a push for peace with syrian groups meeting ahead of the meeting with bashar al-assad government. welcome to al jazeera. live from our headquarters in doha. coming up in the next half hour. donald trump causes outrage by calling for a ban on muslims entering the united states. red alert, china issues the highest possible warning of air pollution in pay ginning for the first time. more than eight million people

are in need of emergency aid after one of ethiopia's worst droughts in 30 years. a meeting between syrian opposition groups is due to get underway in saudi arabia. they will be discussing ways to overcome their differences before any potential talks with the syrian government. the meeting has been criticised saying it will hurt the peace process. under a plan agreed by 17 countries last month both sides of the syrian conflict should hold negotiations by 1 january. those talks should be followed by elections in 18 months. the deal doesn't specify where syrian president bashar al-assad fits in. his future is one of the main issues dividing the opposition. >> reporter: they have fought together on the front lines when

faced with an offensive from the syrian government and its allies, but apart from that the political and armed opposition leaked a unified demand. they need no come together as international efforts gain momentum. saudi arabia is hosting a gathering to unite the opposition ahead of possible talks with the syrian government. world and regional powers who recently met in vienna agreed that peace talks and the political process should dpin but there was no agreement on president bashar al-assad's role in that process. that is one of the issues dividing the opposition. >> the majority within the open ignores have maintained that bashar al-assad is part of the problem and there would be no change, no solution unless he gets out. there are some members of the opposition who are based in damascus and they are under - you know, in many way under the

influence of the regime. on the ground armed groups don't share similar ideologies and one of the most powerful forces, al-nusra front, won't be attending. it has been designated by the u.s. and the u.n. as a terrorism organization. they have been urged to disassociate itself from al-qaeda. so far it hasn't. its allies on the battle field will be attending the meetings in saudi arabia. >> everything is going to be all right in the meeting. some of the groups are going to try to distance themselves from al-nusra. that will affect al-nusra itself in that there might be a split within al-nusra. >> reporter: even in saudi arabia succeeds to get the opposition to speak in one voice, some might not be acptable to russia. they don't want to associate

with various groups. they want them added on the terrorist list. they are the backbone of the armed rebellion. there are realities on the ground that could cause further conflict. already there is a split following the decision by saudi arabia not to invite the largest kurdish group, the democratic union part, its armed wing the wpg and syrian democratic forces. turkey, a backer of the opposition, considers them terrorists. those groups are now holding a separate meeting in syria's north-eastern province. the alikelinesss in this conflict-- alliances in this collect is a complicated maze more from our correspondent in istanbul. give us a broad view of how you think the syrian government is likely to react to this meeting in riyadh.

>> reporter: well, judging from listening to the recent interview of president bashar al-assad, he said there is no moderate syrian opposition and all of them were radical. so that is an indication, perhaps, that of the groups fighting, the as add government within syria are described either as radicals or terrorists. the notion of moderate opposition does not exist, perhaps, within the terminology and the thinking of the syrian regi regime regime. i think the russians will push the government to attend if the meeting in riyadh succeeds in union fig the opposition one. factions that have not been been invited to the meeting is the kurdish faction, but they're having their own summit on the sidelines as well. what would be their goal of

having their own meeting? >> reporter: that faction is called the democratic union party, pyd, and it has a military wing that goes by the ypg, that's the military wing of the democratic union party. that group is fighting i.s.i.l. within syria. they've controlled the large territory north of syria. necessity were not invited to riyadh for, i think, two reasons. a, turkey is the main backer for the coalition based here. ise tan bull designate that party as a terrorist group linked to the pkk which, of course, is fighting the syrian state for the last 30 years. the syrian opposition also designated that group or accused that group of carrying out atrocities and ethnic cleansing

in areas they liberated from i.s.i.l. so that's the background, i think, for not inviting them, but the fact that they are a force on the ground fighting i.s.i.l., they are backed by the united states, the americans gave them weapons and they already are ruling large parts of northern syria. they're quite significant. it is a big deal, i think, and could pose future problems for the syrian opposition, also for the regional countries as well it really highlights the complexities of the syrian conflict. thank you for that the syrian government has released 35 opposition kiffists in the you city of homs. it will lead to the withdrawal of up to two now rebel fighters. that's the long rebel stronghold in the city which has been under siege for about two years now. iraq is warning turkey that it

must withdraw its forces stationed near mosul on tuesday. russia has requested a u.n. security council meeting over the issue and ankra says it won't send more soldiers but it has stopped short of ordering a withdrawal. turkey says it's a routine deployment to train fighters against i.s.i.l. more from imran khan. >> reporter: the deadline is coming to an end and what are the options for the prime minister? he is not going to war with turkey despite the fact that one leading politician has said to him that that's what they need to do, bomb them with the f16s. that's unlikely to happen. what else can he do? he can go to the u.n. security council, which is what he threatened. russia will be doing that exactly that, going to the u.n. security council to talk about the turkish role in syria and in iraq. now, the real key person here is the man who invited these troops

in, the governor of mosul. he said to turkey, i need some map, and in training the militia can you come in. he says that baghdad knew about this, he cleared this with the ministry of defense. he has been very quiet. he hasn't said anything since this whole spot between ankara and baghdad began. it is until that he would give interviews because of the controversy surrounding this. right now the prime minister has bitten off a lot. he has used very strong words against ankara, who said they won't send in any more troops but not that he will withdraw the troops. we will find out if they are going to withdraw their troops and if they don't, what will iraq do next given the government has said that it has accepted a cease fire to begin during peace talks next week, the president wants a pause for seven days

with the potential for it to be extended. he has informed his allies in the saudi led coalition. they haven't committed to the cease fire as yet. >> we have a number of good signs that we will have this cease fire, including my discussion with the president, but also my discussion with the other two parties and everybody seems to be well coming the idea of a cease fire. a long-term cease fire would require time to put in place, but in the meantime we are sure we will have one donald trump is calling for a ban on muslims entering the u.s. his comments at a campaign rally were swiftly condemned, including from leading figures within his own party. meanwhile president obama is

sending his top advisers to meet with muslim communities, to reassure them that their religion isn't being targeted. >> reporter: the u.s. secretary of homeland security at this mosque to send a message in the muslim community, they are not the enemy. in an you exclusive interview were al jazeera he admits islam aphobia is on the rise in the u.s. and there is growing concern about the potential for a violent back lash. >> we've seen incidents already. i heard about incidents in a meeting i just had here which were just horrible. so i am concerned. >> reporter: one reason is dialogue from candidates like donald trump. >> it's could common sense and we have to do it. >> reporter: the cheek imam says islam aphobia in the u.s.

says it is worse than it has ever been. >> what i am worried about, this type of talk is impacting the average man. for the children who go to the same school as our children >> reporter: another presidential candidate is pushing the bill from taking refugees from 35 countries. >> because one is on the list shows it is not. my logic is if you have a country on there in which there are no muslims, it's not just based on muslims. >> reporter: at the mosque where they've increased security, there is growing concern but also hope. >> some people have said the same thing about jewish

community. also president kennedy. can he be trusted? america went through that before and it is going through this now. >> reporter: a hope for an end to the politics of fear, the one that apparently won't be realized in this election cycle still to come here on al jazeera, the movement that once led to the civil war in nigeria gains new momentum. >> reporter: i'm in an island that should be run by 2020 on green energy. we will show you how. beyond the soundbites. we're giving you a deeper dive into the stories that are making

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welcome back. a recap of the top stories. a meeting between syrian opposition groups are meeting to discuss over come their differences and to form a united front. iraq is warning turkey that it must withdraw its forces stationed in mosul by tuesday. a u.n. security council meeting has been called over the issue by russia. turkey says they're on a routine mission to train fighters to fight i.s.i.l.

people in a region in south-eastern nigeria are once again calling for independent. they want an independent christian state called biafra. the movement leader is due to appear on court on tuesday and could be charged with terrorism. >> reporter: the last time people from eastern nigeria tried to breakaway and form an independent country it led to a civil war between 1967 and 1970. nearly three million people were killed. today a small number of people are trying again. their leader has been imprisoned and charged with criminal conspiracy and intimidation. his supporters say it is because he is fighting for independence. they believe under the new government led by the president a muslim from the north things are getting worse for south-easterners. >> the south is mainly

christians. we are not together. we share values. we are being marginalised. if you come down to the east, there are good roads, bad universities. after graduation, no job. >> reporter: there have been several demonstrations like this calling for the release of the man over parts of the south-east region to breakaway from nigeria. several people have been killed and injured. efforts to what they call try and dismember the country will be crushed apparently. the government has defied three court orders to release the man. >> nigeria is one country. even the person champion because of biafra before said it was dead and buried, and if you look at the leaders from that part of this country, they're not walmart of this >> reporter: human rights

activists say they're worried about the government's handling of the protests >> the government said we are - i'm presently democrat. >> reporter: these protesters say they won't stop demanding nigeria's break up >> we're doing everything we can. >> reporter: the independent movement doesn't represent the entire south east, a region of more than 12 million people. claims about neglect do exist but some say they can be addressed without splitting up nigeria more than eight million people in ethiopia are in need of aid. parts of the country are experience is one of the worst droughts in 30 years. >> reporter: this woman and her children struggle and it is proof that climate change hits

the world's poorest people the hardest. she says she and her eight children are awaiting to receive humanitarian aid. the hot winds of el nino generated over the pacific ocean, the effects of which scientists say are being made worse by global warming have destroyed this year's harvest in parts of ethiopia. the u.n. says there are 8.2 million people like this woman who need emergency aid. it says that figure could rise to 15 million in coming months. >> translation: we have nothing this year. we have no plan. it's up to god. after the harvest fails, the men and children who were strong enough left to try and find work. >> reporter: the country's government has put 192 million, but it is said 60 million may be needed. 350 thousand children are expected to require treatment

for malnutrition. ethiopia has plenty of water. this is the worst draught to hit some areas of ethiopia since the 1980s, but it's important to recognise that this country has vast water resources. this is lake sway. the surface area of that water covers around 440 square kilometres the the problem is the lack of irregistration infrastructure to get that water to some of the-- irrigation infrastructure. -- farms. >> translation: it's difficult for us because the pump is so small and the pipes keep breaking. >> reporter: there's virtually no irrigation infrastructure to get to the places where it is most needed. aid has been slow because projects such as drilling boor holidays is expensive. the government is saying it is trying to get water to the worst

affected areas. >> translation: we are trying to reach every former giving them access to water for irrigation by using different methods such as rainwater harvesting. the government is investing heavily. >> reporter: around 80% of ethiopia's approximately 96 million people work in agriculture and farming generates around 40% of the country's gdp. with such limited access to water, millions of people like this woman can only hope that next year there's a lot more rain china's capital beijing has issued its first ever red alert for air pollution. this is the highest possible warning level. schools have been advised to stay closed and half the city's private cars have been banned from the streets. >> reporter: beijing feels like a city under siege and the enemy, if you like, is all

aroundup, as you can see another very bad pollution day here in beijing. so bad that the government felt compelled to introduce a red alert, the first time they've done this. this time a week ago the second highest tier of warning was in force, an orange alert, yet the blues then was de de pollution then was twice as bad as today. i think one of the reasons it has been enforced is that the government wants to be seen to be doing something. it wants to be proactive. what that means is kindergartens and middle schools have been closed, work on construction sites has come to a halt, traffic is being restricted to alternate days depending on odd or even number plates, and the government says these restrictions will stay in force for at least another three days when strong winds, it's hoped, will blow all this muck away the southern indian city of

chennai is cleaning up after its worst flood in more than a hundred years. attention is now being turned to why it caused so many damage. many are blaming the government for not being prepared. >> reporter: this woman has lived here for as long as she can remember. there's not much left of the place she calls home, but like many of her neighbors she is not surprised. the neighborhood is in a low-lying area. it was right in the path of last week's floods. >> translation: why did the government build us a house in this low-lying area, to give one to those who didn't have a house they built houses in the river beds and we came here. if the lake is opened it will flood this place and then where will we go? >> reporter: as she picks through the remains of her home,

there is signs of why the neighborhood wasn't able to cope. the city doesn't have the capacity to deal with the crisis of this magnitude. >> there are good and bad waters. the roads are properly laid out and ready for this issue, we could have seen less damage. >> reporter: last week areas f received a month's worth of rain in just two days. experts say it is not the result of inexpectedly rainfall but also poor city planning. >> if you go and study the flooded areas of the city, you will see most of the were either low-lying area, there are lakes, or march land. most of these areas are affected because of in and authority

should have taken precaution before giving licence and approvals for construction of buildings. >> reporter: chennai is one of the country's most developed cities. this flood caught authorities unaware and unprepared. the scenes of chaos and destruction are a timely reminder to the rest of india of the need to do more to prevent such disasters. millions of people like this man can live without fear their homes will be flooded u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon has warned of serious consequences if a new deal on climate change is not reached. a draft text signed on saturday needs to be finalised by 9195 states attending a global summit in paris. it is hoped that it will reduce

global warming. >> a climate catastrophe is close. the world is expecting more than you. at the time calling for a transformative agreement, an agreement opening the way for long-term peace, stability and pas perity. the decisions you make here in paris will reverb rate down through the ages. the eyes of the world are upon you. seven billion people want to know that you, the world leaders, political leaders, have their interests at heart and those of their children another nation becoming independent, an island best known for its beaches and summer weather, almost half of the electricity will be generated through wind power in the next year. the goal is to becoming fully energy interested by 2020. more from aruba. >> reporter: they call aruba

the happy island and for a place that depends almost entirely on tourism, it is an apt nickname, but it is also getting a reputation for something that most visitors here are unaware of. if all goes well, this tiny nation will be energy independent in just five years >> we have a whole section here that takes care of all the water. >> reporter: it is a goal an environmentalist has been pushing for years. his hotel is eau co friendly as they come. >> i always say to my customers, feel good because you probably are wasting less energy in coming on vacation to aruba than probably spending it at home. >> reporter: energy prices here were rising steeply. thousands of barrels of diesel were imported daily to generate power and the local oil refine

reclosed it's doors in 2012 which is why they considered alternatives. >> reporter: it has more than its fair share of potential sources. the sun is an obvious one, but by the end of 2016 almost half of the electricity to this island will be supplied by wind power and that says the government makes them a leader in green technology. the government says the changes such as scrapping old steam turbines and embracing solar power cost three hundred million dollars. officials say it's the global partners that made all the difference. >> how they've come together in support of what aruba has done but also basically adding their message to an effort that is not only important for this country but for the whole world. >> reporter: since the move to greener technology, electricity prices have dropped 25%. inflation has been reversed and

ar, but a is close to paying off the money it borrowed to make the changes. by 2020 it must may be the nation others turn to see what being green really means you can get all that and more at al jazeera.com. >> this is techknow, a show about innovations that can change lives. >> the science of fighting a wild fire. >> we're going to explore the intersection of hardware and humanity but we're doing it in a unique way. this is a show about science, by scientists. tonight: trash. it's everywhere. >> what's the out put of this facility? >> landfills overflowing. >> it just smells so bad. >> but some of our trash ...