>> rough treatment for refugees as they try to make their way through the hungary/macedonia border. hello. this is al jazeera live from doha. also ahead, the u.s. condemns a lengthy prison sentence ended down to venezuela's opposition leader. voting under way in singapore in what's expected to be the tightest election in decades. the u.n. votes to allow the palestinian flag to be raised at its headquarters.

foreign ministers from four central european nations are meeting in prague. the czech republic, hungary and slovakia rejected proposals by the eu commission. they want 120,000 asylum seekers to be shared between the states. police closed a highway because dozens of refugees have been walking along it. meanwhile, the foreign minister says his country may follow hungary's example and build a border fence to stop refugees. let's go live to the border. some of the refugees crossing into macedonia have had a hostile reception.

>> reporter: well, yes, indeed. because you have on one side they are afraid and do follow the news very closely. so they come up to you and ask you all the time, are the borders going to close, what is hungary going to do. we need to get there as quick as possible so they can continue their journey. and then on the other side, the macedonian police, border guards, are trying to organize this. and it becomes a sometimes extremely difficult. this morning is a different atmosphere. we are about a hundred meters away from that border. the refugees are stopped and in groups of 50 they can walk to the border and make their crossing. however, as you said, sometimes it is much more difficult than this. from the islands they took the ferry to the mainland, traveled through the night and reached the border in the morning. it's pouring with rain. many are not prepared for this

weather. children are soaked to the bone. yet the refugees are still determined to continue their journey, but it's one full of obstacles. border police have blocked their path and frustrations grew once more. the rain continued to pour. impatient, the refugees press forward, the police push back. until it became too much to cope w this is not the first time for the border guards to use force. others could just not wait any more. yet again, risked their lives. some said they were running out of money, others out of time. the police let everybody in. in the rush, by fear, that the border will close once again, they left their personal belongings like scarfs, sleeping mats, shoes for children, and even their tents that they will

probably need because they still have four countries to go through. for a while the border stayed calm. aid workers and volunteers were getting ready for another human wave. most of the refugees stuck to the greek islands have been evacuated. about 20,000 people are expected to stream through here in the coming hours and days. some people living in the area have also come to help. sophia says the plight of these men, women and children hits close to home. >> translator: why are we doing this? because our ancestors are refugees. i'm seeing what my grandfather and mother experienced. >> reporter: after weeks of traveling clean clothes are more than welcomed. his parents left syria 25 days ago. they entered greece r she feared her baby would not make the

crossing. >> translator: we are not extremists. we know it's going to be difficult. some people don't want us. it's still better than syria. >> reporter: it's that belief and hope that gives them the strength to continue a voyage full of uncertainties. >> you said the refugees have four more countries to travel through. what happens once they cross that border? >> reporter: well, they then head to a train station which is just across the border. maybe a hundred meters walk. there is a police station there where they register and then the macedonian police, the macedonian government actually changed the legislation during the summer. in the past they used to walk through macedonia to the serbian border. now they are allowed to take public transportation. the one hiccup is that there is a strike by railway workers

inside macedonia. they are contesting the fact that they haven't been paid wages for the past two months despite the fact that refugees are a great source of income. so now the macedonian government is trying to organize these buses that will just take them immediately to the serbian border. i just want to let you know that the police here tells us that 6:00 this morning, about four hours, 1,500 refugees have made their way inside macedonia. today with good weather conditions, they are expecting many, many more to come through here. >> thanks. u.s. president says the united states will take in 10,000 syrian refugees next year. the new number is a significant

scaling up from the 1,500 syrian refugees it's let insofar. the u.s. accepts around 70,000 refugees a year. it's been slow to accept syrians. washington is under international pressure to act quickly. >> the state department said the goal is 5,000 to 8,000 refugees. isn't this gist an increase of 2,000? what does it mean for those fleeing iraq? >> i don't think i get the math on the 5, 8 and 10. >> you said the goal is next year a total of 5 to 8,000 refugees. is this just 2,000 more? >> my understanding is, i guess i can't account for what they previously said about what they are hoping to do for next year. what we had identified is an opportunity for us to scale up

our response and to talk about how the united states could accept more syrian refugees into this country next year. that was direct from the president of the united states. that's what they are working on. so that's what the state department will do. >> do you approve of the way the hungarian government is treating the refugees? >> i'm not going to stand in individual judgment. it's a terribly difficult challenge. and we are hopeful that other countries will do what the united states and germany have done. >> venezuela opposition leader has been sentenced to 14 years in jail. he was found guilty of insighting violence during protests last year. his lawyer and supporters say it's a miscarriage of justice. >> reporter: tears of sadness

and disbelief from supporters of the venezuela opposition leader. he was convicted after a closed trial, but ended suddenly. even though many defense witnesses hadn't made it to the stand. he's been given the max yum! sentence for insighting violence in protests last year. >> translator: 13 years is a long time. but 87 days go by. we can have a national assembly that approves the law of amnesty that puts him out on the street. by the sovereign decision of the venezuela people. >> reporter: lopez had encouraged violence when his people rallied against the president. 40 people were killed. there were groups of people who agree with that view. government supporters gathered before the verdict calling for the court to find him guilty and to keep him in jail. he's been held in a military prison since his arrest in

february last year. >> translator: he does not represent anything to us. what we want is that he remain a prisoner and pays for his mistakes. there were many deaths because of him. >> reporter: lopez is a harvard educated politician. it was a popular mayor with one of the strongest opposition candidates. the united states government, the united nations and international human rights groups have all called for his release. >> saudi led military forces have carried out air strikes on a yemeni tv station. the u.n. says peace talks will go ahead between all sides in the conflict.

the saudi alliance has been bombing rebels since march. negotiations broke down in june. security forces in turkey blocked a delegation of politicians marching towards a kurdish city. the city is under a military imposed curfew. 30 people have been killed there since the military operation began next week. we have more live from istanbul. what's the latest you are hearing? >> reporter: well, it depends on who you speak to. the government, interior minister, said they killed 32 pkk militants. including one civilian. however, when you speak to the kurds, the hdp, the pro kurdish political party, they will tell you 20 civilians have died. it's been a week that the army

completely surrounded them. there is a hundred thousand in that city. the reports is that it is a dire humanitarian situation, no water, no electricity, people can't go out of their houses because of reports of snipers in the city. difficult to confirm what is going on. communication has been cut. but what is clear is that it's difficult for the people. there have been some pictures coming out on social meed yeah, a few images that show how difficult it is for the people. so the government says that their aim here is to root out kurdish militants, the pkk. they say they have destroyed 80. they will continue until it's complete. >> that's why the military curfew was put in place in the

first place? >> that's correct. just to put it in to some context, this is the border of turkey. it's a city that has been political. it's surrounded by mountains from both sides, the pkk is active there. it comes at a time when things are sensitive here. it's been a week of the most violent time here in the last couple of years. we have had a lot of attacks on soldiers and civilians. we have had nationalist groups attacking pro kurdish parties. so very sensitive. we have heard from the prime minister calling for calm after that. today we heard reports of a shooting by an unknown gunman. wounding two police officers and two civilians. it's a sensitive situation and i

have to say not just this military operation, there is a heavy military presence in that whole southeastern area where they are trying to root out what they call terrorist, the pkk group, because of this breakdown that was a tentative cease fire arranged in 2013. that now seems to be over. >> thanks. plenty more still to come here on al jazeera. we'll tell you about a stolen land scam. families who paid to build thereby own homes are told they have to pack up and leave. a new film showcases daily life for one of the south pacific's last traditional tribes.

won't find anywhere else. >> these are very vivid, human stories. >> if you have an agenda with people, you sometimes don't see the truth. >> "talk to al jazeera". saturday, 6:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america.

>> we're here to fully get into the nuances of everything that's going on, not just in this country, but around the world.

getting the news from the people who are affected. >> people need to demand reform... >> ali velshi on target >> hello again. top stories here on al jazeera. foreign ministers are meeting how to discuss how to deal with refugees. the venezuela opposition leader has been sentenced to just under 14 years in prison. lopez was found guilty of insighting violence during protests last year. and security forces in turkey blocked a delegation of politicians marching toward a city. it's under curfew.

people in singapore are voting in the most hotly contested general election in the city's history. the prime minister has cass his ballot. his ruling people's action party has been in power for 50 years. but for the first time opposition candidates are running in all constituencies. it's felt they could win some seats. the latest from rob mcbride. >> reporter: voting at this constituency has been brisk. there was already a line of people waiting when the gates first opened at 8:00 in the morning. this is the east coast constituency. it is interesting because it is marginally forced between the p.a.p. party and the workers party. in the last election in 2011 the two sides came within 10% of each other. and this constituency is known as a group constituency.

it represents four seats in the parliament. what people are looking for is if there will be another upheaval. during that poll in 2011, one of these groups changed from the governments falling to the opposition in what was the biggest upheaval. the main opposition party, the workers party, has seven seats in parliament. they are hoping to get into double figures, but they are realistic in what they can achieve. in the pollings they have been telling people vote for us, this is what we'll do as a government, vote for us so we can be a stronger opposition, as this system moves slowly towards a multiparty system. >> japan's prime minister shinzo abe has held an emergency

meeting. one of the worst affected places is an area just to the north of tokyo. >> reporter: it was a long night for hundreds of people after a tore rent of water tore through their city. rescuers worked in darkness but couldn't reach all those who needed help. at day break japan's self defense force as well as police and firefighters stepped up their response. and with the rescues came more detail about what happened. >> translator: it was so quick, the water bested down our door and flooded everything. we were at a shopping center, so we had everything we needed. >> reporter: record breaking rain across the region caused the river to break its banks. the mayor says 6,500 homes have

been destroyed. the government is doing all it can. >> translator: the government is trying hard to rescue those waiting for help as soon as possible. >> reporter: the local governments have set up temporary accommodations for those forced from their homes. while the floodwaters eased during friday, much of the area is still underwater. it's not clear when people will be able to return to their homes. the weather bureau says 400 millimetres of rain fell in two days. it's warning of mudslides and further flooding. a man who attacked the u.s. ambassador to south korea has been jailed for 12 years. he was found guilty of attempted murder after assaulting him at a breakfast function. the ambassador needed 80 ditches in his face following the

attack. the palestinian flag will fly outside the u.n. headquarters in new york. the flag will be up in 20 days just in time for a visit by the palestinian president mahmoud abbas. >> reporter: the general assembly, the representatives of the nations of the world, had before them a vote about internal u.n. practice. >> we shall proceed to consider draft resolution. >> reporter: but it was a highly charged and symbolic one. should the u.n. fly the flags of observer states like palestine. the u.s. ambassador told her colleagues they should say no. >> raising the palestinian flag is not an alternative to negotiations and will not bring the parties closer to peace. >> reporter: she did not her resounding victory for the

palestinians, 119 countries in favor, 45 be a essentials including many eu nations and eight countries voting no. moments after the vote, condemnation from the outgoing israeli ambassador. >> the real question is not whether the palestinians will raise the flag, but whether the united nations will raise a white flag. and surrender the principles of this institution itself. >> reporter: his palestinian counterpart said this was an important moment about more than just a flag. >> raising the flag will signal to our people everywhere who are watching us tonight that their freedom is inevitable and that the international community supports them in their journey for justice and for their

independence. >> the palestinian flag will fly for the first time 20 days from now. that's when world leaders are gathering here in new york. it happens to be the day that president abbas will be making his speech to the u.n. general assembly. this is the place outside u.n. headquarters where the palestinian flag will fly. with timing in itself is a victory for the palestinians. the united states is to send more soldiers to egypt. the troops will support international peacekeepers who have come under attack from gunmen. the deployment includes a life infantry platoon. there are more than 700 u.s. soldiers. thousands of people in zimbabwe are falling victim to bogus land

barrens. the scams have forced many from their homes. >> these families thought to buy land at below the market price was a sure thing. but the land was sold by windellers, they never owned the land in the first place. now they want them to pack up and leave. many people say they have nowhere to go. >> i wonder where these are coming from. how can we leave some of these brothers and sisters. >> some who refuse to leave had their homes depolished by the city council. a bulldozer destroyed this house in minutes. over here was the bathroom and the toilet. thousands of dollars gone.

thousands of poor people have been scammed. government officials admit the sale of stolen land is big business. >> that's why the police is in the process of arresting those people. [indiscernible] >> but it's no consultation for those who have lost all their money. >> very painful. they wonder how they would want us to survive. it's our basic need for everyone. >> families don't get evicted. they are told to pay the market value of the land. >> they want $50. if you have 200 square meter, that's 50 times 200. where do we get that money? >> life is difficult for the

poor. companies are shutting down because the economy is struggling. workers have been laid off. for most people owning their own home means a little bit of security in these tough economic times. now some families don't even have that. film is giving audiences a rare insight into one of the south pacific's last traditional tribes. it's a love story told from a remote village. some of the cast have left their homes for the first time. we met them in venice. >> reporter: until two years ago, these people had never seen a film. now they are the stars of one. in a production they helped cowrite a story of love and tragedy based on their experience which echos the tale

of romeo and juliet. last month they had no passports, no birth certificates, but they made it to venice. >> this is such a multicultural environment we have never seen, tall buildings and cars everywhere. and crowds of people. everything looks so strange compared to our culture where we live with nature. >> reporter: the scenery is lush and stunning, no special effects needed. the filmmakers warned that tourist its might flood in after seeing their home on screen. but they want the world to understand their culture. here at one of the most expensive hotels surrounded by rich europeans sipping cocktails, they tell us that their culture is the happiest on earth. >> in our culture there are no homeless, there are no poor

people, everyone is equal, money is rare. we have overcome traps of money. we have overcome the lows of government because we want to maintain the reputation of the happiness. >> reporter: the directors and their children lived with the tribe for seven months learning about their way of life. >> if i don't live with the culture, they are too remote, it's a choice. they live only nine hours drive from a town where there are shops and people live on money and all the rest of it. they choose not to have anything to do with that. >> reporter: proud to show off their customs on the red carpet and screen, it's proof no matter how foreign, stories of love and lust are universal.

more real news like that at our website, take a look at it, as well as in depth coverage of europe's refugee crisis. you can see some of our award winning programs. you will find it all at www.aljazeera.com. probably the biggest in a battle to strike a nuclear agreement with iran. blocking the republicans disapproval revolution will not stop the lively debate over the deal, one involving many americans, including jewish americans.