o. >> the u.s. reaches out to iran as part of a renewed diplomatic effort to end the syria conflict. hello from doha i'm kamal santa maria. upsurge of violence in central african republic. the disappears of 43 students in mexico. and pope francis renews his call for the united states to open its arms to immigrants.

the u.s. and the european union approaching iran to help finder a solution to the syria conflict. u.s. secretary of state john kerry and eu policy chief frederica mogherini discussed the issue in new york, and likely to reach it to russia which has increased its military presence in syria. diplomatic editor james bays is in new york. >> vladimir putin makes a whistle stop to new york to attend the united nations general assembly. everyone wants to know what his intentions are regarding syria. on the one hand, a russian military buildup to a base on latakia coast.

in an interview with "talk to al jazeera" i asked eu's high representative, frederica mogherini if she had any idea what russia was up to. >> i was talking about that with our russian friends wit laf lav. this could be the reason. >> when met mohammed javad zarif, but neither were willing to discuss what happened away

from the cameras. >> i view this week as a major opportunity for any number of countries to play an important role in trying to resolve some of the very difficult issues of the middle east. >> reporter: president obama will address the general assembly the same day as president putin will on monday. he will be aware of some recent set backs of u.s. policy, the pentagon has admitted that some of those it's been training, some moderate rebels have handed over equipment vehicles and ammunition to the el nusra front. another involved iraq a key member of the u.s. coalition against i.s.i.l. according to russia, it will join iran and to cover major

bases in iraq. james bays, al jazeera, new york. ceasefire on the syria lebanon border seems to have broken down. assad forces and opposition fighters had agreed on a deal that would allow fighters from besieged zabdani to withdraw from idlib and in return, rebels from idlib would allow 10,000 refugees leave the area. supporting government in his fight against the houthi rebels who seized the capital sanaa a year ago. >> translator: at the outset i would like to express our thanks and appreciation to the united nations, and all states of the world that have been assisting my country in overcoming current challenges. we would like to extend our thanks to our brothers in the gulf cooperation council

particularly the kingdom of saudi arabia which did not hesitate to enter the coalition in order to save yemen. >> well yemen is displaced in the war in their country and crossed the gulf much aden which is already crowded, the rising number of refugees could strain resources over in somalia. this report from mohammad adow. >> it is meal time at this transit yemen refugees in the port city in eastern somalia. dates will be all they get today. talal is a refugee. >> i was driving an ambulance when i got hit by a mortar. i had three surgeries performed on my leg. i had to flee with my family, because i feared for their safety and couldn't provide for them anymore. >> there's no letup.

hundreds of them have been moved about four hours drive from bosaso. the town's only university is now their home. an official from the yemeni embassy in somalia comes to check are on them. he is unwelcome. the refugees are desperate and tempers are quickly lost here. >> translator: we want to be taken out of this country. somalia isn't safe. we can't live here when we don't feel secure enough. somalia has no capacity to care for us. >> reporter: among the refugees are unaccompanied children separated from their families. 12-year-old hashem is one of them. >> we eat sometimes and other times we don't. we have nothing, no milk no juice. i'm ready to go back home if possible but don't know where to

find my family. >> the flood of refugees into somalia, added to that thousands of somalis who have been living in yemen as refugees are returning home to escape the war there. more than a million displaced across somalia by conflict drought and hunger. the u.n. says at least 3 million people in somalia are in need of aid but despite their own local problems the community continues to give to the refugees. the local tribe leader has given them a supply of food. >> translator: what we give the refugees is not nuches. enough. they require urgent help mostly shelter. >> reporter: life is hard but still better than being trapped in the violence in yemen.

mohammad adow, al jazeera, northeastern somalia. at least 20 have been killed and 100 oirts injured in the area of are are central african republic. we spoke to jonathan headner researcher for amnesty international. he said this outbreak took everyone by surprise. >> very small population scattered across a very large territory. from what we understand now in bangi, what the un has is only a police operation. the military side of the operation is presently outside of the capital because no one was expecting this recent wave of violence. it took many by surprise. despite the recent tension that

exists, the u.n. mission in the central african republic remains understaffed, they don't have enough material and in recent months we have seen decreasing attention from the international community that hasn't been so keen in funding and putting efforts to bring the country into a good path. >> now thousands of people are marking the one year anniversary of the disappearance of 43 students. with a march through mexico city. the government says local police handed them to a drugs gang which killed them. our latin american editor lucia newman has more. >> it's been exact lids 12 months since 43 students depicted in these photographs disappeared without a trace. and their families supported by thousands of other mexicans are here to say that they will not rest until they get satisfaction. >> translator: i am so sad i want reply son returned to me along with all the -- my son

returned to me along with all the others. >> the students were abducted by police in league with drug traffickers in igwala in western mexico. even this country so shell shocked by widespread violence it's a crime that's outraged mexicans. fiscal dailyized public opinion and embarrassed the government. it's become a symbol of brutality from which defenseless mechanism is cans suffer. >> this is stockatic what's happening throughout mexico in which 25,000 have disappeared in recent years. >> reporter: this was not just a march to remember the missing students. it was the latest opportunity to express anger at mexico's government accused of rushing to cover up the crime with an investigation that even authorities now acknowledge was flawed. >> it's unacceptable that this is happening.

we cannot remain silence. any of our children could be next. >> reporter: president enrique pena nieto who met earlier this week with the families vows to keep the investigation open as long as necessary. families demand that independent investigators remain in mexico for as long as it takes to find the missing students. the commemoration of one year since this crime will continue over the weekend. underscoring the anger but also the impotence suffered by millions of americans that still can't believe that so much time has lapsed without getting any closer to knowing the whereabouts of the students or at the very least their remains. lucia newman, al jazeera, mexico city. >> in the news ahead on al jazeera. >> i'm teresa vo in cordoba,

argentina. >> another step towards independence from spain for cordoba. cor catalonia. i said "honey, i don't have any choice".

>> what do you want american's to understand? >> there's so much injustice. >> workers are being injured constantly. >> top stories for you here on al jazeera. the united states and the european union have approached iran to help find a solution to the syria conflict. u.s. secretary of state john kerry and uforeign policy chief

frederica mogherini discussed the issue with the iranian foreign minister in new york. gunmen injured 21 people and injured 100 others in central african republic. fighting has taken thousands of lives over the last two years. and thousands have been marking the one year anniversary of a disappearance of 43 students with a march through mexico city. local police handed them to a drugs gang which killed them. let's go to jerusalem, breaking news there of the al-aqsa mosque being stoned again. imtiaz tyab, with the report. imtiaz. >> that's right, kamal. israeli forces have been clark with palestinians inside the al-aqsa mosque compound.

we understand that grenades have been used and tear gas may also have been used as well. now these confrontations at the al-aqsa mosque come at a very tense time as we have been reporting over the past several days, there have been frequent confrontations at the al-aqsa mosque between israeli security forces and palestinian worshipers who go to the site. in fact just a few days ago during what's known as the jewish high holidays or jewish new year of rosh hashanah, physically at the al-aqsa mosque which caused a considerable amount of damage. according to the israeli police they say there were activists there that were hiding various things bombs and the like, however we what they were saying, they were simply trying to protect their house of

worship. a very tense situation at the al-aqsa mosque with fresh confrontation between palestinian worshipers and security forces. >> thank you, imtiaz tyab, do get back to us imtiaz when you hear something more. pope francis has once again called americans to imrom immigrants, from philadelphia. >> livia guerrero has been fighting for her son's life for 20 years. her son victor saldano was accused of murder in 1996. >> for the 78-year-old pope the last leg of a trip to the americas, philadelphia, greeting as warm as any. first engagement in the city of brotherly love, a papal mass.

this was about pomp and ceremony, a reminder of francis's role as leader of the world's 1.2 billion catholics. but politics is not far away. so there was a speech and in his native spanish at the hall where america's constitution was debated and adopted, the national monument for birth of the country founded by immigrants. >> translator: when a country's determined to remain true to its founding principles, those principles which were foundational based on respect and human dignity, that country is strengthened and renewed. >> reporter: for some in the crowd this was the francis they expected and revered. >> i think it's a good message for us and knowing that the pope is actually talking about it, is giving us more hope, and

hopefully, it will make a lot more changes to our immigrants. >> i think it's wonderful and we can't hear it enough. immigrants have continually brought so much to this country and especially to our church and we continue to need to welcome immigrants who you know do so much for this country. >> but away from the smiling faces and some distance from the pope angry voices, angry that he's failed to adequately address the issue of child sex abuse in the church, some feel is troubling. >> that's not part of the message really, i think that's what a lot of folks would like to hear but no, i don't think he's addressing that. >> there are those who believe this pope is too political, that for someone who has never been to the u.s. before he doesn't truly understand the country. but it's clear that pope francis will use the goodwill he enjoys to make points about issues he believes are central to his

faith. allen fisher al jazeera philadelphia. >> the pope spoke out on several issues on his visit including the death penalty and in argentina, one mother is hoping the 78-year-old pontiff will help save her son's life. >> reporter: liviia guerrero has been fighting for her son's life for almost 25 years. she lives in the province of cordova. in argentina. now she hopes that pope francis will help get her son off death row. >> we traveled to rome where we explained to the pope the discrimination my son suffered you durinduring the trial and hs been on death row for almost two decades. we heard from the vatican he was

interested in pushing my son's case. >> he was accused of killing a man while he was high on crack in 1995. but in 2002, the u.s. supreme court sent the case down to a lower court saying there had been racial discrimination in the trial. >> translator: when this type of discrimination happens in a trial it is the worst kind because what is at stake was life and freedom. the state supreme court said we were right and annulled the first trial. >> saldano was again sentenced to death. his lawyers said there was no due process. >> there was a new trial but by this time he had been on death row for nine years and he was crazy. they were judging a mentally unstable man. the issue is the treatment that people receive while on death row.

>> saldano spends 23 hours a day in solitary confinement. >> argentina does not have capital punishment. death penalty opponents are hoping that the pope pressures lawmakers to abolish it when he visits the united states. >> the pope has said that death penalty does not help the victims but rather fosters vengeance. and that's why saldano's family is appealing for the pope's help. even though the chances of clemency is small, lidia guerrero hopes it is enough to save her son's life. lydia vo, al jazeera, argentina. >> catalonia's president says he is planning a formal split from spain if parties win enough seats. warning of dire economic consequences if catalonia decides to split.

jonah hull reports from the regional capital of barcelona. >> the culture of catalonia, suppressed by decades of dictatorship, it feels its voice is often ignored by madrid, will regional election seen as a referendum of independence change all that? >> i will be voting yes. because i think it is a great opportunity for us the catalon people to be heard. >> reporter: the spanish state has thrown its full weight behind the opposition, warning of the dire consequence of catalonian independence. perhaps expulsion from the european union. >> we don't want to leave the european union. we want our pensions to be secured and want education for our children.

>> catalonia accounts for a fifth of spain's gross domestic product. a long term argument is spain puts in more than it gets out. >> do you think spain is rich enough to survive? >> would spain impose very heavy costs in catalonia in the case of dramatic breakup let's say? the answer is yes as well, of course that would not be free for spain either because it has our large debt that would have hard times paying back without catalonia's contribution. >> if catalonia does become an independent state maybe this will be its army in red and blue. barcelona football club el barsa, where years the banned catalon language was spoken free

from general franco's hearing. >> they unfill banners that say things like catalonia is not spain. they use these occasions to cry for independence. the spanish football federation says barcelona may be banned from the national league la le league. >> jonah hull, al jazeera barcelona. the chinese president xi jinping has pledged an initial $2 billion in aid to help the world's poor countries. committed to $12 billion by

2030. long standing criticism by the united states that china hasn't lived up to its responsibility in aspiration of greater global role. gender equality is another item the united nations is trying to tackle. part of our women make change series, al jazeera speaks to rosie atieno. >> water policies, men. yet men do not feel the pinch of going to get water from the river. this is our its village called odessa village. the only source of water is this river, very dirty very contaminated. when we tested the water it was full of e. coli.

i had a problem of getting water in my facility. when i met rose her mother was sick, she came to be treated. then they told them if we get water in the facility it is better for the patients. because we are unable to run it because we don't have water. water for women by the women. >> to me water is life. once you have water in the house then other things are solved. the time to get water is reduced. the reduced time is translated into other development activities. these development activities within the community entirely changes the county then county changes kenya, kenya changes the world. >> so while world leaders gather for that united nations general assembly, top musicians have held a concert nearby to help

fight global poverty through music. gabriel elizondo was at the concert in new york. >> reporter: a free concert like no other. they packed new york's central park to listen to british rock band cold play and other top acts. but there was a catch to secure a place in the lottery to get a ticket to the global citizen festivity. first take action to end world poverty. they had to call or write their government representatives, tweet about the cause and sign petitions. >> i tweeted out and wrote to my senator and congress and i wanted to be with everybody else, passionate to me is education for young women, that's something i'm very passionate about. >> the millennial generation born between 1980 and 2000, or younger, jaylen madre here with

her mom, 14 years old. >> beyonce and cold play, they want to help out the world and help others. >> the event was strategically timed to make the biggest impact. while this concert is going on at the same time on the other side of town more than 100 world leaders are meeting at the united nations to adopt the sustainable environment goals. they say the best way they can contribute to that is their ability at mobilization from the ground up. the concert is in its fourth year. this year there was an estimated 60,000 people, organizers expecting to lead as social activists sprung into action. >> the majority of people are continuing to come back and take action long after the festival

is gone. >> that's the idea, to bring awareness to end poverty, something everyone can cheer about. >> gabriel elizondo, al jazeera, new york. >> news running here on al jazeera english plus a whole lot more, aljazeera.com. welcome to panama. i'd heard the stories of a rich and diverse forest. >> hi, buddy! >> i'd be lying if i didn't admit that i was psyched to be here. i'd find plenty of butterflies and a heck of a lot more. >> did you see that guy? >> that's what i could count on. but then, panama surprised me. techknow came here to check out the massive panama canal expansion project but this trip