one week on from the paris attacks, e.u. ministers gather to discuss tighter border controls. you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also ahead security is beefed up for the summit being held in malaysia over the weekend. a boat full of asylum seekers turned away from australia's christmas island. orphans trying to cope with the uveitides have aftermath-- aftermath of ebola in sierra

leone. first, breaking news we're getting reports that gunmen have attacked a hotel in mali. the attackers are said to have taken hostages in the capital while this follows a 24 hour siege and taking at another hotel in august in the central mali town. more on that when we get it. european union are holding emergency talks in brussels. they're discussing whether to boost the security and introduce border checks. abdel hamid abaaoud entered france from syria undetected. he died in wednesday's assault. world powers urged to take joint action against islamic state in iraq and the levant.

the french muslim council is urging mosques to send a unified message during friday prayers. the country's 2500 mosques have been asked to condemn all violence and terrorism. cross over to brussels and speak to paul brennan to tell us about the meeting of the ministers and what they're hoping to achieve. >> reporter: it's an extraordinary meeting in the sense that it wasn't previously scheduled. it has been called because of events in paris. there are a raft of measures on the table to consider. among them, for example, better coordination of the european borders, beefing up the database which says who is coming in and who isn't. the other thing that they're also looking at are standardisation of the deactivation of firearms. there are concerns that different standards apply in

different countries in disposing of them and deactivating them. another things that also has been discussed is an e.u. wide passenger name register which would effectively mean that the authorities would know who is getting on airplanes and travelling around this continent. the problem is that these measures are not strictly new. they were agreed back in february here in provells, so-- brussels, so this is not putting new measures on the table but reiterating old ones because of the paris attacks. the name register has been trying to get off the ground for eight years. the french are particularly impatient and for good reason. there was a very clear message that action is necessary. >> reporter: we want the e.u.

to take action. it is about working together about stopping the trafficking of arms and implementing a detailed plan of action to set dates and goals. there is a sense of urgency. the time for decision making is now so there is this talk of urgency. as you were saying, do we know when these measures will be implemented? >> reporter: no. because they're previously agreed measures, what the proposal has been put forward simply to confirm that the measures are required and to put new you are gen see on implementing them. one of the proposals, for example, according to a draft document that has been seen by the agency associated press talks about to welcome the adoption of regulation standardising deactivation of firearms and to promise to improve controls with data bases. on terror financing, there is a call for proposals to strengthen financial intelligence units. they're not implementing

concrete proposals. what they're doing is calling for the proposals which were previously agreed to be formally implemented with more urgency thank you for that update from brussels. crossing over to paris now and bring in andrew simmons because it's one week exactly since those attacks happened in paris. just first tell us what the mood is there, andrew. >> reporter: well, like the weather it is grim, an awful week for the people of france. one of the worst in the history of this republic. let me bring you up-to-date with news just in. reports in french media that abdel hamid abaaoud, the so-called ring leader described by french security forces, of the attacks a week ago, he was spotted on cctv we're followed on line 9 of the metro monreey

at around 10.40 on the nights of friday, 13 after the attack. so 50 minutes after the first attacks. now, what this means, this is really the first solid evidence, if it's confirmed, that abdel hamid abaaoud was present during the attacks, wasn't somewhere else. quite astonishing what is happening over disputes of the situation. it has been said a number of times that france is unhappy with the level of support it has had from other european intelligence agencies and we know that there have been sitings of-- sightings of abdel hamid abaaoud in athens, in germany, but the french p.m. has

admitted that no-one here had any idea that he was in the country or, indeed, in europe. the information was, they thought, that he was either in syria or iraq. so not only that, there is a situation building now about whether or not american intelligence agencies, c.i.a. and also f.b.i., had reported that this man was a number one organiser of i.s.i.l. active in europe and from brussels. there's no love lost between the belgian intelligence and the french intelligence on this. france wants to know exactly what happened. this is not really giving the people here much confidence in the whole level of safety in france right now when it has been established clearly abdel hamid abaaoud may be dead, but he was part of a large cell, it would seem, planning another attack. how many other cells are in france are the people most

people on these wet streets are asking thank you for that update from paris. al jazeera has learned that the australian navy has turned away a boat full of asylum seeksers. the boat was within 200 metres of the remote christmas island but is now being escorted back to sea by the australian navy. the australian government is refusing to comment. >> reporter: we spoke to people who live on christmas island and saw this green and white boat, not able to say how many people on board, but they said the boat was intercepted by an australian navy boat a couple of hundred metres from shore and then were escorted out. government won't say anything.

their policy is not to comment. this is the first time this has happened in well over a year. australia's government has made much of the fact that they said they have deferred refugees trying to come from australia, if they arrive and if they succeed in getting through. they will be transferred to prisons in either pnb or naru with no prospect of being resettled in australia. there have been cases where boats have been turned back in international waters. the crew even paid to turn around and take their passengers back to indonesia. this seems to have been intercepted well inside australia's water. what happens to the refugees, if that's who they are, we will see. this embarrassment for the government showing that they haven't stopped the boats in the

way they claim they have one week on, a cull to muslims throughout the country to condemn all acts of violence in friday's prayers plus three-quarters of the world's computers use it aand now it's celebrating it's 30th year. microsoft's revolutionary operating system, after the break. break.

top stories. we're getting reports that gunmen have attacked a hotel in

mali. the attackers have taken hostages in the center of the capital. according to the officials from the hotel two people are holding 140 guests and 30 members of staff. european union with talks in brussels discussing whether to boost the external security and introduce border checks. al jazeera has replied that the australian navy has turned away a boat carrying asylum seeker. the boat was within 200 of christmas island and being escorted back to sea by the navy. we have been telling you about the attack at an mali hotel. it seems to be an ongoing hostage situation. >> reporter: that's right. the details are incredibly sketchy right now. it's difficult to get through to

people on the ground. what we understand is much of what you've already explained, that the hotel has come under attack. we understand that this is taking place, this situation is unfolding at the hotel. it is a hotel that is a popular chain in that part of west africa, many who are living and staying in the hotel, some visiting due to the facilities there. the hotel is saying that two people have been killed. we're trying to get through to the security services on the ground to find out precisely what is happening. things are moving quickly and the picture is unclear. it will be a huge concern, obviously, because even though this part of the world and this country has had problems of this nature before, this will be the first time in a long time that i

can remember that a foreign hotel has come under attack in this sort of way. it will be the first time we have seen this thank you for that update on the ongoing situation at a hotel in m arcs li where we-- mali where we understand 130 guests and 40 employees are involved. returning to one of our other top stories, the security measures following last week's attack in paris, the key planner of the attacks was killed when st denis was raided. talking to some people on the ground. >> reporter: all of his life he has struggled with his background. he has never been allowed to assimilate. >> translation: it was always difficult at school. they called me the arab and it

has been hard to get a job with the face i have >> reporter: born and raised in france, he certainly sees himself as french. his fellow country men and women only ever identified him as algerian. growing up feeling marginalised it was easy for him to fall into drugs as it was as to slip into it despair >> translation: there was no other activity for us, not even a youth association. there are so many who need help here. they feel alone in the city. >> reporter: in the wake of the attacks in paris, many muslims in this city feel more alone than ever before. resentment is growing almost as fast as fear is spreading in these neighborhood. everyone we've spoken to today have told us negative attitudes will only harden. at the same time they were afraid to tell us that on

camera. with the collective against lamb aphobia in france it is easy to see why so many muslims in france feel alienated. >> they are treated differently from kinder garthen. it is normal nor me to be treated separately. there are people who will get into violence, criminality and it is groups that pray on these people. >> reporter: as long as the french doesn't address these issues, the situation will not improve. >> it's a thought that haunts this man. during his troubled youth, he dreamt of a day when things would final lip improve, a day when he would have a family of his own. now, though, while happy to be employed and married, he finds himself far more concerned about

his two children the future they will face than he ever was for himself the director of the f.b.i. has warned americans to be vigilant in the wake of the paris attacks but said there was in credible threat to the united states. a bill was passed that will increase security screening of syrian refugees and suspend president obama's program to admit 10,000 refugees in the next year, but the white house has threatened to veto this. the bill will now go to the upper house of the senate. the latest from washington >> reporter: the f.b.i. director is holding a press conference in washington to say that the u.s. has no evidence that there is any specific threat of a paris-style attack in the united states. still he understands that there are many who may be fearful, especially in light of the release of what he called

propaganda videos by i.s.i.l., important trying a potential for a future threat in the united states. still the fear that exists in the u.s. underscored in the house of representatives as a vote being held to today to limit refugees specifically syrian and iraqi refugees to the united states until they can be thoroughly screened calling for an additional layer of screening to take place and for the f.b.i. to personally certify that any individual led into the u.s. has been thoroughly vetted. this has been criticised by president obama that if it makes through the upper chamber of congress, he will veto this from becoming law. there is a lot of criticism that is taking place by members of congress who say that this legislation may be potentially aracist and also that it may hurt those the u.s. intends to help-- racist >> it's the issue of letting

i.s.i.s. terrorists get into the country to kill us. it's not about refugees mr speaker >> this is nothing but a pr peace that could have been written by joseph gogels, if you make people afraid, you can make them do anything. >> reporter: this legislation is not likely to become law, it was supported by 50 members of congress, members of the president's own party. it shows again that there is bipartisan consensus in the need for enhanced security, perhaps not just when it comes to refugees, but also for the visa ware program that exists in the united states that allows for last year 20 million people to visit the united states from 38 different countries starting next month saudi arabia will try to unite syrian opposition groups. the country will host a conference. it is hoped the talks will establish a credible inclusive

and non-sectrian government. at least 29 people have been killed in fighting between the army and al-qaeda in central yemen. many were killed. 20 civilianss were killed. malaysian police saying there have been reports of immeant threats to the summit. those reports have not been confirmed. security has been tightened in the city. obama has arrived for the national summit being held over the weekend. the summit will focus on trade and security talks but farmers in rural malaysia are worried about what those trade deals mean for them, like the repeatly signed trans pacific partnership. >> reporter: in malaysia's lush

state this man and his wife are planting a new crop of organic okra. they know the yields will be good because these seeds come from a previous harvest. every time he grows a strong crop, he saves the seeds to reuse and exchange with other farmers instead of buying them. >> after some time of using the commercial seeds, the hybridiced, i find that they do not perform women in the organic-- well in the organic methods and it is very disease-prone >> reporter: exchanging or selling their own seeds is something farmers have done for centuries, but under the new trans photographic agreement between malaysia, u.s. and ten other countries they may be banned from doing this. >> a neighbour says to another neighbour, i had a good variety this time around and it produced

excellent harvest. let me give some to you or maybe they may have sold it and exchange it with each other. of course, what's sold in this informal way is much more affordable >> reporter: malaysia's laws do protect the rights of plant breeders, but they also allow small farmers to trade their own seeds under certain conditions, but this may change. while farmers here are concerned, others say the agreement will ultimately benefit malaysia. it will flees the country's exports and force many industries to meet international standards. some economics say the tppa has more benefit than draw backs. >> it would pull up the malaysian economics system in terms of modernisation, competitiveness, in terms of being more transparent. >> reporter: for now he is waiting to see how the deal will

affect him, but he says he will fight any moves to change traditional farming just taking you back to that breaking news story out of mali in the capital. we have reports that gunmen have attacked a hotel in mali. that hotel is the radison blue. a business owner near the hotel, joining us now. can you tell us if you've seen anything and what you've heard. >> about ten gunmen that came early in the morning and they start shooting at the guards. we think all the guards were shot in front of the radisson.

we don't know if that's accurate or not but that it's still going on this is an ongoing situation from what you can see. can you tell us whether you've heard of any reports of casualties and also we understand that there could be up to 130 people that were staying in that hotel that could be taken hostage. can you confirm? >> there are a lot of people in the hotel. we don't know the exact number of the people that are there, but there's a lot of people. they came early in the morning and shot all the guards who are these gunmen in your opinion? who would do this? >> we think they are jihadis, but we don't know which group

there has been no claim of responsibility now? >> not yet what is the security situation right now around the hotel? >> there are blocks, so there is no way to get near the hotel thank you for speaking to us from mali and giving us an update. sierra leone was declared ebola free over a week ago but many are trollyinging to return to --ing - struggling to return to normal life. some orphans are being looked after by relatives. they're still facing hardships. >> reporter: she is nine years openlied. she is-- old. both her parents died from ebola. >> translation: i want to be a nurse when i go up. i wish i was a nurse so i could have saved my mum appeared dad

>> reporter: diabetes - and dad >> reporter: many face citying that and isolation even from family members. the outbreak led to an increase in orphans. relatives have been encouraged to take them in. >> we don't want this situation we are in. people have accepted these children. they throw the children out that is way why we keep on monitoring. >> reporter: orphans across the country are getting a second chance. in this welcoming ceremony they're introduced to an sos village. these villages exist worldwide and are an alternative to orphans. not only will they live here but there's a place for them to play

and a school that they can attend. there's still concern for other orphans. more than half have been placed with relatives so far. others are waiting nationwide. some of those caring for orphans lack proper parenting skills. >> there is child abuse in our society. these children are actually in a very difficult situation and sierra leone faces a lot of challenges on that >> reporter: counselling has been offered to relatives and children. these children are now in a safe haven with hopes for a brighter future for themselves and the country chinese security forces have killed 28 people they describe as terrorists. the operation follows a massive hann hunt over almost two-- man

hunt over almost two months. local government says those killed belonged to a group behind the attack on a coal mine in september. police in east china have buffeted the country's largest underground banking system, illegal funds worth nearly 64 billion dollars were transferred overseas using nonresidents accounts. south korea has accepted a proposal for talks by north korea. the meeting will be held next thursday. it is suggested the negotiations will be held in a border village. they agreed in august to try and improve ties following escalations of cross border tensions. argentina going to the polls on sunday. it will mark the end of weeks of

intense campaigning. the vote could see 12 years of government. see more on our website aal jazeer jazeera.com jazeera.com running on that issue gain traction in the polls. also - sexting between two minors - should it be legal. and my final thought about how the most hated professor in america actually has a valid point when it comes to big media i'm adam may, welcome to "third rail". businessman donald trump recently touched a "third rail" of american politics. >> when they call, i give.