talks are underway in both tunisia and italy to end the conflict in libya. we have reports from both countries. ♪ hello there, i'm barbara sarah, you are watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up on the program. the taliban claim responsibility for a car bomb attack near the spanish embassy in the capitol of kabul. and bringing an iconic russian novel back to the people. a cost of more than 1,000 take

part in a marathon reading of tolstoy's classic, war and peace. ♪ diplomatic efforts aimed attending the conflict in libya are underway in north africa, and in europe. representatives of the country's two rival administrations are in tunisia for talks on austin under -- u.n. brokered diplomatic deal. libya has been split between two competing administrations since august of last year. the u.n.-recognized government is based in tobruk, and the illegal administration is in tripoli. alongside the two governments multiple armed groups including the islamic state of iraq and the levant have risen to powerful positions right across

libya. well, zana hoda has been following events from rome. zana, as we were explaining there are two meetings, ahead of the big one in rome. explain how the one in tunis is effecting what is going on in rome. >> reporter: well, the meetings in tunis and the agreement that was reached in tunis will reflect positively on that conference you are talking about that will be held here in rome on sunday. we heard representatives from the two rival camps, the two parliaments agree to sign the u.n.-draft deal, calling for a national unity government, but the u.n. special envoy to libya, martin cobbler, was very clear when he said that, yes, this is an achievement, but problems remain, and issues still need to be tackled, and in his words the new government will be responsible for solving those issues, but we know there are a

lot of thornny issues that the warring sides need to agreement on. there are armed groups on the ground. they will have to be disarmed. now the question is are all of the armed political actors in libya on board? another question is whether or not the members of these two institutions, in tobruk, are they on board as well? we spoke to the italian foreign minister this morning, and he said we understand that not all of libya's warring sides will at tend the conference in rome, but we are looking for the majority to -- attend. because we want an inclusive deal. so we'll have to see whether the quorum is enough, really to reach this deal. but these two rivalers have come

together, hugged each other, kissed each other, and decided to sign that agreement on the 16th of december. >> there does seem to be some sort of momentum. zana hoda i know you will be following all developments there. for the moment, zana, thank you. a car bomb has exploded in a heavily protected area of the afghan capitol kabul. it's not clear if anyone has been injured in the attack. the taliban has claimed responsibility. jennifer glasse is on the phone for us in kabul. jennifer, what is the scale of this attack, and how important do you think it is, considering everything else that is going on in the country right now? >> reporter: well, i think the fact that it happened here in the capitol, that the -- these attackers have been able to get inside the very center of the capitol, we understand it is a guest house by the spanish

embassy. he understand from a local hospital that seven app -- afghans have been brought into the hospital. police and special forces are in the area, we understand that attackers may actually be in this compound as well, engaging with afghan special forces. just after the explosion which was heard here just before 6:00 in the evening, we also heard sporadic gunfire. it will make everybody here in the capitol even more nervous than they were. everyone has been on high alert after the attack in southern afghanistan. but this happened inside what place call the ring of steel. check points that check every vehicle and watch people coming in and out of the city, and in a very, very central area, not just embassies, but also lots of residents and businesses, the very heart of kabul, really.

>> jennifer obviously a very bold attack as was the one on the airport, any reason why we're seeing these attacks so close to each other, or just coincidence and proof of a resurgence in the taliban. >> reporter: i think it's the taliban flexing their muscles, showing they can attack. showing they are resilient, and the fact they can attack not only in kandahar, that attack left 70 people dead, and that went on for more than 24 hours -- i think it's a combination of a resurgent taliban showing they can attack when and where they want. and afghan security forces really trying to find their feet. kabul is a huge city. it seemed like a small number of attackers, but they got into a very strategic area of the city, and have right now pretty much

everybody locked down, everybody waiting inside their homes to see what will happen next. and whether there are more attackers out there. >> jennifer glasse with the latest from kabul. jennifer, thank you. islamic state of iraq and the levant has claimed responsibility for an attack that killed at least 22 people in a kurdish-held town. three isil suicide bombers attacked the town on thursday. the area is a base for kurdish fighters battling isil. syrian opposition groups meeting at a conference in saudi arabia capitol have agreed to the basic principles for a democratic solution for the end to the civil war in syria. more than a hundred delegates attended the talks. president assad says he is willing to negotiate with the opposition, but not if they are

armed. >> translator: we were ready and we are ready today to start the negotiations of the opposition, but it depends on the definition of opposition. opposition for everyone in this world doesn't mean militant. there is a big different between militants, terrorists, and opposition. gunmen have launched coordinated attacks on three army barracks in burundi's capitol. it marks an escalation of a simmering conflict between armed forces and opposition groups. >> reporter: gunfire and explosions shut down burundi's capitol on friday morning. residents woke up to roadblocks, check points and military patrols. fighting in the land-locked african country has intensified over the past few days. militia with sometimes 100

gunmen have fought with police and soldiers. the attacks have mostly been in districts opposed to the president staying in power. in this district, residents say men in police uniforms shot and killed five of their neighborhoods. witnesses say the victims were taken from their homes, marched along the street, and executed at point-blank range. >> translator: the police entered and took my mobile phone. they broke down the door and found this man in there. they carried him to the road and shot him. >> reporter: police displayed guns and ammunition seized this week. the violence began in april when the president announced he would seek a third term. in contravention of a constitutional two-term limit.

he was elected for another five years in july. critics say his third term also violates the accord which ended burundi's 12-year civil war and put the president in power. more than 300,000 people were killed between 1993 and 2006. rebels fought the tutsi minority, which controlled the army. political violence since april has killed at least 280 people. there is concern that political conflict could reignite divisions, putting burundi on the brink of civil war. one of china's top entrepreneurs, is assisting with an investigation. the company clarified its

chairmans whereabouts after first reporting him missing. his net worth is reported to be $7.8 billion. two financial executives may also have been detained for questioning in connection with the corruption investigation. rob mcbride has more from hong kong. >> reporter: as the market opens in hong kong, four companies celebrate their listings. an auspicious day, but it comes at the end of a year of to tour -- turmoil on the markets. market watchers are alarmed at the way china has targeted some of its biggest financial institutions. >> it's normal in any market to have a regulator who looks into allegations of insider dealing and market manipulation and so forth, but the concern in china

is that the government is looking to blame anyone but itself for the market bubble and itself collapse. this company is at the center of chinese secureny. two more executives have disappeared bringing to six the number thought to be under investigation, the company issued a statement to the hong kong stock exchange, confirming it had no idea where they were. the greater transparency is seen has crucial. also absent say human rights activists is adequate legal protection for those who fall foul of the law or government. >> political consideration prevails over legal issues. >> reporter: human rights lawyers have long campaigned on behalf of political activists across the border, the vanishing executives it seems could be victims of the same system. >> that's why these people will

disappear and after some time they will reemerge, and the problem seems to be settled. but no one understands in what way the matters are settled. >> reporter: there is still the nagging fear about what protection they will have if the markets turn sour once more. still lots to come here on al jazeera, including indonesia, promises to combat forest fires and reduce emissions at paris climate talks, but activists aren't totally convinced. plus fleeing fighting in ike, we visit the small town tucked away in iraq which is providing much-needed safety and solace to thousands of displaced people. ♪

time now for a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. libya's rival factions have agreed to sign a u.n.-backed national unity government agreement next wednesday. a car bomb has exploded outside of the spanish embassy in the heavily protexteded area of kabul, and at least a dozen gunmen have been killed after they launched coordinated attacks on three army bases in the burundi capitol. financing the cost of tackling climate change remains one of the top sticking point of the talks in paris. delegates insist they are close to reaching a deal to cut carbon

emissions in an attempt to slow global warming. the agreement is expected to be announced on saturday morning. and some climate scientists have hit out at the draft agreement. they say the wording is too vague. they are also worried that the text makes no mention of fossil fuels and fails to set a strict goal for carbon emissions. nick clark joining us now from paris. obviously a lot of question marks are still hanging. the conference has been extended how confident are people that they are going to reach an agreement and reach the right agreement by saturday morning? >> reporter: well, they are certainly working very hard to try to make it happen. they worked through the night last night, they worked through the night the night before, and they are going to work through the night again tonight. the chair of this conference

said there will be a text release around about 9:00 tomorrow, and that could push through to perhaps midday, and we'll see where we're at this point, there are a lot of people who are pushing for that to happen. there is a coalition of ambition which includes the e.u., united states, caribbean islands, and african countries. there is a coalition of deletion, which is really red lines through the texts. so it's all tricky, and it's very hard work to get to the point where you have 196 countries agreeing on the way forward. let's bring in our guest. i'm pleased to introduce the minister of nigeria. what is your take on where we're at right now? >> not in a bad place. it's pretty tough. there are many, many issues that are pretty tough to try to unpick some of those notts that we have had over the last couple

of days. i think we have moved, if the say the document in substance is there, but it's a signal we want to send on ambition, on finance, on how we report on all of this to make 2020 a reality. >> reporter: and nigeria of course an oil-producing country. what do you like in this text? >> i think the ambition of the temperature has to be below 1.5. we have made commitments in our indc that are unconditional, and they will only make sense if we can get the other ambitions realized in the rest of our partners arrange the world. that's one thing we are looking for. financing, they are asking for a commitment of 100 billion, but it's actually trillions that we need. so financial markets, business people, governments and multinationals coming together to make that possible on the outside of this.

so i think for nigeria if we can just push a little more and get those needs on the ambition, that would be very good for us. >> everybody is talking saying there will be a positive outcome here. are you confident it will be weighty enough to provide a good platform for the way forward. >> i think everybody has a lot to lose. and you can see into the night, ministers are still around pushing for that. so i'm confident we're going to get what we need, not what we want. and i think we live to fight another day on many of the issues. it's not over net. we still have another day or so. >> reporter: thanks very much indeed for that. it's what we need, but not what we want necessarily. a lot of tradeoffs going on here. we'll hopefully have an outcome at some point tomorrow. >> i hope so, nick clark live for us in paris. thank you.

forest fires in indonesia are sending huge amounts of greenhouse gases and pollutants into the atmosphere. the government continues to gather criticism from activists. >> reporter: fires pumping more than 1.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. putting indonesia in the category of the largest greenhouse emitters in the world. the fires are blamed on large palm oil and paper companies as well as small farmers who convert forests into plantations every dry season. after more fires were found recently, a pledge last year by the largest palm oil companies to stop the burning is seen as breaking their promise. >> translator: now that they

have failed. why would they be able to expand? their licenses should be reviewed, and a community should be trusted to deal with our forrests. >> reporter: companies accused of setting fires have yet to be prosecuted by police. palm oil producers insist they are committed to preserving high carbon forests, and will comply with standards. >> if woe meant that we can't deforest high-conservation value forests, or high carbon stock forests, then there are some maybe land out there. >> reporter: indonesia plans to protect the forest and reduce emission, but wants to double its palm oil production by 2020. some say this is possible, but others say that indonesia has the right to focus on economic growth. the president insists a balance

between growth and environment protection is important. >> translator: they both have to grow together. the economy has to grow, and the environment has to be protected. it has to be done at the same time. it's not possible to just talk about environment protection. [ inaudible ] my people [ inaudible ] where do my people get their income? who will our economic be? it's very clear to me that the two go together and not against each other. >> reporter: while the president has promised to restore millions of hectors of burned forest a main source of this year's choking haze, action has yet to be taken. many fear another fire disaster can't be prevented. thousands of iraqis have been forced out of their homes by the ongoing fights between

the army and isil. many have headed north to the relative safety of the kurdish regions. as imran khan now reports. >> reporter: this man has been a butcher for most of his life. he ran a small shop in fallujah in anbar province. two years ago he found out isil fighters were taking territory on the out-kurts of the city. so late one night he took his family and headed north to here. he says that decision saved his life. >> translator: life was just hell for us. the iraqi army would shell fallujah every day, then isil will try to control us. we had nothing. couldn't do anything. >> reporter: here his story is common. at least 4,300 from anbar have settled in this small town. kurdish and arab communities get

along here and have transformed the place. who have fled have had a positive effect on this community. they have opened businesses, and that means jobs and money. it used to be a seasonal holiday town, people would come here once a year for their holidays, now it's a very busy marketing town and that is year round. for this man this town represents a now chance for peace. >> translator: i really like it here. it's peaceful. it's not easy, but at least it's not a camp. i can't imagine i'll ever go back to anbar. there is nothing there. it has been totally destroyed. >> reporter: many former anbar residents feel the same way. they say they want to live with dignity and not in camps. but this is a rare positive example. elsewhere in iraq sectarian

divisions continue to lead to violence and isil continues to hold territory. but here it's peaceful and secure, and that's what people want. violence has broken out in the ukrainian parliament with a massive punch out between opposing politicians. the prime minister was defending his policies when a politician attempted to present him with a bunch of red roses in protest. he then attempted to man handle him away from the podium, which prompted the president's supporters to weigh in to help him out. as you can see the results of that. it has taken four days and four nights and the cast of 1,300 russians to read through four volumes of war and peace. the novel is often more talked about than actually read. now the curtain is falling on a project to bring the book back

to the people. rory challands reports from moscow. >> reporter: an so it began, both a literary, and a broadcasting marathon from moscow, st. petersburg, london, vienna, and paris. famous russians, ordinary russians, even a russian in space, all taking a turn to read for the cameras a page from tolstoy's book. this woman is one of the driving forces behind the project. >> it's uncomfortable for the modern russian society, because he questions a lot of key rules of the -- how the society built. he questions the power, the government. when you read war and peace, the

battles, you understand his idea that war is the awfulest thing in the world. >> reporter: the russian writer describes war and peace as not a nefl, less a poet 'em, and still less an historic chronicle. what it is is epic. over four volumes it tells the interpretation of napoleon's invasion of russia. >> translator: the questions he races are still relevant now. and the answers, well, russian literature doesn't generally give answers. it asks questions, and we're still trying to solve them. >> translator: it feels like he is still nearby advising us on life. he shows us a chain of mistake that everyone makes mistakes and that we should be able to overcome them.

♪ >> reporter: to great fanfare this reading of war and peace has been broadcast live on russian television, radio, and online. the program's creators call it a democratic event and a unifying one. they say that great literature can bring people together in troubled times. of course i couldn't do a report on reading war and peace without having a go myself. so here it goes. he gripped the pullel, spurred his horse and galloped off to his regimen under a hail of bullets. he wanted one thing, to find out what was going on, and help rectify at all costs any error. and if you want to know what happens next, read the book. if you are quick it will take about four days and four nights. four days and four nights or longer if you take your time. anyway, you can find out much more about that story and

everything else we have been covering here on al jazeera on our website. you can see it on your screen right now, aljazeera.com. a lot there about the climate change conference in paris. we're expecting it to end on saturday morning. ♪ breaking news, heavily fighting underway right now in kabul afghanistan after a guest house near the spanish embassy is attacked. defendant is guilty of the crime of sexual battery -- >> a former police officer convicted of raping women while on duty. tonight they step off the plane as refugees, but they walk out of this terminal as permanent residents of na