♪ fragmented, divided and under threat from russian air power, serious opposition seek unity at a meeting in saudi arabia. ♪ you're watching al jazeera and coming up, in the next half hour a message to turkey, russia reenforces its military base in armenia and sends cruise missiles to the mediterranean. >> we have no choice. >> reporter: donald trump calls for muslims from entering the united states and rivals say he is unhinged, bigoted and fascist

and feeding antibiotics to animals could be putting humans at risk. ♪ over 100 delegates from more than 20 different syrian rebel groups and political factions are meeting in the saudi capitol and their task is to agree to a position they can take to talks with the regime and their meeting as russia attacks from the skies as the west focus turns to i.s.i.l. and we report from the challenges facing the summit. >> reporter: they have fought together on the front lines when faced with offensive from the government and allies and apart from that political and armed opposition lack a unified command and have different visions for the future of syria and need to come together as international peace efforts gain momentum and saudi arabia is hosting a gathering to unite the opposition ahead of possible

talks with the syrian governm t government. world and regional powers who recently met in vienna agreed that peace talks and the political process should begin but there was no agreement on president bashar al-assad's role in that process and that is one of the issues dividing the opposition. >> majority in opposition says 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 in many ways under the influence of the regime. >> reporter: on the ground armed groups don't share similar ideologies and one of the most powerful forces al-nusra front will not be attended and designated by the u.s. and the u.n. as a terrorist organization. syrian opposition politicians have urged al-nusra to

disassociate itself from al-qaeda, so far it has not. allies on the battlefield will be attending the meetings in saudi arabia. >> everything is going to be all right in the meeting. so my understanding is that some of the groups are going to try to withstand themselves from al-nusra and not easy to do and effect al-nusra and may be a split with al-nusra. >> reporter: if saudi arabia succeeds in getting opposition to speak in one voice some in the delegation may not be accepted by the main backer and doesn't want to associate with the groups and wants them added on a terrorist list. for the opposition backers however they are the backbone of the armed rebellion and 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 party pyd and armed wing

ypg and allies the syrian democratic forces and are part of the u.s. in the fight against i.s.i.l. but turkey a backer of the organization considers them terrorists and have a meeting in the northeast province, the alliances in the conflict are a complicated maze and no clear way through as this new diplomatic attempt gets underway in saudi arabia. >> let's get more on this with zaina joining us in the studio and there is a lot riding on this particular summit and will have to get through their ethical ethnic as well as sectarian divisions as well all within a very tight deadline, do you think they would be able to overcome these differences? >> well, we know this is not going to be easy and opposition members who we have spoken to say this is going to be a challenge because this is not the first time the opposition has tried to unite, you have the politicians who are really have no influence on the ground and they themselves are divided and you have some of them who

believe that yes the syrian president bashar al-assad can stay in power with the political process underway and others think he should step down immediately and on the ground they have groups and different ideology and visions for syria saying it should be a democratic state and others disagree and getting them to agree and speak in one voice is going to be a problem but apart from that if saudi arabia does manage to pull this off and united opposition is created to sit on the same table with the syrian government the question is will russia accept russia being the main backer of the syrian government because russia believes some of the people who were invited or some of the groups who were invited to saudi arabia should be on a terrorist list and not sitting on a negotiating table and two of the groups said the russians said that very clear. we do know that terrorist list is being drawn up by jordan. there is also a lot of controversy surrounding that. but this all needs to happen for the political process to begin,

as you remember in vienna they did agree that talks should begin by january the first. >> yeah, one of the glaring omissions at the meeting in riyadh with the kurds making up parted of the syrian population and ypg have been very successful in terms of patch back with i.s.i.l. and an ally of the united states, united states an ally of saudi arabia and why have they not been invited? >> we understand there are some kurds who are attending the saudi meeting but ypg and political party pyg have not been invited and no officials from the saudis but they believe turkey the opposition put pressure on saudi arabia not to invite the group. turkey has made it clear they consider the ypg terrorists and accused them of ethnic cleansing in arab areas and accuse them of

creating a state and it's not just turkey, members of the opposition who are at the meeting are accusing the ypg of wanting to divide syria but this split is not new. there has been tension between the ypg like you mentioned an ally of the united states and other opposition groups but the danger now is they have turned their guns on each other and they are fighting in the northern countryside of aleppo, a very strategic area for those in the conflict and if ypg put pressure on opposition we already know they are under a lot of pressure and changing dynamics and yes they are trying to unite the opposition but clearly on the ground there are a lot of front lines and a lot of divides. >> always good talking to you thank you on the complexities of the syrian conflict. the u.n.'s refugee agency has appealed to jordan to allow syrian refugees across the border, they are currently 12000 trying to flee the war stranded at the border between the two

countries. speaking in geneva a unhcr person says their live also be at risk in the coming months and the syrian opposition meets in riyadh russia is moving military assets to the region and a submarine with cruise missiles arrived in the mediterranean at a russian base near the romanian has attack and transport helicopters. criticism of republican presidential contender donald trump after he called muslims to be ban from entering the united states and the former governor of florida jeb bush says he is unhinged and policy proposals are not serious, and democratic presidential hopeful martin o'malley tweeted the real donald trump removes all doubt he is running for president as an fascist-denagog and lindsey graham wrote he is putting at

risk the lives of interpreters, american supporters, diplomates and the troops in the regions making these bigoted comments. rising tide of islam phobia president obama is saying their religion is not being targeted and patty has more. >> reporter: the u.s. secretary of state jeh johnson at this virginia mosque sends a message to the muslim community they are not the enemy but in an exclusive interview with al jazeera he admits islam phobia is on the rise in the u.s. and there is growing concern about the potential for a violent backlash. >> we've seen incidents already, i heard about incidents in the meeting i just had here that were just horrible and so i am concerned. >> reporter: one reason comments from republican presidential candidates like donald trump who is now calling for all muslims to be ban from

entering the united states. >> common sense we have to do it. >> reporter: the chief at the adam center says he believes islam phobia in the u.s. is the worst it has ever been and worst than after the september 11 attacks and says muslim children are paying the price because many of them are being bullied. >> what i'm worried about, this kind of talk is impacting the average american who does not know us and if children go to the same school as our children. >> reporter: another presidential candidate senator rand paul is pushing a bill to stop immigration from 34 countries, all muslim majority countries accept one, the spokesman says that proves it is not profiling. >> because mark is on the list shows we are not. it may not fit your logic but my logic is if you have a country on there which there are no muslims it's not just based on muslims. >> reporter: at the mosque where they increased security

there is growing concern but also hope. >> some people have said the same thing about jewish community. some people have said the same thing about president kennedy. can he be trusted? where his loyalty is? america had went through that before and america is going through this now but we shall overcome. >> reporter: hope for an end to the politics of fear but one that apparently won't be realized in this election cycle. patty with al jazeera, sterling, virginia. >> let's get a closer look at this with our correspondent and you are a frequent visitor to the u.s., are you worried about the next time you land at the jfk airport about how you will be received? >> no, no, i'm not but i think a lot of people should be. and it's not because as so many now would like to remind us that

donald trump is not the u.s. president and he is not the republican nominee to the presidency, of course we know that. most americans, all americans i would say and most the people in the world know that. the problem is not here. the problem is not whether america will be taking any measures any time soon. the question is why is this pers person -- what is this person's and candidate's lead in the republican nomination to the presidency and continues to expand as his racism expands? what is it about his racist discourse that gathers more and more people around him among the republicans, i think that is what worries me. >> is this a reflection of what the republican party has become today? >> look, i mean he is leading, correct? but on the other hand all or most of the other candidates have condemned what he said.

or at least this was not the policy like ted cruz did the second person after donald trump but be that as it may there are a number of layers to this conversation, one is what is happening in the republican party, two what is happening on the right in general and three whether that represents a new trend in the american society. now that would be terribly worrying. for the time being what we are seeing is there is a certain insecurity among white male america specifically about the isobar yo -- socio economics and coming to the like of caution and donald trump who are promising them, you know, american prosperity, leadership and so on and so forth and

telling them washington is the enemy and need to come back outside washington and not only business in the case of trump. >> quickly and i'm told we are running out of time but very quickly here can we see donald trump being the next leader of one of the world's super powers? >> one thing as an analyst you do not predict the future but this mounting power in america that is sort of racist phobic and connect the dots with france and penn with hungry and the rise there and with putin, i mean we have these sort of characters now that are a bit racist or a lot racist, antise -- antantisematic. >> and the rise of the west and

still to come on al jazeera. >> thinking about social and political issues and using art for one of the main reasons that it exists. >> we meet art's newest superstars who say they are not artists, plus. >> andy gallagher in aruba and says by 2020 it will run 100% on green energy and we will show you how. ♪ sure, tv has evolved over the years.

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>> "inside story" takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the soundbites. we're giving you a deeper dive into the stories that are making our world what it is. top stories on al jazeera, a meeting between syria's faction

opposition groups is underway in the saudi arabia capitol riyadh and discussing ways to get over differences ahead of talks with the syrian government. russia appears to be building up its military presence around syria and it has sent eight helicopters to a base in armania in a missiles has arrived on the coast. donald trump was swiftly condemned by leader at his party and described him as unhinged and a biggot and yemen government accepted a u.n. ceasefire beginning on peace talks next week but rob matheson says the latest truce may fail. >> reporter: the president abd rabbuh mansur hadi confirms another ceasefire will begin in a few days and truce will

coincide with u.n. sponsored talks to end the conflict that is meant to take place in switzerland and according to the attorney general ban ki-moon says he notified coalition of the ceasefire on december 15 and lasting until december 21 and this he says will coincide with starting of consultations and automatically be renewed on commitment by the houthis and special envoy to yemen is optimistic. >> we have a number of good signs we will have this ceasefire including during my discussion with president hadi but also my discussion with the other two parties and everybody seems to be welcoming the idea for the ceasefire. >> reporter: saudi-led coalition has been conducting air strikes in yemen for nearly nine months now in response to houthi rebels who took over most of the country. back in june the u.n. tried to mediate between the government and houthi forces and their allies but negotiators walked

out before the talks even began, the houthis refused to withdraw from territory they seized and saudi-led coalition says the bombing will continue unless the rebels pulled out and in july a ceasefire ended in hours because of air strikes and houthi attacks, the latest in a series of broken agreements. saudi-led campaign was expected to be short lived but it still continues. the cost has been significant for the mainly arab coalition partners as oil prices continue to fall. and the humanitarian cost is even higher and the u.n. says at least 2000 civilians have been killed since march and around 1 1/2 million yemen people have been forced from their homes, rob matheson, al jazeera. china's capitol beijing has issued the first red alert for air pollution and the highest possible warning level and schools advised to stay closed and millions of private cars

band from the streets and we report from beijing. >> reporter: flying into a city that feels under siege and where the enemy is everywhere. poison particles in the area once again reached dangerous levels and such pollution is not rare but the government response was although it did not go far enough for some. >> translator: to wear a mask or not is a personal choice but i think the government should have more control on the pollution instead of making us take the responsibility. >> translator: i had to cancel my class because of the smog. >> reporter: the measures are unprecedented, schools advised to close, work halted at thousands of construction sites and cars now restricted from roads on alternate days depending on their odd or even license plate numbers. the pollution is serious but not nearly as bad as it was this time last week when the government issued an orange alert the second highest of the

four tier warning system leading some to wonder why a red alert is there now and those critical of the government are now applauding. >> first time we saw a red alert and it's a sign of a different attitude that the government wants to solve the problem and take care of public health. >> reporter: blamed on burning of coal as well as coal exhaust fumes and o-china is the biggest e mitter of greenhouse emissions and peak by 2030 and the code red alert is a step to meeting the challenge, adrian brown, al jazeera, beijing. u.n. secretary of state ban ki-moon warned of consequences if a new deal on climate change is not reached at the summit and a draft signed on saturday needs to be finalized by the 195 states and it is hoped the agreement will reduce global warming by cutting dependence on fossil fuels which produce

greenhouse gasses. and one of the most common phrases at the climate change summit in paris is energy independence and andy gallagher reports from the caribbean island of aruba how they plan to make it a reality. >> reporter: they call aruba the happy island and for a place that depends almost entirely on tourism it's an apt nickname but aruba getting a reputation that most visitors here are unaware of, if all goes well this tiny nation will be energy independent in just five years. >> have a whole section here that takes care of all the water. >> reporter: a goal that environmentalists has been promoting for years, his hotel on the edge of presteen beaches is as echo friendly as they come and helps both his business and the environment. >> i always say to my customers feel good because you probably are wasting less energy in

coming on vacation to aruba than probably spending at at home. but the path to independence has not been easy and the prices are rising steeply and thousands of diesel is generating power and local refinery closed its doors in 2012 which is why aruba began to consider alternatives. for a volcanic island off of venezuela aruba has potential power sources and the sun is an obvious one but they say by the end of 2016 almost half of the electricity will be supplied by wind power and that says the government makes them a leader in green technology. aruba government says changes such as scrapping old steam turbines and embracing solar power costs $300 million but the global part ners that make all the difference. >> they have come together in support of what aruba does and

also basically adding their message to an effort that is not only important for aruba but important for the world. >> reporter: since the move to greener technology electricity triess have dropped 25% and inflation reversed and close to paying off the money it borrowed to make the changes and by 2020 it may just be the nation others turn to as an example of what green really means. andy gallagher al jazeera, aruba. a report into antibiotic resistance says the widespread feeting of antibiotics to farm animals is worsening the problem for humans and in countrys more drugs given to animals than to humans and reports authors looked at the result of 139 studies into the use of antibiotics in agricultural and found a strong link between the drugs being given to animals and resistance to antibiotics in humans. and they warn that some so called last resort drugs are normally reserved for the

fighting of the toughest of bacteria are being fed to animals. and jim o'neal is the chairman of the review on antimicrobial resistance which is based in the uk. >> our recommendations we are suggesting a ten-year timetable for introducing a global limit and one of the reasons we say that is due to our awareness and sympathy for the challenges in the emerging world, as these countries get wealthy and people have more incomes they want to eat better foods and should not stop them having that right because we had that right in the rest of the world but they need to develop much better health systems in particular, much greater surveillance techniques as well as the way to deal with the waste which is coming out of animal excretion and the disposal of unwanted drugs and i'm not sure if it's going in the water systems which compounds the problem for all of

us and because we all connect together all over the world even the best practicing countries we highlight denmark in this regard can do the right thing but unless they split themselves off from the rest of the world they still suffer the consequences and growing resistance because of the bad behavior elsewhere so it's important that we all do the right thing. britain's most prestigious award for modern heart has gone to 18 artists in the city of live pool was described as transcending traditional ideas about art and charlie has the story. >> reporter: architecture, psychology, opera and fashion, these are the pieces nominated for the uk's top contemporary art award, unusual line up by turner price standards but the

ones that really stood out for the judges. >> 2015 winner is oh, wow, assembly. [cheers] assemble of 14 designers and mostly unqualified architects who together transformed a street of derelict houses in liverpool and turning them into homes for the community and do not say they are artist and not sure for accept the nomination and the prize has come as a shock. >> this nomination was a surprise to all of us and the last six months has been kind of super surreal experience but it allowed us this amazeing student to start something and a granby workshop which we hope will live on for a very long time. >> reporter: socially engaged

and when i interviewed them they were a rare find in the art world and on show in glasco show what they have and available on line and for 12 you can own an original tile made by a turner prize winner, pretty cheap considering this prize can transform careers, turning unknown artists into multi millionaires and one former winner is now the world's richest living artist and their favorite nominee has won big. >> not another winner really, they were spot on and thinking about social issues, political issues and using art for one of the main reasons that it exists, it's not about painting pretty vases of flowers or kittens playing with balls of wool, it is about speaking to people. >> reporter: in awarding a design collective this prize will shake up the art world but

it shows the best of what art can be. charlie with al jazeera. art for the masses, quick reminder you can always keep up to date with the latest news and analysis on our website at al jazeera.com. >> i'm david schuster in for ali velshi. "on target" tonight. dangerous distraction, how fear gets in the way, and how to make america safer. the fear in america now is clear. in the wake of last week's attack in san bernardino and the slaughter in paris last month, there are growing fears that more terrorism is coming at home and abroad. what is not clear is what to do about the threat posed by groups like i.s.i.l. which direct or at