we'll be live with the latest in syri. ♪ ♪ hello there, i am shiulie ghosh in doha. also coming out program, russia denies four of its long range cruise missiles fired at syria landed short and land ed in on ron. the u.n. proposes a ube if i government to end the conflict in libya. but the rival parliament still need to approve a. plus. >> reporter: i am catherine soi in ken yeah, i will be telling

you about this weed and why malaria researchers are are so worried about it. iranian military general has been killed in syria, while advice being president bashar al-assad's i'm. iran's revolutionary guard has confirmed the death. saying he died near aleppo. he was said to be helping syria in its fight against isil. it's widely believed iranian troops are on the ground in syria to spot government forces we'll be getting live reaction on that story a little later on. french officials say they launched air strikes overnight targeting an isil training camp in syria. the defense minister said more strikes will follow. france also says 80 too 90% of russian strikes in syria are not targeting aisles. russia is denying that any of their missiles crashed in iran,

the cruise missiles were launched from the caspian sea on we understand, intended for syrian rebel targets 1600-kilometer as way, moscow insists all 26 missiles hit their targets and the iranian government hasn't commented. the u.s. state department says it's deeply concerned by the reports. >> if it's true that a couple of their cruise missiles land ed in iran, again, i am not going to get in to i greater detail, but i think if something like that happened, again, i can't confirm it, but i think it points all the more towards the need to have proper decon flings in plays. zeina, he was a senior figure in do we know anymore.

>> reporter: it has been confirmed by iranian state media he was a high-ranking commander in the iranian military. in their statements they say he was killed by isis in a hleb helaleppo.now, iran does not hit that it has military advisers on the ground at the start of the conflict we heard them say that they were sending these advisers to help protect shia holy sites. and then iranian officials, you know, confirming that, yeah, they are there to give advice to the syrian army on the ground. now, they deny that they have troops on the ground. but the opposition believes that there are iranian troops operating alongside the syrian army. what we also know is that a close ally of iran, the lebanese

shia movement these boa has thousands of fighters in syria, fighting on a a number of front and really most analysts will tell that you without the support of iran and hezbollah the arm would i face a lot of problems even the president, the syrian president bashar al-assad said that he lacks manpower and that the army is over stretched. so this undoubtedly a major blow to iran, we still need to find out the details on how this exactly happened. by it's not only support from iran and its ally hezbollah that the syrian government is getting, it is also getting support now from the russians. >> and the death was said to have taken place on the outskirts of aleppo, that, of course, has seen a lot of activities, there has been a lot of airstrikes in that area because those areas are held by isil. >> reporter: well, aleppo is a very complicated picture. we still need to know which, you know, which outskirts are they talking about. is it eastern aleppo, yes, in

the east of aleppo, isil positions are close by. if it's at the outskirts of west aleppo, it's mainly the opposition forces you but we do know, but like i said it's a very complicated situation. a help so city itself is divided between the opposition and the government. the country side is in the hands of the opposition, but as of late, the government is trying to push in that area. there is also another front line in aleppo between the opposition and isil. so a very complicated picture. we still need to find out, you know, where exactly he was killed, which outskirts, but in that statement, they do blame what they are calling isil terrorists, but as we know, you know, the russian favor, syrian narrative, the syrian government narrative has been using isil really as a blanket term to describe really most of the opposition groups on the ground. >> zeina, thank you, zeina hod never beirut there. now, after months of talks to end the conflict in lib yakker the u.n. has proposed a

deep that includes a national unity government. it still needs to be approved by rival parliaments the country descended in the violence after the fall of muammar qaddafi in 2011. the two governments fighting for power are the general national corning the g.n.c. which operates out of tripoli. it came to power under an allowance that took over the capital city last year. the group drove out the international recognized government which operates in the eastern city of tobruk. this is recognitioned by the u.n. and the arab league. our diplomatic editor james bays reports from the u.n. in new york. >> reporter: there were smiles when after talks that lasted over a year the u.n. mediator announces its plans for a unity government in libya he said it had been a difficult process. >> that was not an easy task.

we have been listen to many people inside and outside the die locker finally it will be six personalities. >> reporter: at its head, prime minister an architect from a prominent family in tripping. the challenges facing a new unity government are immense. it's now almost four years since the death of libya's former ruler, muammar qaddafi. the country has been rackedded by turmoil and violence ever since. the two main factions only reluctantly greed to the deal and there has been so much bloodshed and political bad blood many oppose it. there are fighters and militia who are unlikely to obey the new government. particularly attention will be on this man, renegade general hafta. one of the first challenges for the new administration will be to take on isil who have a major foot hold in qaddafi's hometown

sert. libya's borders are not secure, the country is awash with weapons. so many people have died at sea making the journey from libya towards europe, for months the european union has been proposing the idea of a maritime operation to intercept the boa boats. the country has been racked b on friday it will come before the u.n. security council for a vote. israeli police say four arabs were stabbed the tacker is in police cab test. there has been a wave of violence across israel in recent weeks. israel a prime minister benjamin netanyahu says strong steps will be taken against those inciting hatred. >> translator: the action says

that i spoke about and other actions i didn't mention, do not yield instant results like magic but with methodical determination we will prove that terror does not pay and we will defeat. t. despite appeals for calm, tension is rising across the occupied west bank. we have this report on what is driving the unrest. >> reporter: their frustration is boiling over and they vent their anger at the occupying forces. young palestinians many in their teens throw rocks, sometime petro bombs, israel's recal nation goes from tear gas to bullets. the crowd has infiltrators from israel. such as they four masked men who among those protesting wednesday. one of them was even carrying a flag of hamas. all of a sudden they drew pistols and opened fire with the backing of israeli soldiers. one of the protesters was critically wounded.

others seeds the. it's a risk this young man is willing to take, he won't tell us his own name but says he's an engineering students. >> translator: it's more important to take part in the clashes. even if it leads to a third. >> reporter: there are several flash points like this checkpoints here all over the west bank where clashes erupt nearly a dailies basis, this is creating anxiety among many people here who wonder how long the tensions will last and if it could involve in to something bigger. he works in a shop a few blocks way from the checkpoint, he took part in the second fight 15 years ago now he spends most of his day watching the fighting from a far. >> translator: i don't join anymore because it's useless. but inside me i support them. when i was younger i was feisty. now i know i might get wounded

or killed. but that's it. what is the solution? the youth are upset about what is happening at al-aqsa mosque compound, we learned that it leads to nothing. for those on the frontline, protests are essential. >> reporter: for those on the frontline, agitations and protests are essential. the organizers of the student pro territories even though she says it's not yet time time for a full scale uprising. >> translator: our generation has more energy than the older ones, they are tired or disillusioned but we have to believe that what was taken by force can only be returned by force. but i don't support a third because if we don't have a plan we will get nothing out of it. just another catastrophe and this will benefit our enemy. >> reporter: many of the protesters were born off the oslo accords were signed in 1994, recently president abbas warned that he could withdraw froagreement. many young palestinians feel

it's long gone, al jazeera in the occupied west bank. police in lebanon have made several arrests after an anti government demonstration in beirut turned violent. hundreds of people took to the streets of the lebanese capital on thursday to protest corruption and demand regime change. demonstrators were also unhappy about the government's inning iy to solve a rubbish disposal crisis. the european union has described the influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees as a global challenge. ministers from the block met in lucluxembourg on thursday to discuss the problem. meanwhile, more people trying to cross the mediterranean have been picked up at sea, sonya gallegos from luck you would port with a report. >> reporter: the latest group rescued from the mediterranean arrive in sicily. 523 people brought ashore by the spanish navy. they have escape their lives but not much more. and despite their dangerous voyage, there is no guarantee of

staying in europe. three gambian me men aboard the ship were arrested a us cooled people smuggling. so many took the risk thousands did not make it alive it's been a soaredded money making venture that charge fortunate to his get people to europe. the e.u. has been acutessed the november doing enough. it acknowledges it needs to exact swiftly. >> translator: it's a fact. we have to get to work on it. >> reporter: it's a start according to the u.n.'s refugees agency, but it may not go far enough. >> we are not sure that we have any solution in sight for the time being. yesterday we had 5,000 people arriving in greece. we had about 8,700 people crossing in the former yugoslav republic of macedonia. so the flow of people remains

continuous as we speak. >> reporter: here is what has been agreed. europe's border force will be given additional powers to return economic migrants back to their country of origin. and at the same time, refugees will be rapidly re relocated to other e.u. countries, it's some comfort for the hundreds of thousands that made it this far. europe may provide a ref all for those this desperate need. despite it having taken a long time do so. al jazeera, luc luxembourg. still ahead on the program, thousands living in risk zones, could guatemala have vented the loss of lives in the mud slight last week. plus. >> sentinels of shore, rescuing canada's lights houses in the age of modern technology.

>> they don't fear anything. >> they're consuming economically important species

>> we're offering something on our menu that no-one else is offering. welcome back. i am shoe lie ghosh, the top stories on al jazeera, iran's revolutionary guard says one of its top generals has been killed in syria, he was said to be helping the government in its fight against rebel groups. iran blames isil for his death. russia denies reports by u.s. officials that four of its cruise missiles fired at syria may have crashed in iran. the missiles launched from russian warships in the caspian sea on wednesday. the u.n. has a plan to end the conflict in libya, but it needs to be approved by the rifle parliament. police in germany have

raided volkswagen's headquarters looking for evidence in a pollution scandal. across the atlantic the company's u.s. operations chief has apologize today the fraudulent emissions tests during a congressional hearing. alan fisher reports from washington. >> reporter: the anger of the committee members was clear. >> the american people, the epa and their count are parts around the world have been defrauded by volkswagen. >> vw wilin every at thatbly pay a steep price for this dirty little secret. >> i hope they will get beyond this series of terrible decisions and do something to restore the public trust. >> do you swear the testimony you are about to give is the truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth 234678 no to this stepped the head of volkswagen in the u.s. in his opening statement michael horn apologize today what husband company had done. >> we have bring the -- we have bring the trust of our customers, the u.s. we take full responsibility for our actions.

>> reporter: but the house of representatives committee was looking for more than sorry. >> vw is trying to get the united states of america to believe these are a couple of rogue engineers. i categorically reject that. either your entire organization is incompetent when it comes to trying to come up with intellectual property, and i don't believe that for a second. or they are complicit at the highest levels. >> reporter: vehicle wagon has admit installing a cheat device in diesel vehicles from 2009 until 2015. the software allowed a vehicle to recognize if it was being driven on the road or a test laboratory. it could turn the mission controls on or off to allow it to pass strict emissions tests this meant on the road volkswagen cars would in the have met emission stands card and $11 million worldwide and half a million in the u.s. had the cheat. in germany investigators raided trying to filed out who knew what or when.

>> what we tried to a choo nest range of our investigation was to take hold of the evidence which can shed light on first the method and reason for this software and, of course, also the people behind it who are responsible for the actions. which macons sui may constitute. >> reporter: the company faces fines and the properties spect of claim buys consumers. who feel they have been lied to. and cheated. alan fish he should al jazeera, washington. at least 10 inmates have been killed off a fire swept through a prison in the philippines. the blaze started in a maximum security area holding more than 1,000 prisoners. a senior fire officer says prisoners were trapped by the flames which gutted the compound. there has been increasing violence ahead of presidential elections in the west african state of guinea. a hospital worker says at least one person has been killed in fighting between supporters of political parties.

guinea's president dismissed calls to postpone the ballot scheduled to be held on sunday. scientists fighting malaria in east africa are now facing a new enemy. a weed which is invading the county side it's called the famine weed and growing across uganda, tan is knee, a eying yoap i can't so knowledge that and kenya. and researchers found it's attracting mosquito. from ken yeah, catherine soi reports. >> reporter: scientists in the international certainty of insect physiology and psychology in nairobi. they also studying the famine weed mosquitoes feed on and trying it find out just how much it's reversing gains made in the battle against malaria. motorcycle toes are attract today the weed's nector which keeps them alive if they can't find blood to suck. scientific standard the research that started in thousand seven is still in its early days.

but the lead researchers says the preliminary findings are worrying. >> it can live very long because they get their resources from here, it tells us that when the mosquito is carrying the parasite it can survive a lot longer. the question is that if the mosquito is not up frequented with the parasite what, does it need in terms of the impact on the survival of the mosquito, that we don't know. >> reporter: this weed originally from north and south america was introduced in the 1970s and has been spreading fast, displacing many other plants. it can grow in any environment in any weather. a big concern for scientist respecting this weed is what it could mean in place where his the malaria differentiate is still very high. if it coming clunes that it keeps the parasite alive longer it could be a potentially big

problem here. malaria is widespread. public awareness problems and other preventive strategies have helped ease the burden, despite that. about a quarter of the people who live here have been diagnose with the ma layer ya. main more don't seek treatment. doctors say everyone mut must be made aware of the weed's danger. >> the government takes over, people get to know about this plant. because it's common but some people don't know the effects it has on humans on animals. >> reporter: i hats been clearing the weeds for years, but it keeps grow but, he doesn't know about the link with ma layer yaks but he knows that none of his other planned can grow if it is here. >> we don't know what we can do about it. but we are trying to cut it every season it comes up.

>> reporter: back in nigh rob i can sign tiffs continue to try to solve the puzzle of the malaria-carrying motorcycle toes and the famine weed they love. al jazeera, western kenya. in quad mall arc it's been one week since a landslide killed more than 200 people. and families are still burying the their dead. with the rescue operation over, many are asking if the disaster could have been springed. david mercer reports from where the mudslide happened. >> reporter: juan and his family are trying to come to terms with their grave. last week a deadly landslide buried his sister and 11 other family members. the bodies of eight relatives have been identified, and laid to rest in this cemetery. but they still haven't recovered the other four. >> translator: it brings great pain to my family. we have such sadness in our hearts.

we ask god to take this pain away. it hurts so much to hear the tears of so many people. >> reporter: weeks of near constant rain brought down part of this mountain side. burying 125 homes under a million cubic meters of earth. more than 220 people have been found dead and hundreds more are still missing. in recent days, authorities have identified fractures that could lead to moreland are land slide and some people have been evacuated. this house beside me is on the edge of a ravine and in caught mall a city alone more than 300,000 people are living in risk zones. now that the public prosecutor's office has launched an investigation try to determine responsibility for the latest disadisaster, there is hope that there will be more protection for people living like this. but the authorities that were warped that this was a risk zone say there is no simple solution.

>> translator: the people living in the ravenna received here before there were the types of laws that we have now. there are people who live here and consider this their home. it's very difficult to tell these people that they have to leave their houses. >> reporter: with the fourth highest risk of natural as teres in thdisasters in the world authorities say it's crucial better system are put in to place. >> we have to act now, we can't let this happen again, unfortunately this disaster needs to be used to strengthen our institutions and our laws to prevent more people from becoming victims. >> reporter: a tragedy that could have been prevented and left some of the country's most vulnerable to pay the ultimate price. david mercer, al jazeera, guyed mall a. the u.s. the family of an unarmed black man shot by a white police officer will receive 6 1/2 million dollars in

damages. the city of charles son? south carolina has agreed to this. walter scott was shot in the back in april last year as he fled a traffic stop. the incidents was caught on camera and reignited a national outcry over the treatment of minority groups. lighthouses have warned ships captains of lurking dang fore centuries. but gps and other technology are making many obsolete. especially in canada which has the world's longest coastline. daniel lak reports from nova scotia. >> reporter: sent knowledges of the shore. canada's lighthouses have stood for centuries. but modern technology and a cost-conscious government mean many could disappear if local communities responsibility start maintaining them. that's what is happening today at the bore's headlight house. >> they do some once in a while to the road. but as far as the lighthouse itself, they are not going to touch it. if it fell down it fell down. that's just the way it is.

>> reporter: in 2008, ottawa declared nearly 500 lighthouses as unnecessary to navigation. local communities have taken over some, 75 now have heritage status and can be not dismantled but preservatio preservation asl wore. >> i we don't have the castles of europe, but we do have our lighthouses they are emblematic of who we are. my dad moved us out onto the island in 1964, i was nine months old. >> reporter: once lighthouse keepers lived with their families in places like here, just outside nova scotia's largest port halifax. kelly fair service brown grew up there and served as keeper herself in the final months before the light was out mate ed in 1988. >> i considered, you know, being a light keeper a privilege. it suited me. if they wouldn't have closed it down i think i would have pursued that as i career. i would have been very content

to raise my family out there. >> reporter: even today in the age of electric communications and global positioning systems, not all lighthouses are heritage buildings. this is a working canadian coast guard light station and it resides over one of the most treacherous stretches of water on the east coast they call the graveyard because of the ship wrecks, with computerized coastal navigation now more like air traffic control. catastrophic wrecks are thankfully rare these days, but there is nothing quite lin likee blink of a lighthouse. >> you have cruise shipping, fishing vessels, and they depends to a point on their electric navigation, a lot of captains will tell you they still want to see that light flabbing. in a few place as long the coast, they will continue to see them. so long as local communities

keep doing what used to be the federal government's job. and you can keep up to date with all of the day's news and top developments on our website, the address aljazeera.com. >> this week on talk to al jazeera - sonia manzano, otherwise known as maria on 'sesame street'. >> i can't believe i did it. if someone had suggested that this was gonna be my future, i would have suggested that they commit themselves to the nearest insane asylum. >> manzano also wrote for the children's television series and would share in 15 emmy awards. she was a trailblazer - the first leading latina on american television. but after 44 years, manzano is retired. >> it's very hard for me to get across to kids, or people who