. democrats for the senate have blocked a bill that would have made it harder for syrian and iraqi refugees to enter the company. last september the president promised the united states would accept 10,000 syrians within a year. >> reporter: the legislation if it had passed in the u.s. senate would have put additional restrictions on refugees from iraq as well as syria hopin

a better weekend. better weekend. >>> time for talks, a syrian delegation shows up in geneva. >>> you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also coming up, a shooting during friday prayers at a shia moving in saudi arabia. four are killed. >>> the beyond nations reveals allegations of sexual abuse of children by european soldiers in the central african republic. >>> this is back breaking work done by children. coming up, we'll tell you about efforts to eradicate child labor. >>> the talks are on starting with the syrian government delegation in geneva. the u.n. envoy to syria says he'll meet them in the coming hours. he has confirmed he'll meet other participants in negotiations to end the war. prominent opposition groups insist they won't take part unless certain conditions of met and these include a lifting of sieges, a halt to airstrikes and the release of what they describe as wrongfully detained prisoners of conscience. crossing over to our political he had door james bays in geneva, james, the talks are on with the syrian government delegation. are they on with the opp

covering in detail over the next 60 minutes. no let up in the fighting and suffering for syrians even as talks seem to be heading in the right direction. france announces why it may soon recognise a palestinian state. burundi tops a string of crises for africa leaders to discuss as they meet in ethiopia. how south korea is cashing in on a business on the rise. drones. delegates representing syria's main opposition group is travelling to geneva. the opposition is yet to commit to direct negotiations with the government. a glimmer of hope that peace efforts may be getting off the ground for the first time since two earlier rounds of talks collapsed in 2014. the conflict began almost five years ago and it has killed at least 250,000 people. millions of other syrians have been forced to flee, many of them like the refugees you see here, have risked their lives to reach europe. the war has allowed the islamic state in iraq and the levant and other powers in. going to james bays who is live in geneva. i suppose the fact that they are happening now is some sort of progress. >> reporter: i think

groups. if someone wants to see the pyd it should be on the syrian regime. the pyd which co-operates with the regime cannot be for the people >>> some groups have been invited but they have not officially accepted. they say they are seeking clarification on a few points from the u.n. >> translation: there are new things that are being discussed all the time. we are not here in riyadh to do nothing. we came to reassess these issues despite the negative decision, but this by no means suggest that there is a tendency to go towards a positive decision. the discussions are ongoing. they are constructive. there is no disagreement with the invitation which we consider to be very negative. there are vague and mysterious points. discussions are ongoing. we shouldn't be quick to take any position >>> back in syria recent gains by government fighters backed by russian air power has changed the landscape of the territorial fight. the current state of place is explained by our correspondent and talks to the to us about what is to happen next >> reporter: the battle field of syria is a huge one. w

generation could be lost. >>> welcome live from our headquarters in doha. also coming up, the syrian army retakes the key town, gaining leverage ahead of a new round of talks. >>> stock market panic in china, investors sell their shares, causing the market to foul by more than 6%. >> praying for a new life by thousands of ethiopia jews calling on israel to open its doors. >> if the current momentum is lost, all syrian parties will regret it. that's the stark warning given by the u.n.'s humanitarian coordinator in direct talks on the syrian crisis are due to get underway in geneva on friday. the war is described as probably the most devastating crisis in the 21st century. saying half of the population that lived in syria in 2010 has been displaced by the conflict. the june receive representative in syria says more than 250,000 people died in the fighting with children, bearing the brunt of the war. >> syria is probably the most dangerous place on earth now to be a child. even the very simple act of playing is no longer safe. a few months ago, 19 children were killed in a play ground in hom

attend in direct talks between the syrian regime and the opposition will be resolved in a day or two. the summit in geneva has been delayed due to negotiations over exactly who will take part. a member of the syrian opposition and he says he is unhappy with the way the lead-up to the talks is being handled. >> there is pressure on us to give up the rights of the syrian people. these pressures are representative of pushing our delegation to head to the talks without any clear agenda, plus giving up the goodwill measures addressing the humanitarian situation which has nothing to do with politics. therefore, we cannot tell our people who delegated us that we gave up your rights and headed to geneva without stopping the air raids or lifting the siege or releasing the prisoners or sending aid >>> andrew simmons reports from a city near the syrian border. >> reporter: the u.n. special envoy on syria should have been sending out invitations to geneva on sunday. that didn't take place. now we're looking at possibly wednesday some diplomats say, but john kerry has stepped in again warning aga

blasts russia's role in the syrian war, saying it is not fighting isil but targeting moderate fighters instead. >>> and malaysia looks at banning electronic or e-cigarettes. ♪ >>> hello, the murder of a former russian spy was probably carried out on orders from president vladimir putin. that is the verdict of the british inquiry into the death of the man. the u.k. government reacted saying it will freeze the assets of the two russians accused of that murder. neave barker has more. >> reporter: the long awaited murder inquiry has lead investigators right to the doors of the kremlin. the finding say vladimir putin probably approved of the murder because of a long personal feud. the chairman also implicated the head of russian security service, calling the killing a space-sponsored assassination. >> there is a stronging probability that when he poisoned the man, he did so under the direction of the fsb, the federal security service of the russian federation. >>> the report reiterates the earlier belief that these former russian agents poisoned alexander with radioactive pew loa

held in geneva have now been delayed, incorrect negotiations between the syrian government and opposition are due to start on monday but there is still no consensus on who will be taking part. the u.s. secretary of state john kerry says that issue will be resolved in a day or two. 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 no

hundreds and thousands of syrians who fled to lebanon are struggling to make a living. >>> and cracking down on slackers. italy's prime minister unveils new rules to sack public sector her kers within two days. 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. >> welcome to al jazeera america. more reporters, more stories, more perspective. >> from our award-winning news teams across america and beyond. >> we've got global news covered. >>> hello again, a reminder of any top stories on al jazeera, the british inquiry into the poisoning of litvinenko has concluded that vladimir putin probably approved his murder. >>> there has been an bomb attack on in mogadishu. >>> and the

>>> >> what is my crime to be forced out of my country. why am i a refugee? >>> syrians speak out against the war ruining their country, demanding peace for 2016 >>> hello there. live from doha ahead. syria is announcing fleeing war missiles. security fears on new year's eve. so-called terror threats prompt evacuations and cancellations across europe. plus a place full of history. the united nations says it is at risk after losing it all. with the dawn of a new year, we begin in syria where many hope 2016 will bring an end to the war that has killed a quarter of a million people and sent millions more abroad. russian fighter jets are being blamed for an attack on a shelter in aleppo. many have been killed and injured including children. despite four years of war, many syrians are still holding out hope for peace. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: the play performed in one of the most dangerous places on earth. the syrian city of aleppo is divided, battered by air strikes, shelling and fighting. despite the intense campaign by russian fighter jets nearby, actors invited peopl

birth defects will spread across the americas. gaining ground. the syrian government recovers a key town from opposition forces, while diplomats argue about who can attend peace talks in geneva. >>> europeans decide to strengthen border controls. and they blame greece for not keeping out refugees. >>> tight security marked the five year anniversary that toppled hosne mubarak in egypt and promised change. good evening i'm antonio mora, this is al jazeera america, international news hour. we begin tonight with new fears over the spread of a virus throirchgviruslinked to severe . the zika virus is believed to be spreading to all countries except chile and canada. health inspectors are now making a special effort to quarantine mosquitos that carry the disease. researchers say they will try to develop a virus in record time. more from john holman where authorities are also taking action against zika. >> the first taste of the zika virus now spread to 21 other countries says the world health organization. zika is spread by mosquitos and not life threatening for adults but causes microcephaly i

examining in the next hour. the syrian government team begin talks with the u.n. in geneva, but opposition representatives are refusing so far to take part. [ explosion ] >>> four people are killed in an attack on a shiite mosque in eastern saudi arabia. >>> brazil's president declares war on the e the catastrophic fighting. one obstacle has been deciding who will represent the syrian opposition. dozens of different groups there, often with conflicting interests and aims. let's go to james bayes in geneva. i know we're waiting for the syrian u.n. envoy to turn up for some kind of statement having had a chat with various officials there. what are you hearing? >> reporter: well that meeting has been going on, we think, for almost two hours. two hours ago, we saw the syrian ambassador to the u.n. in new york, but he is also the head of the syrian government delegation, or at least the chief negotiator at these talks. he is here with staffan de mistura, the u.n. special envoy. reporters are gathered waiting for the syrian ambassador and the syrian chief negotiator, that's the capacity he is in

. station employees home was hit. >> still ahead, desperate lives of syrian refugees struggling to make a living in turkey. plus: >>> angry protestors demand elections in mole dove have a after the third foreign minister in less than a year is appointed. >> "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. >>> the top stories on al jazeera, a british junk says russian president vladimir putin probably ordered the killing of alexander litvinenko. the judge said two russian men poisoned the former spy on orders from moscow. >>> fiv the first of five commas from uganda of the lord's resistance army to stand trial for war crimes. >>> angry young people in tunisia demanding jobs call for more protest, accusing government leaders of turning their back on a region hilt by poverty and unemployment. turkey's prime minister said rush's military am pain is hindering efforts to end the war there. moscow's airstrikes should only be targets isil and not other groups op

. 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 him as to whether these conditions

>>> 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 t

a story of syrian students trying to get an education here and why they nearly outnumber the lebanese students >>> an economic emergency is announced in venezuela. the president faces up to a hostile congress. ongress. 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. >> our american story is written everyday. it's not always pretty, but it's real... and we show you like no-one else can. this is our american story. this is america tonight. >>> the top stories on al jazeera. taiwan's pro-democracy candidate tsai ing-wen has claimed victim in the election. iran says it is confident international sanctions will be lifted this weekend. the foreign minister has met u.

here to find a solution for the syrian 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 an

>> syrian refugees suffer through a brutal winter while the political opposition searches for common ground ahead of talks with the government. >>> hello, welcome. this is al jazeera live from doha. also ahead, at least 21 refugees drown in rough seas off the turkish coast trying to reach greece. >>> the chinese government aims to prop up its struggling stock markets. >>> for the first time in 16 years, the opposition has managed to gain control of the national assembly. i'm virginia lopez and i've come to see how people are reacting to this change. >>> top story this hour, the syrian opposition made a list of demands ahead of u.n. brokered peace talks due to happen later this month in geneva. they want confidence building steps from the syrian government, including an immediate end to the bombardment of opposition held areas. here's victoria gattenby. >> the civil war in syria is almost five years old and it's estimated a quarter of a million syrians have been killed. u.n. backed talks to end the fighting and restore the peace are due to start later this month. syrian opposit

countries that could unhinge efforts to stop could unhinge efforts to stop the syrian civil war the syrian civil war >> you have to bring all the >> you have to bring all the external actors to a table and external actors to a table and then the internal actors to a then the internal actors to a table table >> obviously the last thing we >> obviously the last thing we want to see is there to be an want to see is there to be an impact on that or any other impact on that or any other significant regional issues significant regional issues >>> joining me now is the >>> joining me now is the executive director executive director of human of human rights watch rights watch busy. busy. we have been talking about saudi we have been talking about saudi arabia and they've just executed arabia and they've just executed 47 people in addition to more 47 people in addition to more than 150 that were executed in than 150 that were executed in the year. the year. you say that the human rights you say that the human rights record is farce kal. record is farce kal. of the 47 who of the 47 who were--

journalists. agencies who deliver aid to the syrian town say malnourished people there need medical help. a legendary takeover, china's richest man buys all major hollywood strawed owe. to their contracts. changes leaves them banned from global track and field competition. ♪ . >> hello, ten people are now known to have died in a bomb blast in the largest cities istanbul. the attack happened in the an area known for historic monuments. it is popular with tourists and ate of the dead are german. the explosion was so larged it was held several kilometers away. convened an emergency security meeting he says the suspected bomber was a saudi member of the islamic state of iraq and levant. turkey was already on high alert after a series attacks including a double suicide bombing in october. that left more than 100 people dead. this report from istanbul. >> . >> i went back and saw it, everyone was running around, police didn't see this coming they were upset but at the same time they were trying to evacuate the area, because they said a second bomb could go off. >> istanbul is the biggest cit

syrian people who have heard already constitution. they want to hear about ceasefire and about humanitarian aid. that doesn't mean that we will not at any occasion of this proximity talks, not establish spatial working groups in order to address specific scientifically specific areas. for instance, the type of monitoring of ceasefire that is a special working group with specialists. yes. katrina. >> we have the kurdish opposition members, some of whom have said that they would not participate in the geneva meeting. thank you. >>> i believe that the riyadh meeting no doubt will be far more useful and concrete. it will focus -- >> i'll start over. i think that the riyadh meeting is a formal proactive one, since it will be based on the fact that the of itsations will be sent out tomorrow, so this will be very useful for us, as well. it will be clear that matters are serious and urgent. thank you. >> james bays from al jazeera. most important question here, you're not going to read is a list of who you are going to invite, but who you are going to invite and you are going to shuttl

the program, turkey's work plan to stop syrian refugees crossing illegally into europe. and e-cigarettes and vaping are banned in several parts of malaysia. ♪ >> our american story is written everyday. it's not always pretty, but it's real... and we show you like no-one else can. this is our american story. this is america tonight. ♪ >>> welcome back. and a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. a british inquiry into the poisoning of a former spy has concluded that vladimir putin probably approved his murder. >>> the international criminal court is determining whether there is enough evidence to have a former child soldier stand trial for war crimes. >>> russian air strikes have killed nine people in syria, three women and two children were among the dead. the group of volunteers tried to pull survivors from the rebel. the villages are heavily populated with civilians who have already fled the fighting in other parts of idlib province. >>> the majority of syrian refugees are living in neighboring turkey. there are now plans to offer them work permits to discourage the

occupying a wildlife refuge. ♪ >>> hello the syrian government delegati delegation has arrived in geneva for talks aimed attening 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. th

chief says 400 people must be brought out of the syrian town of madaya for life-saving treatment. he made the call as food and medicine finally reached three besieged towns. under a deal reached with the government an aid convoy left damascus on monday bound for madaya. supplies have been delivered also to foua and kefraya. in eastern ghouta around 176,000 people are said to be in urgent need of help. 9,000 people are trapped in various towns. 200,000 people have been cut off elsewhere. >> reporter: trucks carrying food and medicine final arrive in madaya, a town of more than 40,000 people where they have been eating their pets and after that survived on a diet of soup made from grass. >> translation: we witnessed a lot and suffered a lot. people killed cats to ee eat them. others eight grass. i saw people sitting on garage and eating it. >> reporter: it is reported as many as 28 people have sdavshd to death. in the u.n. the syrian ambassador disputed all this >> the information regarding the humanitarian situation in madaya is based on false information. >> we've seen reports of dea

turkish government had been telling us that this was -- it was a 28-year-old syrian citizen who had been the cause of the blast. they are now for the first time saying it is a, quote, foreign national linked to daesh or isil. so just to reit -- reiterate, speaking a few moments ago the turkish prime minister saying this is a foreign citizen linked to daesh. >> as we have seen the president and the prime minister addressing the turkish people, anxious no doubt to reassure the people of turkey. >> reporter: exactly. you could say that turks have been somewhat on the edge in the last -- in the last six months, especially following the double suicide attack in ankara. there has been heavier police presence on the streets of istanbul. some of our friends have not left their houses on new year's eve for example. others have stopped using public transport for example. so, yes, there will be a heightened sense of danger in the city in the months to come. >> okay. thank you very much indeed. immediately now let's go to the german capitol and talk to our correspondent there, dominic kane. unf

the syrian opposition may be appears to do at this stage? >> reporter: ah, i think he sounded optimistic and even suggesting that maybe he could be speaking to them on the ground here on geneva. very careful with his words. but the fact he is saying that, i think suggests that believes they are leaning towards that decision. i want a add a little bit of a caveat, because i have been trying to follow the different news coming out of riyadh all week, and every single person you speak to there, they will all tell you different things. so we need to get the official confirmation. we're certainly hearing from sources that they have decided to come, and that to me, seems the general direction of things. but what is not clear to me, exactly on what basis they have decided to come, have they decided to come to see if their conditions have been met, and certainly mr. de mistura has been making it clear to him, that although he doesn't control the things he wants done, those will be at the top of the agenda. are they coming simply to make their case, or are they actually coming as i thi

will begin on friday. the syrian opposition council said it will decide on wednesday will it's going to attend, and it's not--the united nations humanitarian coordinator has called the humanitarian disaster in syria the most devastating crisis in the 21st further. and unicef said 250,000 people have now died in the fighting with children bearing the brunt of the war. our diplomatic editor james bays is there. >> the flag flying again. >> the timing just days before u.n. envoy is due to convene peace talks is no coincidence. among the first items on the agenda is a cease-fire in syria. the government in damascus has helped in recent months by russian airstrikes, and clearly wants to make as many gains as possible before the talks start. as invitations to the talks were being sent out the u.n. invited a panel of top humanitarian officials to brief the press and news conference deliberate time to show why negotiations are so badly needed. >> syria right now is the worst place on the earth to be a child. the simple act of playing is no longer safe. >> there is unease about the humanitari

>>> addition prettily needed aid finally on its way to starving syrians, but thousands are people are still under siege. >>> give us an education, yuck africans call on the government to open universities to more students. talks get underway in islamabad to try to revive the afghan peace pros. we are live in pakistan. ♪ >>> tributes to the musician who was ziggy star dust, cancer claims the life of rock legend david bowie. >>> trucks carrying food and medicine are on their way to syrians living under siege. two convoys organized by the u.n. and red cross are being checked near three towns where people have been cut off for months. images of i am mace 80ed bodies and starving children have caught the attention of the world. talk us through what's going on. >> we've got 175 tons of aid going into the two towns in idlib. we're mainly seeing food in those convoys. that's what people desperately need the most after a few months of not having food. we've got medical supplies, as well and sanitation kids. lets have a look now at that convoy on its journey. >> a red cross convoy left da

across the arabian desert >>> the u.n. says the syrian government has ignored most requests to deliver aid to half a million civilians trapped in 18 areas. many are completely cut off from food, medicine and aid. opposition groups say they will not be attending talks in geneva on friday unless the bashar al-assad regime stops attacking civilians. more from our correspondent in new york >> reporter: the humanitarian situation in syria has gone from bad to worse. that was a key message from stooech o'brien when he briefed the security council. the numbers are staggering and troubling in syria-- steven-- but really the number that jumps out the most is the increase in the number of syrians living in besieged areas, areas cut off from any sort of regular aid. 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

>>> syrian forces make advances as they take the last rebel held town in latakia province ahead of the proposed peace talks. welcome. i'm peter dobby in doha. also coming up we get rare assertion to the afghan troops fighting on the front line against i.s.i.l. the clean up begins along the eastern u.s. after a major blizzard. plus. >> reporter: i'm andrew thomas on sydney harbour ahead of australia day. i will be explaining why some aboriginal australians see no reason to celebrate. for them 26 january marks invasion day. the u.s. secretary of state john kerry says the question of which groups should attend indirect talks between the syrian regime and the opposition will be resolved in a day or two. the summit in geneva has been delayed due to negotiations over exactly who will take part. a member of the syrian opposition and says he is unhappy with the way the lead-up to the talks is being handled. >> translation: there is pressure to give up the legitimate rights of the syrian people. the delegation has been pressured to head the negotiations without i clear agenda. plus improvin

the besieged syrian town. >>> a damming report says corruption was embedded in world athletic's governing body, and its leadership must have known. plus -- ♪ >>> box office hit mad max makes the running with ten oscars nominations. ♪ >>> welcome to the program. isil says it was behind a series of coordinated attacks on the indonesian capitol. seven people were killed including five of the suspects. they struck at the heart of the city where six explosions rocked a busy district. >> reporter: the blast tore through jakarta's downtown area. at least six separate explosions and then gunfire, a multi-pronged attack close to the office of the united nations and a popular shopping mall. >> translator: he was on his own. for about ten minutes he did that mass killing. >> reporter: indonesian television has released these pictures of a suspect who was carrying a gun. one bomb is known to have gone off near a starbucks cafe, and a police post was destroyed in one of the blasts. indonesian's president cut short a visit to oversee operations. >> translator: we cannot be afraid. we cann

talks will begin >>> the syrian opposition coordinator has accused russia of blocking the negotiations. >> translation: there must be a clear agenda for negotiations to work towards a political transition and not to chat and waste time while syrian people die understand shelling and from hunger. this is unacceptable >>> meanwhile democrats in the u.s. senate have blocked a bill that would have made it harder for syrian and iraqi refugees to enter the country. last september obama said the u.s. would accept 10,000 refugees within a year. >> reporter: the legislation if it had passed in the u.s. senate would have put additional restrictions on refugees from iraq as well as syria hoping to come to the united states. however, the legislation needed 60 votes in the u.s. senate to advance in the debate. it came up five votes short and as a result it has been blocked. critics of this legislation said that this would in many ways would be very unfair and penalize those refugees in comparison to others who are trying to come to the united states from other countries. it would really penalize th

? >> syrians speak out against the war ruining their country demanding peace for 2016. ♪ hello this is al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha, i'm laura kyle and also on the program making it official, london president seeks a third term. iran says it is expanding its ballistic missile program and the u.s. considering new sanctions against tehran. plus putting an end to waste, we visit one shop that is throwing away the concept of packaging. ♪ there has been more fighting in syria as the new year dawns and it's five years into the war that killed a quarter of a million people and sent millions more abroad in search of safety. russian fighter jets blamed for attack in the aleppo countryside and several people have been killed and injured including children. and mohamed has gained access to the front line of syria's war in the southern providence and sent us this update. >> translator: we are now inside shake nearby the building if the town where fierce fighting and hard fought battles between the syrian opposition and the syrian army and supported by foreign fighters from easy-

>> so desperate they're eating salt for sustenance. the u.n. 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

. >>> syrian government forces have recaptured a strategic town in the south of the country. it is the latest victory for president bashar al-assad's troops. gerald tan has more details. >> reporter: the syrian flag flies again in this town. it's taken the army weeks of intense fighting with rebels to retake this town in the southwestern province of daraa. state television showed military forces entering the town center after securing supply lines. [ explosion ] >> reporter: battles are reported to be continuing on the outsquirts. the importance of the ruined town cannot be understated. government forces had given up much of this territory until russian armed forces began their military campaign last september. their intervention is being seen as a game changer. >> thanks have turned around 180 degrees for the regime since the russians came in. the al-nusra front was making gains in daraa province, and now there's this significant reversal. >> reporter: russian jets have carried out thousands of missions, helping the syrian government regain control of territory nationwide. it's just recaptur

some detail in the next 60 minutes. talks to end the war in syria begins in switzerland. the syrian opposition is in geneva, there's doubt about it joining the talks. >> four people die in an attack on a shia mosque in eastern saudi arabia. the president of brazil declares war on the mosquito, but is the zika virus really causing a surge in birth directs. plus... ..four miners trapped under ground for 36 days are rescued in china >>> hello there, i'm robin adams, manchester united in f.a. cup action. we'll have the latest, and andy murray through to the final of the australian open. the action from melbourne park coming up as well. >>>talks aimed at ending the war in syria starts in switzerland. after a fashion. the u.n. syrian envoy met a delegation from the bashar al-assad government. it all started the civil war in syria, five years ago, and since then, as we've been reporting daily, no way has been found to end the fighting. human cost is massive, according to the u.n., 250,000 have been killed. more have been left as refugees. one obstacle that they have been deciding, who will

be the date, january 25th for syrian peace talks getting all sides of the syrian war after nearly five years of conflict, over 300,000 people dead, getting them around the table. iran is a key player in that process. because it has perhaps more influence on the assad regime than anybody else. that's why i think you've seen even though we have not got implementation day we haven't got the formal announcement, but we're already seeing a meeting between john kerry and iranian counterpart and i suspect yes they're looking back at their success in the iran deal. they're talking about this prisoner release and perhaps a prisoner swap if america releases prisoner. but they're looking forward to syrian talks. one tweet which came from the iranian minister. it's now time for muslim nations to join hands and rid the world of extremism. and iran is ready. there is the next step about to take place. >> an important new relationship, isn't it. not to mention the impact if sanctions are lifted on what it could mean for oil prices. not only for iran but across the world. >> absolutely. the oil p

. today syrian refugees suffer through a brutal winter, while the political opposition searches for common ground ahead of talks with the government. >>> at least 34 refugees drowned off the coast of greece. >>> the chinese government intervenes to prop up its struggling stock market. ♪ >>> the syrian opposition has made a list of demands ahead of u.n. brokered peace talks due later this month. they say they want to see confidence-building steps from the syrian government, including an immediate end to the bombardment of opposition-held areas. >> reporter: the civil war in syria is almost five year's old and it's estimated a quarter of a million syrians have been killed. under-backed talks to restore the peace are due to start later this month. but syrian opposition leaders want confidence building measures from the government before the talks begin. they want syrian 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 really e

guarantee. don't wait, ssad regime, groups like the u.s.-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 bombing campaign in september. what is the primary goal of russia in this intervention? >> translator: the main task is to restore statehood in this 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? remove the leaders of s

>>> talks aimed at ending the war in syria begin in switzerland, the syrian opposition is in geneva, there's doubt about it joining in with the talks >>> good to have your company, i'm david foster. also coming up, sexual offenses in the central african republic >>> 200 refugees died off the greek coast this month. plus... .. ..four miners trapped under ground for 36 days are rescued in china >>> the long-awaited u.n. brokered talks on how possibly to end the syrian conflict have started. 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 opp

ensure that that doesn't happen. >> hundreds of syrian civilians have been kidnapped, there are fears that many may have been killed following an i.s.i.l. assault on deir az zor. it ha been called a massacre as i.s.i.l. forces in the east push to the si. let's go to andrew simmonds, who has been monitoring from istanbul. who is the syrian government saying about the attacks? >> the syrian government is giving a different account of event compared with the syrian observatory for human rights which is another opposition observatory, monitoring group. the government is saying there was a massacre of 300 civilians. the so h.r. is saying that there was a major operation by i.s.i.l., and i.s.i.l. took 400 people, civilians mainly, and also families of regime forces and officers and soldiers. they have been kidnapped and taken west towards i.s.i.l. firmly held areas. what we are also hear is there was a devastating attack by i.s.i.l. involving suicide bombers, and we heard from a civilian in the city, an account whereby there was a public beheading of one of the soldiers in the area, a subur

motion. that's how people trapped in the syrian town of madaya described their situation. the mountain town has been besieged since july and its 30,000 residents are starving to death. some have resorted to eating leaves and grass. viewers might find some of the images in this report disturbing. >> reporter: my name is mohammed and i haven't eaten in more than aa week. his body starved of any nutrition has little more than the skin covering its bones. he is one of almost 40 thousand syrians being starved to death in madaya. it has been under siege by government forces for months now. there is no food or medicine here. while the bitter cold of winter adds to the immeasurable suffering of those struggling to survive. day by day they die, though, with no-one either able or willing to come to their rescue. after seeing death by tanks, barrel bombs and chemical weapons, now syrians are experiencing it through forced starvation. it is yet another war crime committed by president bashar al-assad's government and his allies. according to locals, hezbollah fighters control the entrances to the

council resolutions as well as the vienna communiques of the syrian international support group. >> meanwhile, u.s. vice president joe bide someone in istanbul meeting with turkey's prime minister. the war in syria is in its fifth year and forced millions of people from their homes. turkey is estimated to host millions of syrians. turkey is part of the u.s. coalition launching airstrikes in syria against isil. biden said that the united states and turkey are prepared for a military solution against isil if a political settlement is not possible. >>> al jazeera's bernard smith has more now from istanbul. >> this was an opportunity for turkey's prime minister to remind the u.s. vice president joe biden of turkey's concerns, it's opposition, really, to any involvement to the syrian kurds in any discussions on the final settlement, any final settlement for the syrian crisis. indeed, the turkish view is if the syrian kurds must be involved in anyway, then they should be with the regime. they should be sitting with assad and not with the opposition groups. >> they're directly connecte

just hours before the syrian peace talks over whether a group should attend. you're watching al jazeera from doha. also in the next 30 minutes, one person is killed and at least one injured as u.s. police arrest the leader of an armed militia in oregon. denmark passes a controversial bill to seize refugees' assets and valuables. laying out the red carpet, the japanese emperor visits the philippines for the first time since world war ii. it's two days to go before the proposed talks on the syrian crisis and there is confusion and agreement over who should be taking part. it does seem clear that one of the most influential kurdish groups the pyd will tnot be attending. >> translation: reputation of kurds in the talks is necessity. representation without kurds at the table cannot be kwluf. we are not against the prevents of kurds at the talks, but we are against the participation of the pyd and the y.p.g. it is unacceptable to let the terrorism organization to attend and be involved. they cannot sit in. if somebody wants to see the pyd at the table it should be on the same side as