syria's president gives his backing to elections and says a political solution to the war is possible you're watching al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also ahead... countries on the front line of europe's refugee crisis get ready for a showdown meeting. three threaten to close their borders. tanzania go to the polls, the ruling party facing a first reel fight after more than 50 years in power. plus... >> i'm andrew thomas at uluru in

australia, a world famous landmark and for aboriginal people, a sacred site. when tourists climb it they are insulted. so why are people still trekking up? hello, the syrian president bashar al-assad says he's ready to take part in elections, and that a political solution to end the war is possible. he made the comment to a delegation of russian lawmakers no damascus. he says a political deal will depend on eliminating terrorist organizations. he travelled to moscow, to meet vladimir putin, who has been backing his regime. a political solution to the war was part of discussions between u.s. secretary of state john kerry and the saudi arabian foreign minister on saturday. >> translation: we discussed a way forward for syria.

we need negotiations for political solution complying with the conventions of geneva 1. be need all parties around the table. we need to preserve the unity of syria, but bashar al-assad can't play a role in its future. >> reporter: a writer and former editor of a newspaper says a political solution depend on many factors. >> the results of any elections right now in the current situation in government-controlled areas of syria, we could predict who would win the elections. this is not much of a concession if you want to look at it that way. they are confident they are strong in the areas they hold. this depends on many factors and players. we have not heard from some of the major players or fighting forces on the ground in syria,

with some of the allies of the government or the islamic state. they are not going to take part in this. they seem intend on destroying them. they control large areas on the ground, and they have a say in whether there'll be a peaceful transition in syria or not. at the moment they are looking at a pictures that is not compleept. it adds to the ambiguity of the process. to the occupied west bank where a palestinian was shot by israeli settlers. stephanie dekker joins us with the latest. this is one of several incidents that has taken place today. >> that's right. this man you are referring to is in a stable condition, he's been operated on in the area, this is in the south that happened, close to hebron.

it's part of the a bigger narrative happening there, an incident 20 minutes away. this is an area with a lot of settlements, the israeli army says two men dressed as ultra dox jews, the car was stoned. the man got out. he was stabbed much the operation carried out in the village, they went into the village, there was a stand off. they were told to remove themselves from inside the village, they are on the outskirts. it doesn't seem, from what we are told, understand, that they manage to make arrests. the palestinians were shot five times by a settler that it had nothing to do with that incident. >> when it comes to diplomacy and what we saw coming out after the meetings with jordan recording al-aqsa, what have the

israeli officials or palestinian officials said about the mosque, and the measures that are going to be implemented and how they'll be implemented? >> there's a lot of talk today in reaction to the news that cameras will be placed on the al-aqsa mosque compound, and it's not a ninifying voice, something that the secretary of state john kerry thought would be a calming measure, is showing that the two sides are as ever divided. the palestinian foreign minister doesn't trust israel when it comes to al-aqsa, and who will be operating the cameras and mr they be used. we heard from the israeli speaker. and will they be forging the video. they are saying they are there for israel's benefit. in the sense that it will show

that israel is not changing the status quo and show and prevent those that insight. difficult to see how cameras can calm the situation. i think it's unlikely that israel or the palestinians will be put in charge of them. if we get videos that come out. we very seen the effect social media has tonne people. it will be inciting. that is meant to be a calming measure. pt key issue is one of trust. it's not saying anything will be used on gains for either side. a complicated situation they are in. >> stephanie dekker reporting from ramallah. >> thank you. israel's military said a man flew a hang-glider across the goalon heights into syria. a search party was mounted. he was not found.

he was an israeli from a village north-east of tel aviv. there's a possibility that the 23-year-old went to join rebel fighters in syria. >> fighting between pro-government forces and houthi rebels left 17 dead in tiaz. hundreds of civilians have been killed. a houthi blockade of the city left residents with a shortage of food and no access to medical care. >> turkish and kurdish groups have been fight outside the embassy in japan. many turned out to cast a vote in the elections. the situation was heated. police were called to break up the scuffles. three people suffered minor injuries. pt war in syria is helping to drive the refugee crisis in europe. countries at the heart of it are due to meet in boroughs ills.

690,000 people arrived in europe, and that is this year alone. the majority coming via turkey, greece and eastern europe. three countries, bulgaria, romania and serbia. saying they'll shut the borders if the country does not accept the new arrivals. slovenia is struggling to cope. he says he'll acts on his own if others don't. >> reporter: how to manage tens of thousands of refugees a week, moving across europe. that is the challenge facing european leaders. with so many people coming in at this rate every day european leaders, especially the balkan leaders, have to agree how much longer they can keep this going, and how to regulate all of these people.

for volunteers like inga, now is the time for compassion. >> they keep coming. we have to take care of them. >> reporter: what do you think they should be discussing. you know, what do you think needs to be done? >> to me i do not talk politics. for me it's the human side that we see these as human being, as we are, and we have that situation in our country, we'd be grateful as well. >> reporter: this person from syria is grateful to be here. >> we have to say thanks to europe, they open and they make europe, they open and they make it easy for us to come. >> reporter: some in europe see that as the problem, and only barbed wire or bureaucracy will solve it. human rights groups are calling on regional leaders to make those in need a high priority. in brussels the debate may swing between the need for compassion and control.

voting is under way that could change the political landscape in africa. tensions are high in ivory coast as voters return to the polls five years after a disputed election. more than 3,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced by fighting. in congo, a referendum is held to determine whether the president alassane ouattara can stay on. he came to power in 1979. we have more on that in a moment. first to tanzania, that's where the ruling party is facing its first real challenge after 50 years in power. catherine wambua-soi is there. >> people have been here since early morning. wanting to vote early morning, wanting to vote early so they can go home and go about their business and wait for the results. they want a free and fair election and want change, someone that will transform their life. he has been here since the polls opened.

what do you want from the person you are going to elect? >> someone that can bring about change for our county, social services, education, water supply, electricity and so on. >> are you confident that this vote is going to be free and fair? >> yes, i'm confident about this election. each and everything go on. there's no contradiction about this. yes. >> reporter: the leaders are promising the changes saying they'll provide free primary education, improve the infrastructure r, and deal toughly with corruption. corruption that is rampant in the country. a lot of people here, supporting the different political parties, supporting the different presidential candidates, but saying that the choice must be respected. the process is very smooth, very organized. people are voting for

presidential candidates. eight of them, members of parliament, councillors as well. they are taking the ballot papers from there, and going behind the box to choose the preferred candidate before bringing back the ballot papers here. there's more than 63,000 polling stations in tanzania. and each is allowed a maximum of 450 voters, and this is to make the process much faster. >> opposition politicians in the republic of congo are calling on voters to boycott of the referendum on whether to change the constitution, under the counter rules the president can't run for a third term or be over the age of 70. the rempted um will died whether the president, nith, can serve another term. we have the latest from the capital. >> reporter: the key thing about the referendum is to see how

many come out to participate in it. in areas where the president has a lot of support people are coming one by one to cast the votes. officials are encouraging many to come out on sunday and vote yes to the proposed constitution. it's a bit different, asking for areas where some say they will not vote because they feel it's an attempt by the president to hang on to power. we see that there's a lot of police on the street, young men, and they insist they are not going to vote. police will stop them going into the city center. officials are saying that the referendum will go ahead smoothly, and they encourage as many as possible to vote. ultimately this competition was threatened. human rights including conditions for the poor. opposition leaders are boycotting the polls. here is what is coming up

next - indonesia's government starts an evacuation for children as a toxic haze crosses the area and a film in india, critics staying is it gives too much focus to the criminals.

hello again. the top stories on al jazeera. syrian's president bashar al-assad says he's ready to take part in election and a political solution to end the war is possible. he said a political deal will depend on eliminating terrorist

organizations a palestinian man shot and wounded by israeli settlers near the bank of hebron. in a separate incident a man was stabbed after getting out of his car that was stoned. the army is looking for attackers dressed in ultra orthodox clothing leaders on the frontline of the refugee crisis are preparing to meet in brussels. bulgaria, and others are threatening to close their border a massive clean up in mexico hit by tropical storm patricia. populated areas suffered minor damage, smaller communities will recover. many saying the government needs to do more. john holman reports. >> reporter: there is the result of the strongest hurricane,

roads strewn with trees, crops ruined and buildings ripped apart. authorities feared it would be worse. >> that doesn't mean those this woman in a shelter. she had nowhere to go. >> our house collapsed in the wind. >> reporter: she showed us the ruined home she shares with father and daughters. all are homeless. >> this is my house. it was the only refuge that i had. >> reporter: it's the same story in village after village. it's the rural poor rather than the wealthiest tourist towns bearing the brunt of the storm. this is the coastal area where hurricane patricia made land fall.

but importantly the high winds at the center missed the port and holiday resort town with high urban populations. as the storm subsided armed forces and government agencies started work, and clearing roads and restoring communications. mexican authorities react quickly. they have often been less willing to provide long-term solutions once the danger's pass. they just finished paying for the damage from the last big storm. what he needed that time and this one was a concrete roof to stand up to the high winds. >> translation: we are going to have to start from zero, there's no help. you have to do it yourself. >> reporter: he couldn't afford the roof or get government funds for it. now he's sorting through his few remaining possessions again. it's a common story.

>> the federal funds arrive late. people have forgotten, or if they have not documented everything they lost, they don't receive help. the challenge for authorities this time around is to make sure that the many people like this woman and jose luis are not so vulnerable when the next storm comes patricia is adding to severe flooding across the u.s. state of texas. nearly half a meter of rain has found in navarro country south of dallas. flash floods have triggered the forcing the evacuation of one county and stranding drivers. floods in southern brazil caused a state of emergency to be declared by the president. dilma rousseff has been seeing the damage after rivers burst their banks, and is promising funds for those made homeless

emergency evacuations of babies and children have been ordered by indonesian government because of toxic smoke. millions in asia have been affected by the haze spreading over the region, believed to be caused by indonesian farmers and large companies setting fire to areas of forest to clear land. we have this report from south sumatra. 10 people have died. >> reporter: millions have breathed mistake. is contains dangerous mem kalts. such as carbon dioxide, cyanide and ammonia. in a week four babies died after having difficulties breathing. one of them was a 15-month of old, a happy, healthy baby. she died, struggling for oxygen. her parents are angry at companies and farmers that burn forests and vegetation to clear

her land. >> those that burn are not using their brain. they rely on other people, and would know it would create the haze. those that burn are greedy. >> scientists calculated that this year's fires are emitting more greenhouse gas into the atmosphere than across the entire united states every day. patients in the hospital are suffering from a 4-fold increase in respiratory diseases. >> it's not enough to wait for the rain to come and douse the fires. there should be more sense of emergency. >> there's anger among the

millions forced to breath for five months now. victims of the haze, and the parents have yet to receive government support. those are the effective areas, they say their plight is being ignored. after losing the baby sister, the 13-year-old is afraid of the case. most of her friends can't wear the masks, she won't take hers off. >> translation: we want them to be brought to justice and be punished. we have real overflow in the country, and little faith in our system. it's the only thing i can hang on to. 17 countries have been suspect of causing the fire. environmental groups say they are a small part of a larger problem. with fire spreading out of control, the family hope that others will be spared, losing a loved one because of a manmade disaster. . >> pakistan opens fire across

the line of control into indian-administered kashmir. several were injured, a civilian kid on the indian side on the line of control. india and pakistan accused each other, and the late asylum cams a month after border command held plots the president of the maldives said the vice president is a threat to national security, following the arrest of ahmed adeeb over an assassination slot. he has been arrested along with others. he was not injured in the blast. >> a documentary film about a gang rate banned in india could be in the running for an oscar. movie goers are about to see daughter, which has been band.

>> reporter: this director is the toast of hollywood. her documentary "india's daughter" celebrated by sean penn and merrill streep. >> movie reel: the brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old girl on her way home from a movie triggered an awakening that took many by surprise... >> reporter: the film was inspired by mass protests taking place after the rape and murder of a 23-year-old on a bus. but indian feminists have not embraced the film, which was banned by the government on the ground it could insight more violence. one of the six convicted rapists is featured prominently. >> : indian feminists describe it as one dimensional.

. >> irony of a film made about indian women supposedly to be released on indian women's day, focussing mainly on the rapist and terrible lawyers making statements they were making rather than the struggle going on. >> what is the point of not staring truth in the face and finding out why the men do what they do. we had better know if we want to change them. >> the unapologetic director interviewed victim's parents and friend, as well as women and men and the people on the review committee. >> every statement of his lives in the context of enlightened views around it. india's daughter is opening in u.s. theatres. viewers are not likely to recognise the cultural nuances and sensitivities of india's women. outrage over the crime has been universal. the film is about india's daughter, it end with statistics about violence around the world. showing that rape is not just

a massive clean up operation police in montenegro's capital fired tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters. opposition supporters are demanding the resignation of the prime minister who has been in power for 25 years. the government's plan to join n.a.t.o. angered some opponents now, to the debate over whether tourists should be allowed to climb one of the most famous landmarks in the middle of australia. british doll ownialist always it airs rock. and the british name is uluru. it's been 20 years since the sacred site was handed back. andrew thomas travelled a long way to see if the tourist site should be opened or close.

>> reporter: it's in every tourist vulture, to aboriginal people uluru is sacred. equivalent to a grand cathedral or mosque. >> translation: this place has huge ancestral and spiritual significance to us, holding the story of many ancestors. >> reporter: to climb uluru is to disrespect it and those to whom it is special. until the 1980s, it was known by the name colonialists gave it, ayres rock, and not much thought was given to that. signs and tour guides make it clear. >> this is a sacred site. they ask us not to climb. >> reporter: filming people on the rock is considered offensive. we are not showing people climbing. a significant minority of visitors are. >> it's one of those things in life, isn't it. you do it once, maybe, if you can do it. >> looking at it from the bottom is not the same as from the top. >> i see it as a supportive element not a cultural thing. >> reporter: it's understandable why some climb. next to the sign asking people not to is another saying whether

the climb is open or closed. only certain weather conditions mean it and the gate leading to it are shut. >> if they really don't want to climb. maybe they should close it. but they open - means it's okay to climb. >> it's true. there's a handrail to help people up. >> the management team want people to choose not to climb, not force them not to. if people insist on going up. they want them to be safe. >> reporter: people died falling from the rock. a taiwanese tourist spent 24 hours in a crevice after slipping and falling in june. it's feared if they can't climb, it will mean less tourists and revenues. >> thinks take time. >> thinks take time. c there is a board and they have taken steps to close the climb.

>> reporter: criteria have been set, one discouraging climbs, alternative walks encouraged and the walks decreased. -- are encouraged. the days of people on top of the rock are numbered more on the website at aljazeera.com. zeera.com. >> tonight... roxana saberi returns to her mother's homeland in a personal and revealing journey from hiroshima, a moment that still resonates 70 years later... >> there were corpses and bones everywhere, it's hard for me to come here again. >> to okinawa, where the presence of u.s. troops remains contentious. >> no osprey! >> and, in a culture resistant to change, how one woman is blazing new trails. >> in the future, i hope to see mixed race people commonly accepted. >> journey to japan. hi i'm roxana saberi in