an ill-thought out rush to war. >> a bruising debate in britain's parliament. where politicians are preparing to vote on whether to expand military action against isil. ♪ hello there, i'm barbara sarah, you are watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up in the next 30 minutes. russia accuses turkey's president of making personal profits from isil's oil. an allegation the turks say is slanderous. and a formal presidential advisor is arrested accused of

stealing billions. plus we have a special report on hidden sweeteners. ♪ and changes in britain's parliament have exposed deep divisions over whether the country should join air strikes against the islamic state of iraq and the levant in syria. politicians will put it to a vote later on wednesday. the prime minister, david cameron, urged mp's to answer the call from the u.k.'s allies, saying it is the right thing to do. >> the situation in syria is incredibly complex. i'm not overstating the contribution that our incredible servicemen and women can make. neither am i ignoring the risks of military action, nor am i presenting that military action is anymore than one part of the answer. i'm absolutely clear that we

must pursue a comprehensive strategy that includes political, diplomatic, and humanitarian action. >> the main opposition leader accused the government of rushing into war. >> whether it's a will being of strategy, the absence of credible ground troops, the missing diplomatic plan for a syrian settlement, the failure to address the impact of the terrorist threat, or the civilian casualties, it's becoming increasingly clear that the prime minister's proposal for military action simply do not stack up. >> charlie angela is outside the houses of parliament in westminster. there are more than a hundred members of parliament who want to speak in the debate. presumably a lot of them will be going for a similar or same argument. so what are the arguments we have been hearing? >> reporter: well in terms of

the argument for it is the issue of national security that looms large. isil remains a threat to britain, and that's david cameron's main point. he is really playing on the mp's sense of responsibility. now there has been a lot of talk though from both sides about what the overall strategy is. they are looking for a coherent plan, an end game of what will happen after these air strikes end. no one seems that convinced that that is on the table yet. but the argument is that we cannot wait for a political strategy before military action begins, and there's a real sense that the coalition forces are begging britain to join. and cameron as he put it says that is a call we cannot ignore, especially for france following those attacks in paris.

there could be more terrorist attacks on british soil. but with me is justin bronc from the military think tank, and he is going to tell us more about what britain can do militarily. what difference can they make with only 16 jet fighters. >> yes, the raf has [ inaudible ] and ten [ inaudible ] or drones out conducting operations over iraq at the moment. those will be extended into syria, and there's talk of extending two tornados and six of our new typhoons in strike capacity as well. however, within the wider coalition, this is a fairly small addition of fire power to what is all right an enormous weight conducted by france, and the gulf allies particularly in syria, which has contained i.s. but not gone very far in terms

of destroying the group. it has precision weapons which it can bring to the fight, but there are simply not very many experienced crews, and if air power on mass scale could destroy isis, the u.s. probably would have done it already. >> reporter: do you think there will be no reports of casualties inside of syria as well? >> absolutely. it's impossible to assure that civilians won't be harmed. british weapons [ inaudible ] in particular are very, very low yield for their class, so the collateral damage potentially is lower, but british air strikes have been concentrating on hitting battlefield targets, armed jeeps, machine gun

positions, sniper, mortar pits. and those have less potential for killing civilians, than like reported bomb-making facilities. >> reporter: thank you very much. so we spoke to a former army commander earlier who said it's not so much about what the u.k. can add militarily, but it's about the message that it sends out, one of solidarity with the allies. we still have hours to go on this debate, but it is very likely that the vote will pass, and that british aircraft could be striking targets on isil in syria within the coming days. >> charlie thank you. the syrian government and opposition fighters have agreed to a ceasefire in a rebel-held area near the western city of

homs. government officials say rebel fighters will withdraw from the neighborhood. the rebel groups deny that they have agreed to leave the district as part of a ceasefire. the deal could be introduced next week. it was mediated by a u.n. delegation to syria. >> translator: the goal of this visit is to implement the plan that was called for after the vienna talks to try to find a solution, and reach a truce in the area, and to stop the fighting and shelling across syria. ♪ russia's defense ministry says the turkish president and his family are involved in an illegal oil trade with moscow. russia claims that these satellite images show oil tankers heading from isil-held

territory into turkey. the two countries have been in a war of words since the tush -- turkish air force shot down a russian plane last week. >> reporter: this was a fairly incendiary briefing from the russian defense ministry. it was laying out what it says is the evidence for claims it has been making that isil is involved in a $2 billion a year trade in illegal oil. oil it steals from the syria and iraq. turkey, according to russia is the principal buyer of this oil, and it gets into turkey by three main struggling routes. the revenues are then channelled back to isil in the form of mercenaries, ammunition, and

weapons. but the main controversial plank is that this is not some casual smuggling briggs, this is something that the turkish state is involved in, and turkey's president and his family directly profit from. now of course president erdogan recently has said that if it is proven that turkey is involved in this trade, then he will resign. russia says it is not actually trying to get that to happen. what it is doing here, it insists, is trying to lay the evidence out for international journalists like myself to investigate, and also the foreign military attaches who are present at this military briefing as well, for them to take away and act on. what russia it is trying to do it says is shut down isil's illegal trade in oil and it is in doing this, that the biggest

blow against the organization will be struck. so that's the view from moscow. meanwhile the turkish president has again been denying the accusations during a speech in doha. >> translator: no one has the right to slander turkey. turkey is not lost its ethical values so as to buy oil from a terrorist organization. i said the same thing in paris. those who throw this slander are obliged to prove it. i will not spend an extra minute in the seat of the presidency should they prove it. however, those who throw this slander should not continue sitting in their seats either. we do not want this matter to cause more harm to our relations. this is matter in which the whole world agree that we are

right. in the event that these reactions continue no doubt we will find ourselves having to react. montenegro has been invited to join nato 16 years after the block bombed it in the late 1990s. it's strategically important as it sits on the aid -- aid reattic sea. but russia isn't happy. >> reporter: the head of the alliance stressed the importance of the move. >> montenegro's accession to nato will be another important step in the integration of the entire western balkans region, and it makes clear that nato keeps its door open to complete our vision of a europe whole, free, and at peace. >> reporter: the defense minister told al jazeera her

country of 650,000 people has already made great efforts to meet nato's joining criteria. >> we already did a huge amount of work. we did implementation of reforms deeply in the sector of defense and security. we are dealing with the rule of law, and we are deep into negotiations with the european union as well. >> reporter: montenegro has certainly come a long way in the last two decades. in 1999 it was hit hard by nato air strikes aimed at stopping the crackdown against ethnic albanians in kosovo. if it is a full member it leaves only serbia looking not westwards but towards russia. sergei lavrov has called nato's

expansi expansion a problem. >> this is not focused on them specifically, it is focused on the potential of defense against anybody or anything that is a threat including isil. >> reporter: the flag could soon be flying here as nato's 29th member, once the other 28 parliaments have approved it. good news, perhaps for the alliance, but another reason for russia to push back. nadim baba, al jazeera, brussels. hundreds of thousands of people are stranded by some of the worst flooding on record in southern india. monsoon rains have lashed coastal areas, especially the capitol. our correspondent reports now from new delhi. >> reporter: heavy rain has poured on people in this state for weeks.

now many in southern india are trapped instead illy rising flood waters. coastal areas are hardest hit. response teams have been sent to try to rescue thousands of people. >> [ inaudible ] last week it is so much [ inaudible ] everything else is down in the water. >> reporter: conditions deteriorated on tuesday with heavy downpours making water-logged areas even worse. people are using social media to describe how they are being badly hit. some major roads resemble rivers. flooding has damaged other infrastructure, including rail lines. the city's main airport is closed. computers trying to reach the south have been left stranded across india. >> translator: all flights have

been canceled. the airlines are issuing tickets for flights tomorrow or the day after, but haven't said anything about accommodating us, all of us are getting agitated because none of the nearby hotels are vacant. where do we go. >> reporter: they have received a month's worth of rain in a few days. it is warned that much more is on the way. much more still to come here on al jazeera. we're going to tell you about the challenges faced by rasta farrians who have moved to ethiopia to pursue a life of spirituality. and we're in florida where scientists are leading a global effort to save the ocean's most successful predator. ♪

♪ reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. the british prime minister has set out his case for expanding military action against what he calls the medieval monsters of isil. politicians are debating whether to authorize their strikes against isil in syria, and they are due to vote on it in a few hours. turkey's president has hit back at allegations that he has been buying and personally benefiting from oil sold by isil. the russian defense ministry says it has proof. and severe flooding has forced thousands of people to leave their homes in india. cameroon's army says it has freeded as many as 900 hostages

held by boko haram, and killed at least 100 of the armed groups fighters. there is no independent confirmation because journalists cannot get to the region. nigeria's former national security advisor has been arrested and accused of stealing billions of dollars. it is alleged that he 'em -- 'em buzzeled funds meant to buy weapons to fight boko haram. >> reporter: a presidential committee report says this man embezzled $2 billion in fraught leapt -- fraudulent deals. a total of $5.4 billion is missing. the money should have been spent

on weapons to fight boko haram. >> money intended for the procurement of weapons to support the military in their war against terror. >> reporter: but this soldier says corruption is still a problem even after the new government came to power six months ago. he also asked not to show his face because he feared he could be jailed for speaking out. >> corruptions in the military today honestly is 97%. because some of the [ inaudible ] something that probably the [ inaudible ] for one particular item. they will make sure they use like a hundred thousand or two hundred thousand per visit. the remaining money where does it go in it goes into their pockets. >> reporter: these pictures show

nigerian soldiers training without weapons, equipment or uniforms to fight boko haram. we put these concerns to the presidential spokesman. >> corruption is being fought systematically. it has been reduced and it will take time for it to be eliminated within the military and the entire country. >> reporter: but soldiers say corruption is still having a negative impact. >> given the conditions of this corruption, right? the -- to defeat the boko haram to be frank with you will be 50/50. >> reporter: the former national security advisor was part of a coup that removed the president from power when he was a military ruler in the 1980s and says the case is politically motivated. but the government says that has nothing to do with the case

against him. pakistan has hanged four men for their involvement in last year's taliban attack on a school. more than 150 people were killed in the attack, most children. the four men are the first of those convicted to be executed. rasta fairians around the world see ethiopia as their spiritual home. members of the community face considerable challenges having left their lives in countries, including the u.k., u.s., and jamaica. charl charles stratford reports. >> reporter: many of these men traveled thousands of kilometers to live in what they say is their promised land. the town is a spiritual home and place of pilgrimage for rastafarians around the world. this is one of their church

museums. this man who came from the u.k. four years ago, beats a drum they use in their worship. he tells me how the former emperor give 500 hectares of land for people to live in 2008. they believe the man was a descendant of king salomon, and they believe he was the messiah. joseph came from the u.k. 16 years ago. >> i am here still i can say doing what little we can to make as much difference as we can, yes. >> reporter: the rastafarians say they smoke marijuana because it is their sacrament, the equivalent of bread and wine

given to christians. the community may have lost a lot of the land donated to them by the former king, and they struggle will legal issues, but they also say that they want to believe the politics to the politicians. what is most important, they say is fulfilling their spiritual life here in ethiopia. charlie came from london six years ago. he lives with his ethiopian wife and four-year-old daughter. >> people say heaven, that's the fullness of their spirituality, yeah? they want to go to paradise, heaven. no, i think i am living in paradise. they say you have to die before you go there, and i don't believe in that, because i have no experience about that. >> reporter: charlie like many foreign rastafarians here have few legal rights. their passports expired long

ago, and they cannot work legally. >> we come and do something for us, man. i'm appealing to the government, man. not forcing no one, but i'm a human, and i think i have a right to live on this earth, wherever i feel comfortable. >> reporter: for charlie, his family, and many others like them, this is where they want to be for the rest of their lives. charles stratford, al jazeera. the health risks posed by eating too much sugar are well-known. but a new report is highlighting the dangers of hidden sugar in packaged foods. the medical journal says that nearly three-quarters of packaged food and drink in the u.s. contain added sweeteners.

they are from hundreds of different forms of sugar. and they say sugar consumption is rising fastest in low and middle-income countries. thailand is the world's second largest exporter of sugar, but it is also a big consumer. sugar has been a mainstay of thai cuisine for sentries. but it is also served as a condoment. with the introduction of sugary drinks, the intake of sugar has increased even more. the average thai consumers 104 grams of sugar each day. that's four times the amount recommended by the world health organization. thailand has the second highist obesity rate in southeast asia, and has seen a spike in cases of diabetes. the movement is going to go after top offender number 1, saying that are going to start to limit advertisements and

promotions of sugary drinks. researchers say that a hundred million sharks are taken from the ocean every year for their fins and meat. now a new initiative aims to combat shark elimination. ines ferre reports from the florida keys in the u.s. >> reporter: one by one, sea creatures on this reef are unaware their every move is being recorded, as they swirl around a camera baited with fish. the cameras are part of a worldwide effort to count sharks. an ocean away off of the florida keys, this marine biologist is taking part in the first of its kind census. the process is tedious. >> on any one day we may only put five or ten cameras in.

>> reporter: they sit below these metal cages. chunks of fish are put inside each cage then lowered 60 to 80 feet. now the waiting period starts. between the time that the bait goes into the water, and the time you may see sharks could be couple of minutes or longer. after an hour and a half, the cameras are lifted back up. on this dive, plenty of fish tried to get the bait, but no one shark came by. over in the bahamas, researchers captured close-ups of the top predators, the count is far from exact science. how can you tell that you are not counting the same shark over and over. >> we don't count the number we see swim through the frame, we find out one frame what is the most we see at any one time. >> reporter: for the next three years expeditions like this will

take place all over the world with cameras capturing activity at more than 400 reefs, generating 50,000 hours of tape. >> in general where you have lots of sharks you have healthy reefs. we want to no why that is, so we can prioritize areas where we can protect sharks or kind out where sharks are in trouble. >> reporter: that can be al cha engineer, scientists estimate some 100 million sharks are captured every year for their fins and meat. scientists hope the day that collect leads to conservation efforts. >> it's about how do we work with coastal communities to make sure that they are sustainable from the human and economic perspective but also the environmental perspective. >> reporter: getting a clearer picture now of life underwater is critical to making that

happen. lots more on that and everything else that we have been covering on our website. the address on your screens right now. aljazeera.com. ♪ british parliament preparing to vote on whether to launch an air assault on isil. iraqis reacting to the news of new u.s. troops being beployed to their country. police officers across the country asking the nfl to change its gun policy at games. and changing the climate using art to inspire action and improve urban life. ♪