[ ♪ ] with the help of russian air strikes syria's army says it launched a major offensive against the opposition. i'm shiulie ghosh. also coming up from the programme. a stabbing in east jerusalem increases tension in israel and the occupied territories. f.i.f.a.'s ethics committee bans sepp blatter and other top

officials. in syria, the chief of staff of the armed forces said on state media that the military started a big attack to take back towns and villages, getting support from russian jets and missiles. she joins us live from beirut. tell us about the syrian offensive, which is designed to regain territory for rebels, and has the support of russian air strikes. >> yes, the russian military are providing air cover to the government forces on the ground as they try to push into the countryside of hama province. like you mentioned the syrian army command saying that a ground offensive, a big attack is under way. according to the army chief of staff they'll eliminate towns and villages, to have them suffer from terrorism. the army commander not mentioning where the offensive

is happening. we understand from military sources and the opposition on the ground, that there is fighting and military activity in a strated eejic area -- strategic area. why is the area important? it's important to both sides. it's almost in a junction that links three provinces together. as of late the rebels have been advancing towards the government strong hold along the coast. this offensive is going to push the rebels back, at least this is what the government hopes, and protect one of the core areas under the control of the government. now, according to the army commander, he is saying that these air strikes helped the army and weakened the capabilities of the opposition. rebels on the ground are fighting back and promised to fight back. they uploaded video, you can see

them using u.s. antitank missiles. they target a convoy of tanks. there's another video showing them capturing a syrian army tank the the opposition is fighting back. this will be the first test to see whether or not this coordinated assault will achieve success on the ground. >> thank you very much for that. zeina khodr in beirut. n.a.t.o. describes russia's involvement in syria as a troubling escalation. they have been speaking in brussels where defence ministers are meeting. >> in syria we have seen a troubling escalation of russian military activities. we will assess the latest developments and the implications for security of the alliance. this is particularly relevant in the view of the recent violations of n.a.t.o.'s air

space by russian aircraft. n.a.t.o. is able and ready to defend all allies, including against any threats. >> neave barker is in brussels where n.a.t.o. is meeting and worried about russian incursions into turkish air space and worried that russia appears to be escalating a civil war. >> yes, absolutely aware of that, and they are concerned about that too. they are worried about the increase in tensions between n.a.t.o. and russia. ever since the air bombardments of specific targets in syria started, it posed security concerns for n.a.t.o. countries, including turkey. of course, all of this came to a head off the back of two apparent incursions by russian jets into turkish air space a few days ago. the russians say it was an accident. the first incursion happened

during bad weather. regards the second incursion n.a.t.o. was not sure about that. they have suspicions. there were concerns from an n.a.t.o. alliance that n.a.t.o. was charging more from i.s.i.l. organizations and groups against the united states are possibly found themselves in a list of targets for the russians to hit. it's important for n.a.t.o. to show common resolve. the head of n.a.t.o.'s that it's important to consider security implications for n.a.t.o.'s own security. undoubtedly as the meetings continue, we will here more rhetoric like that. when it comes to action on the ground. it's about the condemning of russia from a distance. >> now, israeli police say a

palestinian stabbed a man from jerusalem to injure him. there has been a series of stabbings amid tensions in the region. mike bring us up to date with more details on this latest stabbing. the attack acurd in the neighbourhood that is right on the 1967 line that divides west jerusalem from the occupied east. the 25-year-old say police is in a serious condition. the attacker a 15-year-old palestinian has been arrested by the police. this is the 7th such attack since saturday night. the police are saying it is very, very difficult to deal with the series of attacks, given the random nature, given that they are carried out by what police call lone wolf

attackers, so a new crisis for the israeli police in terms of dealing with the ongoing tension, rising tension within the region as a whole. >> and the tension has been rising with a series of stabbings in recent days, and in recent weeks. what is the israeli government doing to combat the intentions. >> well, what has been happening is a degree of security coordinations between palestinians and israelis, they say there was a meeting with palestinian officials. the point of that meeting is discuss ways in which a degree of farm is destroyed. prime minister binyamin netanyahu has, within the last 24 hours banned all israelis members of parliament from

visiting the al-aqsa mosque commound. it's an escalation of weeks and months. he banned arab israeli lawmakers going to the compound, which again raised a great amount of anger among those that would wish to visit the compound to pray for the examples. various steps are taken, some designed to restore the area of calm. others creating as much of a problem as what they are supposed to solve. from the words of the prime minister, words at least, he is intent on restoring some form of calm and he's going out of his way to ensure israelis be safe in the week ahead. europe's staggering refugee crisis is due to be discussed in

luxembourg. they will consider plans to deport hundreds of thousands. hundreds of thousands arrived in europe, people plea conflict in syria hungary infested for than 100 million euros on wire fences to keep people out arrive in the croatian down heading north. only a small window remains. this is it, a gap in the newly built fence, 3 meters wide. croatia on one side. hungary up ahead. through the gap. most of the refugees heading into europe. 4,000 a day, and into the pitched darkness of night. the european union's refugee

policy depends on what hungary may or may not decide to do with this gap in the fence. the government made it clear the gap could be closed at any moment. hungary does not want the refugees on its territory, they are seen as a threat to christian values. this is a vital route to the secure future that people grave. >> before you came here, you heard there were problems with the border. what have you found now? >> completely distressed. i fear that i >> i fear that i never come here. >> does it matter to you which country you get to in europe? >> no, i'm looking for a safe country for me and for my children. i'm, sorry, i need to go. >> reporter: good luck. good luck to you for now, the way through hungry is open, albeit sanitized and controlled. the refugees are crammed on to trains and whisked away to the austrian border, they'll barely

see hungary, and it will barely see them. >> what would happen if they told you you had to go to another country in europe. not germany, but another country. >> i have no idea. i just hope. >> you hope for the best. >> sure. just safety. i don't want more. >> hungary and other central european countries oppose a plan to share the refugee burden among the member states. there's talk of poland, slovakia and czech republic sending troops to help hungary keep the refugees out. that would cause damage, pitting european nations against one another, and leaving thousands with nowhere to go the governing body of world football f.i.f.a. has provisionally banned president

sepp blatter for 90 days. f.i.f.a. secretary-general jerome falcke and vice president michel platini have been banned. we are joined live by andy richards. what does this mean for sepp blatter. >> it could hardly be a more serious situation for f.i.f.a. and sepp blatter, ending his presidency. he had already resigned, saying he'd step down in february. this 90 day ban takes it up to january, it could be extended by 45 days, if the investigative committee needs more time. that would take us up close to the election. he could get back in the job if cleared for the 90 days, and hand over power. but it looks increasingly unlikely that that will happen. the man he expected to hand power over to has been suspended. michel platini, as you say was the favourite to take over as

president. right up until the .10 days ago. men's police began a criminal investigation into sepp blatter, accusing him. a disloyal payment. michel platini is not the subject of criminal investigation, but was interviewed by swiss police. the $2 million payment went to michel platini in 2011. the timing of it looked suspicious. it came at a time when michel platini offered support during a presidential rate and decided to pull out of that race. sepp blatter will not be there for the election, it looks unlikely. michel platini. going through a test. difficult to see how he can pass the test. >> thank you very much indeed for that. let's go to an author and columnist at world soccer

magazine, joining us live. this is now the end for sepp blatter. >> yes. it appears to be so. obviously, you know, he can appeal to the f.i.f.a. appeals committee, if it fails he can go to the court of arbitration for sport. with the election in february. time is running short for him. >> it's also a huge blow for the hopes of michel platini, as the sports correspondent was saying. he'll have to undergo an integrity test. the fact that he's been suspended means that helle probably fail that. that's a sensible judgment. very fast yesterday to submit to the f.i.f.a. electoral chamber, five nominations that he needed to put forward, to submit to a formal candidacy. the ethics committee suspended

him. as to check his credentials. u.e.f.a. started to think about who they would find for a new candidate. >> what is your gut feeling, is it good something has been done or is it bad that there's so much fall out. >> i mean the fall out, the scandal, controversy, corruption has been dragging on for years now, and i think finally after all this time, you see one man, the ethics judge and the rest of the chamber, thee stood up to sepp blatter and said no more, this has to stop. there is a little glimmer of home for f.i.f.a. >> thank you for that. live from london coming up, this year's nobel prize in literature has been announced. find out who it is, after the break. and why an ocean dweller known

as the blob could be about to wipe out huge areas of core am reef. the only way to get better is to challenge yourself,

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welcome back, the top stories on al jazeera. syria's armed forces settle state media. the military started a big attack to take back towns and villages. the sense that it backed russian air strikes, n.a.t.o.'s chiefs say actions are a reaction as defense chiefs meet to discuss a response a 15-year-old palestinian stabbed an israeli man in

jerusalem, fatally injuring him. there has been a series of stabbings, the attacker was arrested at the scene. >> and the governing body of world football, f.i.f.a. banned sepp blatter for 90 days, secretary-general jerome falcke and u.e.f.a. vice president michel platini also have been suspended every day parents kidnap their children and take them overseas. we have the story of a father trying to find his daughter. >> reporter: in jakarta indonesia, an australian father, kennedy kendall is dreaming of the moment he gets his daughter back. >> it's been five years since i last saw her face. i felt every day.

you know, i counted every day. >> the 6-year-old was taken by his ex-wife to indonesia five years ago. since then he had no contact. >> you will leave the vehicle, and we'll start the recovery. >> kendall hired col chapman, a child recovery expert. he will help on his mission. >> we only need a short head start. six seconds for you guys to block them and we are up the end here. australia has the highest rate of international parental abduction in the world. every year more than 300 are stolen by parents and taken overseas. >> if a jumbo jet carried 300 children that disappeared. there would be an outcry. public would demand for things to be done. they mostly disappear beneath the radar. >> there are calls for the australian government to change the law and make abductions illegal.

in a statement government officials say they are doing more to help families, but as to whether to make international abduction a crime. they are mum on the matter. >> many countries signed the hay convention, finding help to find and return a child to home. indonesia is not one of them. it costs tens of thousands and is controversial. it risks traumatising a child. >> do you feel it's right for you to take care of that. >> i don't know any parent that wouldn't want to give their child access to the best opportunities in life. this is what i want to do for my daughter. >> hiring a recovery expert is no guarantee of success. security is tight at a school that kendall's daughter attends. >> we'll be surrounded by them. >> i can't guarantee you that

the recovery will go ahead. i can't guarantee you. we can have a go. i can't guarantee the result. >> i can't go back to australia without seeing her, after all these years. >> reporter: kendall says until governments tighten laws, parents and children will continue to be torn apart and you can see steve's full programme "bringing them home", on 101 east, 2030 greenwich meantime. here on al jazeera now, the 2015 noble literature prides has been awarded to a belarussian. the writings were a monument to suffering and courage in our time. it was more about the nobel prize for literature.

we are joined from london. good to have you with us, clearly being awarded the nobel prize for literature. it was a huge honour, how much impact does it have in terms of their work and international recognition. >> the first thing to say is this is great news for readers of svet lan e, it is not someone well-known in england, and is probably available in a limited way. so we welcome somebody who is previously unknown tore not well-known into the community of world literature. that's what the prize does, it prop else the writer into the front line of contemporary letters. her work will be brought from all over the world, spanish, germans, and she'll reach a new leadership. obviously there's a short list for this award. how is the decision made.

the process. >> sorry, go on. >> this is a curiosity. people kus it. it's less published. >> you don't know who is under consideration? >> no, no. there's a lot of nods and winks. swedish are up on this, a literary journalist like myself doesn't know a thing about what is going on behind the scenes. >> do you have a point of what they are looking at or what it is to be a winner. >> you'd have to be a reader of swedish pages, they talk about it. there are hints and nudges, but basically the whole thing is a mysterious process, resulting in

someone propelled. clearly the end result is that there'll be a lot more scrutiny of her work. for someone like me. i've never heard a word she's written. it's fantastic news that this happened. that will be true. for most of the journalists discovering someone. thank you very much indeed. good to speak to you. >> the deal to form a unity government in libya is getting closer. they have been tasked with bringing together rival governments. talks are reaching a conclusion. >> after consultations with all the libyans participating in

this national dialogue. i come here to tell you that we would have been waiting for the g.n.c. today, and unfortunately this decision has not been the one we were expecting for the national unity government. we have decided to go on, and we will continue working on the formation of the government, and helpfully tomorrow we'll process the government. >> ukraine's president praise the government for postponing elections. president petro porashenko says the delay is a sign of protests. the delayed elections held in regions they controlled, a short

compromise can be reached. they had their first week in 18 months. there was another outbreak. more than 11,000 people died of the disease. rwanda's highest court threw out a legal challenge that could allow the president to run for a third turn. he mounted the change. rwandans can be asked to vote for constitutional amendments into law. tourism officials close a glass walkway after cracks appeared in the structure on monday. dozens of tourist were on the sky walk. the walkway met safety standards during the expectation the. it was roughly 120 meters above the canyon in the remote

mountain area. >> now, scientists warn that huge areas of coral reef could be wiped out. because conditions are getting hotter. researchers believe a warm patch in the pacific, the blog, was partly to blame. not much was known about what caused it. the blob is not the only culprit. climate change lead to a bout of record-high parts of the ocean. coral reefs are losing colour, known as coral bleaching. they are in danger of being wiped out. that is 5% of the total. coral reefs are nurseries for many species of fish, providing livelihoods for millions of people. >> dorothy is a researcher. with the pace of global warming, it may have been too late to protect the reefs.

>> bleaching at this magnitude is very bad for biodiversity. it's one of the first events of climate change that we can put our finger on. it's bad for tour. >> communities, but it's bad because the reefs breathe for us, producing a lot of oxygen. scientists are pointing to the north pacific around gaum, and south-east australia. in the caribbean, the world's largest reef, the third largest, the reef, barrier reef from miami will also likely be affected. it might be too late. this is the scary thing. it will takes - after bleaching, it takes corals five to 10 years to recover. it depends on water quality for corals to refairly themselves.

the rate of climate change that we are seeing, it may not be enough time to naturally protection themselves and to adapt to these event na were happening. >> and there's more on the website aljazeera.com. >> a strike averted, a midnight agreement keeps 40,000 auto workers on the job at fiat chrysler, but will the deal get rank and file approval? >> the head of volkswagen u.s.a. admits he knew about an emission problem for a year before it went public. michael horn goes before congress this morning. >> nato holds and emergency meeting on rush's intervention in syria, damascus saying the airstrikes are helping it get the upper hand against