russia's foreign minister confirms military and huge have been tarian aid has been flown into syria hello, this is al jazeera live from doha, also on the programme, hundreds of thousands forced from their homes in japan as rains trigger floods and land slides. refugees held in camps, as the army strength edges the boarder security. china's prime minister tries to reassure the world about the health of his country's abilit .

russia's foreign minister confirmed military and humanitarian aid has been flown to syria. it comes as the united states expressed concerns of russian military activity in syria. pictures released from syria show russian fighters backing syrian forces. n.a.t.o.'s secretary-general says he is concerned. >> i am concerned about increased russian military presence in syria. that is a lot to contribute to solve the conflict. i think it's important to support efforts to find a solution, and an effort by the u.n. this is a retired jordanian air force general and says that russia is sending fighter jets to support the syrian military.

>> it's clearly obvious that as the assad forces face great setbacks on the battlefield recently, so the - this movement sends a great signal, such as bashar al-assad must not go and that is why we see big cargo. and two tank ships landed there. so they are trying to prepare runways over there. brief fabricated houses. 1,000 initially, and are trying - all this is to receive the exponential force, including fighter pilots that can fly planes, to conduct air operations. that will complicate the air management in the whole of

syria. japan is experiencing unprecedented rain fall affecting hundreds of thousands of people. many forced from their hands in the prefectures in the east of the country. radioactive water from the fukushima nuclear plant. after the 2011 disaster. >> all of the water rushed into this part of eastern japan, taking all in its way. rescuers of overwhelmed with people needing help. they are signalling to the emergency services and military helicopters flies overhead for help. the river broke its banks after a second day of rain, overflowing across low-lying

areas. >> the storm crossed japan on wednesday, the government is doing all it can to help people. >> reporter: the heavily rains are unprecedented, likely to continue. >> translation: the rains are unprecedented, likely to continue. the government will prioritise and take every possible measure. >> reporter: as many as 5 million may be affected by the down falls. some have made it to emergency shelters. >> we had rain in the past, but we have not seen this much water in decades. thousands of others are brought up in the floods and need assistance joining us on the line from tokyo is a spokesman for the

japanese prime minister shinzo abe. thank you for being with us, sir. what can you tell us about the situation in japan. as you know, the - we have heavy rain after the typhoon. and there's damage in the area, near tokyo. they are coordinating all the relevant agencies, including defense forces. disaster management agencies, so we have been collecting information, and coordinating the operation in the field what about the people that have been displaced. that had to leave their homes because of the water. >> well, normally those people

have shelters at the emergency areas. ber supporting those people as well. >> what is the condition of the fukushima nuclear plant. is that affected by the rains? >> no, it has not been affected by the rain. >> you have no concerns at all - there no safety problems there, this is not going to cause a problem. >> not at the moment. we have not identified emergency situations. >> how long do you accept the emergency aid that you put into place will be needed for. well, it's still going on.

it's unpredictable at the moment. >> i suppose it will finish tomorrow or so, but, still, we be working 40 hours, 24 hours and i hope the situation will be finished. >> thank you. thank you very much refugees who arrived in hungary are kept in closely guarded camps, surrounded by barbed wire fences. they are planning to bolster security by deploying the borders with serbia. police say that 3, 300 refugees were booked into camps, the highest number in a single day. crowds of refugees spent a night soaked by rain on the border between greece and macedonia.

mohammed jamjoom has more. he's on that border. >> every refugee that i have known with says that they are freezing. while they are getting pork, they say they are not enough. the military are deployed. that's why they are concerned. they don't know how long they'll have to stay in camps. many i have spoken with have no way to stay in touch with family members back home in places like syria or iraq. family members and relatives are behind them. making the straight journey. iest ir day we had a 16-year-old

syrian boy, we het limb use the phone. we let him use our phone to send a message to his father in damascus, because he hasn't been able to speak to him for a week. there was worry, he was worried whether his dad was okay in syria, and his father whether his son was okay here. that's the level of desperation that we are encountering in hungary, with the refugees, who have no idea how long they'll be here and when they'll be reunited with their families and try to go on to a better future for themselves. . >> in berlin, german chancellor angela merkel has been visiting a refugee center. around 250,000 refugees have arrived in germany so far this year. let's go live to berlin, and rob reynolds is there. mrs. merkel spoke when she arrived at the refugee center. what did she say? >> well she said, adrian, that it was understandable that not everyone was getting processed very quickly, that she was kind of giving a bit of a pep talk,

if you will, to the staff at the center. praising them for working hard. she said while every asylum application must be taken very seriously, and processed very strictly, that it was understandable that there would be delays, and, in fact, while according to the normal procedures in germany, every asylum seeker, after three months in the country, those hearings have been slipping gradually, and now, six months is the norm for that kind here. angela merkel also said that she met with refugee families from syria, and described that it was a moving experience. in about 30-40 minutes from now, the chancellor is going to visit a special school. these are called transitional

classrooms within schools, where children, every child by law has to go to school. school has started. mrs. merkel said again, that one of the keys to integrating so many families into germany will be their children, because the children will learn the language quickly and help the family with all sorts of negotiations, navigations in the new society. >> thank you rob reynolds, in berlin china's premier said the country will achieve the target. the process will be thankful. speaking of the world economic torr um, a tart -- target of 7% growth will be hard to achieve. >> the chinese premier pard a

nervous nan. among those in the audience, c.e.o.s trying towns the strange generations of the economy. the speech was significant. it was the first time he has addressed the problems since the stock market began to fall in june. in august, the government made the decision to devalue the chinese currency, and it's fallenly 4% against the u.s. dollar. the premier sent out a message of reassurance. the economy was still a sound bet. yes, there would be ups and downs. that was to be expected. he gave a guarantee. a pledge that china would achieve economic growth of 7%, and hinted that it will be stiff to do it. overall, china's government is in it for the long haul. we are still a country that has

an economic growth rate better than any other economies right now. on the day that the premier was speaking, figures came out to show that china's inflation rate was at 2%. it's the same as the interest rate. there's a lot of cheap money sloshing around the system. and there's a reason for that. the chinese government wants people to spend more and shift the economy based on manufacturing and consumption, and wants chinese people to buy more stuff, ideally chinese made stuff. analysts say this is a high risk strategy, and won the rest of the world hopes will work still to come on al jazeera. competing visions for the future. election in singapore pits younger generations against people in the states. >> i'm at the oldest film festival in the world, venice,

which is pioneering a new era in cinema. 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.

>> al jazeera america, weekday mornings. catch up on what happened overnight with a full morning brief. get a first hand look with in-depth reports and investigations. start weekday mornings with al jazeera america. open your eyes to a world in motion. hello again, the top stories on al jazeera. russia's foreign minister confirmed the military and humanitarian aid have been flown into syria. pictures have been released showing fighters backing syrian forces. in japan at least two are missing. 100,000 stranded as rains triggered floods and land slides, leading to the leakage of radioactive waters. a spokesman of the japan's prime

minister told al jazeera that the sight is being monitored. refugees in hungary are kept in closely guarded camps, surrounded by barbed wire fences. 3,000 refugees taken to the camp on wednesday, the highest number of people in a single day people in singapore vote in a general locations. the same party has been in power for 50 years. the vote is expected to be keenly contested in the history of the state. rob mcbride reports. >> reporter: at 95, this man had to wait much of his life to vote in elections, where he has the choice of one candidate, as the veteran of world war ii, he flew for the army against the japanese. he has witnessed the founding and development of singapore. unlike many of his generation, he welcomes the change. >> people thinking should move

on and on. they should have competition. contesting. >> it will be the younger voters who have the most impact in the poll. >> this will see the highest proportion of young people voting compared to other elections. a younger generation who don't necessarily have loyalty to the ruling party. and with different priorities. >> for many, moving out of the family home into their own apartment is the biggest concern in this high priced city. >> i think everyone is concerned about housing, how they'll afford a house, moving out before they are 50. jill and her boyfriend both work, but they live at home with their families. at least now concerns like housing and other election issues can be shared with other

voters, thanks to social media, another big influence in this election. >> honestly, it's a scary choice for everyone. i think change is good. people in singapore need change and need to step out of this bubble that they have. certainly we are looking at pa different landscape. the people, actors and voters. this election may not produce a huge change, but the way this and future polls are conducted could changes forever. gunmen in the pakistani city of karachi shot dead a technician working for a private television network. the attackers opened fire on a van, working for the largest broadcaster, the latest attack targetting the media. 200 were injured. for years armed gans controlled part of the water

supply in karachi. the water mafia stole millions worth of water and sold it on the black market. as nicole johnson reports, the police are finally cracking down on them. >> reporter: on the outskirts of the city, hidden from view an illegal water station. the owners have tapped into an underground pipeline owned. all day trucks fill up with stolen water and sell it across karachi. >> translation: we sell containers of water for $4, they resell it to the people for $25. >> reporter: the water mafia thrives on the fringes of the city. armed gangs control the neighbourhood. >> reporter: this is one of karachi's illegal water pumping stations, what is shocking is the water comes from a sewage well, piped through here,

powered by a couple of motors and sold on as drinking water to the people of karachi. karachi only has enough water to meet 50% of its needs. the waterboard estimates 30% is wasted, stolen. it's a powerful business, worth millions of dollars. water barons with 30 to 40 tankers, earn about 16,000 a day. the waterboard is cracking down on them. over 200 pumping stations have been raided. >> this illegal money is showing other illegal and terrorist activities in karachi. they survive in an area. this area affected with the terrorists and gangs. >> over 70% of the stolen water is sold to industrialists.

five years ago this fabric dying plant was closed because there wasn't enough water. the owner buys from the black market to keep his clothing business open. >> they are holding it. this is because a few big people are involved in this. who are the caretakers. those who are the people who are making money, good money out of that. because it cannot do such a big operation like this. >> reporter: despite the crackdown, the leaders of this underwater world are still operating. the cost of illegal water in karachi has doubled. somewhere, someone is making a lot of money a drought in zambia saw the level of the world's largest man

made reservoir drop to its lowest in years. the amount of water in the lake receded to less than half of its capacity. forcing major power cuts. people around the lake are suffering the most. >> reporter: golden shores and waters of lake carreeba. the local communities, the lake is part of every day life. the dam provides neighbours with thousands of megawatts of power. drought has the lake at its lowest levels in year. >> the cycle normally is that in february the lakes gets to its minimum and begins to rise. in february, the lake didn't rise. it stabilized, and instead of coming up it kept going down. we have lost probably another 2-3 meters since the beginning of this year, when we should have been gaining more

steve thompson owned the lakeside lodge for 12 years and said it's only once before he saw the lake so low. and is worried. >> if the lake gets too low. they'll not generate power, which will not just affect our business, but the whole of zambia. that's a big issue. >> reporter: according to official data the dam was 40% full, impacting the eighty to generate power. they imported power from south africa, it has its own issues and challenges in regard to generating the electricity supply. it's been importing power. power from mozambique. and there's no quick fix, and structurally they have challenges in regards to the electricity center. that will take time to resolve. meanwhile, the local power company introduced country-wide power cuts and rationing to manage the crisis. smaller towns like this, and bigger cities developed.

the demand for electricity grew. the borders, the lake and the dam - businesses and residents relied on the waters to keep things going. local business min say without electricity, they'll come to a stand sting. the worries don't end there. they collect water before the supply is cut for the day. >> i do it by the grace of god. for paul and the community, there are a few things more valuable. without it life would be impossible more border crossings between venezuela and columbia have been closed, one in columbia's north, one of the largest trade hubs. it was closed on tuesday. a stand off began three weeks ago. venezuela began a crackdown on smuggling, departing columbians,

who caracas says are living >> reporter: this was the last major border crossing open between venezuela and columbia, that changed duz when the venezuela president nicolas maduro order d the closure of the crossing between the popular state and venezuela, here in columbia. you can see behind me signs going back to their country, and they have been waiting hours to do so. for days there hasn't been many deportations from venezuela to columbia. but they continue to move back to the country of origin, saying that they fear reprisal in venezuela, because the government is blaming them for the chronic shortages in the country. it also seems to have closed the door, at least for now. other meetings.

president nicolas maduro, and on wednesday, the columbian president has some of the hardest words yet against the venezuela government. >> the bulgarian revolution is self-destroying. it is destroying because of the results. not because of columbian or the columbian president. there's no solution, and the economic consequences will be continue to be harsh for the people living here, who are used to moving freely through the borders. the venice film festival is the world's oldest, but is embracing new technology to survive. the traditional model of studio funding is turned on its head. online streaming sites are offering ways for people to watch movies.

>> reporter: like the ancient city itself, the venice film festival had a sinking feeling that cinema is dying. this year they are riding a wave of change, welcoming films from the online streaming site netflix. the first ever feature film "beast of no nation", is the harrowing tale of a child soldier in an unnamed african country, and is a contender for a prize. the other a documentary charting change in ukraine. when released the films will screen in cinemas and online on the same day. netflix's move into the film is controversial. some u.s. cinema chains refused to play their films, accusing online stealing audiences. >> on a train i see young people with two sets of headphones watching a movie on an iphone, it upsets me. they are missing something that

is very important, integral to what the cinema experience that we had since 1895. >> reporter: here they realise the way people watch films is changing. they don't want to be left behind. as video on demand is tearing up the old models of distribution. crowd funding is revolutionizing the way films are finance. the animation film from award winning director part paid for by fans. >> movie reel: we want to the make a monet lisa without the interference of a studio process." >> reporter: the funding profile provides endless possibilities. >> we asked for $200,000, and ended up with $406,000 and it was a miracle. we chose to go this way. we had a specific vision, it's our job to protect these guys, their stories, the ideas. and the dreams for the project. >> the feature is one where audiences choose when and where to see movies and dictate if

they are made at all there's more real news from al jazeera, along with analysis and comment. and our new-look website. take a look at aljazeera.com. >> house republicans try to derail the iran nuclear deal in the 11th hour. why they say the white house is not sharing all the information they need to vote on it. >> cars and trucks being shot at on one of arizona's busiest highways. >> a major discovery today that could help unlock the history of human kind. >> we have