syria's president makes an unannounced visit to moscow to meet with vladimir putin hello from al jazeera's headquarters in doha, i'm jane dutton, also ahead the u.n. chief calls for calm. it's falling on deaf ears after another day of violence between palestinians and israeli we talk to people in juba about the peace deal. plus... ..the first note of fame.

a 21-year-old wins the fredrik chopin piano competition. syria's president has met vladimir putin in moscow. bashar al-assad's visit is believed to be his first trip abroad since syria's war broke out in 2011. the topic for discussion was the war in syria, and russia's military involvement. rory challands is live in moscow. what are the plans now, rory? >> well, that's a very good question. what we know is that vladimir putin and president bashar al-assad met on tuesday in moscow to talk about the syrian operations, to talk about the russian bombing campaign, and how that is backing up the syrian army on the ground as

they push against the group's that they have been fighting against for so long. groups that some in the west see as friendly groups, moderate groups, groups that are trying to get rid of bashar al-assad and that the west has been supporting. what we don't know is whether they discussed the big question - is there going to be a transfer of power away from president bashar al-assad? the closest we can get to an answer to that is by listen to what the two presidents themselves have said recently. let's listen in. >> we assume that the long-term solution may be reached on the basis of the latest military developments and political process, with participation from all political, ethnic and religious groups. this decision can be made only by the syrian people, and we are ready to support it not only

militarily, but politically as well. >> i reiterate that the goal of the military campaign, and that of yours is to undermine the terrorist organization, not only for the dangers presented to our people, but they are an obstacle to diplomatic gains on the ground. >> that suggests there is some kind of political settlement negotiated at the moment. that possibly russia has joined the fight in syria to bolster president bashar al-assad to make his position a bit more secure, but that it would sol ra -- tolerate a transition away from bashar al-assad, if the person that replaced him was the right sort of person for moscow. >> whenever the west believed in the past that russia may give up on bashar al-assad, it has, in fact, done the opposite and

seems to have doubled down on the man that has been moscow's ally for so long. >> thank you for that. the u.n. chief, ban ki-moon, is due to meet palestinian leader mahmoud abbas now, in the occupied west bank. he held talks with a prime minister on tuesday, and requested an urgent video conference with the u.n. security council in new york. he called for calm across the region, it appears to have little affect. a palestinian was shot and injured by the israeli army on wednesday, near the a jewish segment of nablus. the u.n. said the girl was carrying two knives. the u.n. chiefs is calling for both to step back from a deaning abyss. stephanie dekker -- from a dangerous abyss. stephanie dekker joins us now, talk about the effect of ban ki-moon and the impact it's likely to have on the politics. >> well, he's bringing a message of calm and piece, something

that is needed here. the impact on the ground will be limited. it will probably be nothing, i think, if we put it bluntly. it's significant that he is here. a last-minute meeting to meet with both sides to calm the situation down, because it is so tense. we are hearing the arrival of ban ki-moon is imminent. in the next two minutes or so he'll meet with the palestinian president. we talk to a source close to the president. he said to be discussed, two main issues, international protection. that is unclear. basically the source says the palestinians don't have much power, showing you how difficult the situation is, and accountability. when it comes to the united nations, whenever a resolution tries to go through the u.n. security council, the united states will veto it. so very difficult to see what the u.n. can do. i think the message that he met with the israeli prime minister yesterday is specking to both

sides to say how important it is to calm the situation. how it will be done is difficult to see. >> what happened to the palestinian girl? >> well, this morning, again conflicting reports. many of the incidents have conflicting reports. in nablus we hear a girl approached a checkpoint outside a settlement, she was shot, injured, she's in an israeli hospital. the israeli army said she had two knives on herself. we spoke to her father. he said she sleep walks, he woke up, tried to find her, and tried to get access to the israelis, to leave the west bank - they need permission to travel into israel - that has not been granted. he doesn't know of her status. two sides, difficult to confirm these things when they happen on the ground. it highlights the tension here. we had a lot of violence in hebron, again in retaliation for

the killing of two teenagers. conflicting reports, what happened. it's hard to calm the street. we'll see more from the secretary of state. and a jordanian king - how will whatever they discuss translate to the people on the ground, to give them confidence that the occupation might end is very difficult to see. it's extremely tense times, very different to situations we have seen before. >> thank you for that, stephanie dekker. >> the u.n. refugee agency says more than half a million refugees reached greece. the u.n. described it as a milestone, and the spike in the numbers said many are trying to reach europe before the winter, leaving the number that crossed the mediterranean that reached europe is 643,000, more than 3,000 of them have died. slovenia's parliament passed legislation giving the army more

power to guard the border, and is struggling with the huge influx of refugees, more than 20,000 arriving since saturday. paul brennan has the latest from north-eastern slovenia. >> parliament debated the issue into the night. 0130 was when they finished. the vote was in favour of deploying the army to the border areas. the vote as 66 in favour, and five against. the powers that the army will have are effectively similar to police powers. they will not be shooting, but they'll warm, direct and restrict the flow. the army will be deployed to areas where it is too thin on the ground. the influx continues at pace. 2.5,000 refugees, across the border from croatia, tuesday night alone. >> that is putting pressure on

the capacity of the slovenians to cope at a place on the austrian border. a large group was so impatient that they made their own break for the border. >> reporter: their progress has been hampered by bad weather and official restrictions, pressures of numbers reached critical mass. from the refugee camp from the slovenian side, more than 2,000 men, women and children gave up waiting and streamed down the hill. >> we told them we can't to go. we don't want anything. just we want to go, to complete our journey. >> austrian soldiers and police strung a barrier across the road. translators used megaphones to appeal for calm. the atmosphere was anything but calm. as the pressure grows, so does the impatience. this group walking down the street. they are not registered.

they are not registered with the austrian side and they are trying to push their way through. clearly it is not going to see, -- to succeed, and as you can see, the authorities have difficulty maintaining order. the breaking point, an arrival on tuesday, of hundreds of refugees to a border camp hosting 2,500 people. until then the camp was orderly with police, charities, and others combined to provide food and warm clothes. >> these people came to my heart. i emptied my closet. i took all the children's stuff. i have a small child. and bring them here, bought them here to help people because they are wet. >> slovenia, a country of 2 million people says it cannot cope as the numbers arriving from croatia outstrip the numbers allowed onward to

austria. in direct response, slovenian police reinforced their capabilities. and brought riot police to patrol along the croatian boarder. austria denied restricting numbers. and police say they are protesting refugees as quickly as it allows. >> we want them to have aid, food, so that they can sleep somewhere in austria, and there's no limitation of the of the presence we get from slovenia. we need a correct - all the correct form. >> correct procedure. >> correct procedure to get them. this is the problem. >> the police don't lack compassion, but it seems the system cannot keep up with the reality. for this group the journey is almost over, they are boarding buses and will be taken into austria once they are getting closer still to come on the program, al jazeera is in

northern nigeria looking for the challenges in rebuilding after boko haram attacks. plus, britain pulls out the stops for china's president. now it's time to get down to business. they took my family. i don't know how i'm gonna do it but... i need another lawyer. you're gonna have to kill me to take my child.

>> governments secretly paying ransoms. >> we were told never to disclose that they actually paid. >> are they saving lives or putting more at risk? the top stories on al jazeera - syria's president bashar al-assad met vladimir putin in moscow. vladimir putin's spokesman said the pair discussed the fight against terrorism and extremist groups, and russia's support for the syrian army offensive

u.n. chief ban ki-moon held talks with israel's prime minister and is due to meet mahmoud abbas in the coming hours. he's calling for an end to violence that killed 50 palestinians and eight israelis at the beginning of the month. >> slovenia is sending the army to control its border, struggling to deal with a growing refugee crisis, more than 20,000 arrived since saturday and plans to arriving the e.u. for help ugandan troops are pulling out of sudan, the withdrawal was a key position of a peace deal reached. we look at whether south sudan will be better or worse off after the ugandan soldiers leave. >> ugandan forces in africa's newest nation preparing to return home. ugandan army went to the aid of president el salvador, when fighting broke out two years ago. they fought alongside the sudanese army, securing key

positions. the commander believes they've been vital to security in the country, and others may leave when they do. >> we expect syrians, ugandans and nationals to, first of all, maybe follow us. we expect that. they think that war will break out. >> on the campus of juba university, opinion about what the withdrawal means is divided. >> that does not affect us. >> translation: i object to the withdrawal. we want them to withdraw after the transitional period, when there's good and stable government. they are the ones protecting the oil facilities and important areas like juba. >> it's a way to bring peace to south sudan. i think when they go, i think it will bring peace to south sudan. >> people have security concerns, the staggered

withdrawal of the ugandan army is more political than military. >> if the government started the implementation of the peace agreement with the rebels, by actually - by a withdrawal of the ugandan forces from south, because this will pave the way for other - i mean its to be implemented. >> there's a long way to go before the transitional government can be formed. there's more security processes to put in place, and the creation of 18 new states has thrown everything into terminal. the departing ugandan army is a significant step towards creating the new government in nigeria, they are begun rebuilding communities in the north-east, destroyed by boko haram, but the armed group is carrying out attacks in the area. we have a report, 100km from

maiduguri, the capital of borneo state. >> reporter: this is a community trying to get back on its feet, brick by brick. every government building in this town has been destroyed. schools, police, homes and hospitals have been attacked. those that can have left. many call it home. 80-year-old and his family live in a destroyed government building, displaced by war and desperate. boko haram destroyed my home. members of my family have been killed or displaced. i don't know where else to go or what to do. >> reporter: the government is planning to spend 5 million reconstructing the town. this man hopes it will trickle down to people like him. bombs are exploding in in north-eastern nigeria. there is optimism. boko haram fighters attacked the

towns several times, destroying most of it. the regional government is taking a gamble, pouring millions into infrastructure. that once again could be targets of boko haram attacks. >> reporter: the damage to infrastructure is massive. with most of the state regarding help, government leaders say they are spending hundreds of millions on reconstruction. it's clear, it's not enough. >> the nature of damage done is huge. as such the government can't cope. this is not the first time. >> reporter: now they are starting anew. military demanders say troops provide a level of stability. >> it's relative. we will not, however, we can be

in the most - to the nearest of bridges and towns. >> reporter: peace and confidence is returning to some areas, it is on the major transit route to some fighters and in towns, one attack is all it takes to erase all that is done in the philippines the clean-up began in areas hit by a tropical storm koppu, making landfall on sunday causing flooding. the national disaster group says 35 were killed and a million forced to leave their homes canada's prime minister elect justin trudeau told president obama that he plans to withdraw fighter jets from the coalition. it is likely to lead to big

changes in canada's foreign and domestic policies after almost a decade of conservative rule. the party won a majority in general elections on monday. >> the u.k. and china expected to sign deals words more than 46 billion during a 4-day visit by chinese president xi jinping. china is investigating in the new generation of nuclear power plants and comes after a welcome on day one of xi jinping's trip. >> reporter: britain has rolled out the red carpet for president xi treating him to a procession through london, and a royal gun salute by tower bridge. at the start of the 4-day visit. he was given the rare honour of addressing both houses of parliament. >> parliamentarians are the cream of a society. i bid you well as we chinese say, to skill higher, to see further. i hope you will continue to

promote the u.k.'s relations with china, strengthen our friendship and support cooperation. i hope you build a bridge of understanding and cooperation to create a brighter and promising future for our bilateral ties. >> a largely ceremonial day before the two sides get down to business. the ministers expect president xi jinping to endorse more than $45 billion of trade and investment deals. as they look for cash for projects, for high speed transport and nuclear energy deals. >> there'll be big announcements, i have no doubt in terms of energy, infrastructure, health and finance. a wide range of sectors, it's a chance for him and a big team of ministers to engage with us at lots of different levels. >> but not everyone wants a closer relationship with china, protesting outside buckingham palace were human rights groups anxious that the u.k. is putting money before morals. >> in the last three years since he came to pass, since he

assumed the presidency, there's actually been an alarming deterioration in an already poor human rights situation. there's a crackdown on human rights activists, lawyers, government critics. several hundred have been arrested this year. some have been released, some are detained. many do not have access to lawyers. >> rounding off the event on tuesday a banquet in buckingham palace, where talks of human rights is unlikely to be a topic of conversation. >> president xi will visit a football club and make a trip to manchester. where david cameron hopes ta make a joint announcement into a venture. more investment will make northern britain more competitive. both sides hope that these few days could mark the beginning of a golden era in their relationship colleagues of a british journalist found dead in an airport in turkey call for an independent inquiry, police released this footage of jacky

sutton's last moments. she's on the left of the vene holding a backpack. circumstances of her death is unclear, turkish media say she was found hanged. susan hutchinson is a former colleague from the australian national university and doesn't believe the reports of suicide. >> it's heart-breaking. jacky was a professional, a fiercely passionate woman and a dear friend of mine. she's a great loss to advocacy, community, she was a a human rights defender working on women's rights in the context of war and conflict. a great loss to humanity. i don't believe the statement around her having hanged herself by her shoelaces in a toilet cubicle, i don't believe that is it plausible. i hope we can get an independent inquiry into the circumstances of her death, and that can be transparent she worked for the institute of war and peace, reporting, or

iw p.r. a statement from the organization says: one of south america's oldest tribes is boycotting the world childreningious games in braz -- indigenous games in brazil. athletes are arriving, but the largest tribe is refusing to take part saying it was ignoring the suffering of their people . >> reporter: in brazil's region on the border with paraguay. these people are not practicing

for the upcoming world indigenous games, they are getting ready to fight for their ancestral land. >> translation: brazil is throwing a huge party to cover up what they have done to us. how can we think of going to the games when we have to fight for the land and now our dead. >> the land, holding sacred value, it's among the moment valuable. they have been displaced by external actors. spanish and portuguese conquerers, missionaries and sugar cane farmers. >> we will not leave this land, we let them take our land once. we will not sacrifice our identity again. we are not from paraguay or any other place but here. we have been on the land for a long time. >> they are one of three tribes that make up the larger people. occupying land between brazil and paraguay. land disputes were made more

complicated by the government, an invitation to white settlers to take over the land following a war with paraguay. recent efforts to reach a solution fell short. >> in 2005, then the president recognised this land as belonging to these people. the initiative was blocked by a group of farmers that that claim to the land also. a decade later. they said they can wait no longer. last august, one of the main leaders was killed, a shot to his cheekbone. five years earlier his brother too was killed in a clash with local landholders. to date no one has been held social for either death. >> we can't accept any other land as part of a deal. this is the land where my brother, grandmother, great-grandmother are buried.

if we don't get out of this alive. they won't either. >> reporter: they are intent on remaining in their land, armed only with bows and arrows, a clash with the brazilian national guard may be fatal. one day ahead of the world indigenous games, this confrontation could be something the brazilian government can ill afford. south korean pianist won the top honour at the 17th international fred ruck chopin piano competition, the highly acclaimed contest is held once every five years in poland's capital. [ ♪ ] >> reporter: frederic's chopin piano concerto in e minor, a winning performance for 21-year-old south korean. >> first of all, i couldn't believe it, now i'm a little worried because - about the

future concert. i don't want people disappointed. of course, being a pianist is also good. i want to make good music. >> he outplayed 77 other contestants to sweep the medal and prize. the prestigious competition is named after the 1927 pianist and composure, one of the few contests where pianists play pieces by a single composer. a canadian came in second. the only finalist to select the concerto in f minor. running since 1927, the chopin competition launched the careers

of many young classical pianist, opening the doors for them to play at the world's leading concert halls. our website any time you want to access it, it's there for you. aljazeera.com. i'm ali velshi, on target. pills and profit. why a wave of drug price hikes is a prescription for trouble as patient, hospitals and doctors all get squeezed. plus, fighting back against the real problem of fake online reviews. the political fewer ror raging in america over prescription drugs is exposing shortcomings of an