story. iran's foreign minister says there is l little agreement on key issues ahead of peace talks in syria. ♪ ♪ hello, welcome to al jazeera i am jane dutton in doha. also on the program, confronting isil, kurdish fighters in iraq appeal for more help in the fight against the armed group. the u.n. admits its response so ex-sex you'll beus carried out by its peace keep in other words central african republic was serious lay flawed. australia spice chief warns

anti-plus lick rhetoric could arm national security. ♪ ♪ nato is planning to sends air defense to turkey by helping turkey parole its airspace it's hoping that incidents such as the downing of a russian jet last month can ab voided. meanwhile world powers will meet in new york on friday to find a way to end the conflict but as ross done jordan reports there there are major obstacles to overcome. >> reporter: civil what are in syria is nearly five years old on friday in new york city diplomats will try to create a plan to stop the fighting. the russian president said on thursday he's on board. >> translator: we basically support the u.s. initiative on drafting the u.n. security council resolution in syria. it is with the blueprint of this resolution that the u.s.

secretary of state arrived in moscow. >> reporter: but put iron is a long-time supporter of president bashar al-assad and told reporters the international community can't decide who will run the country. another question, which members of the opposition will actually join the talks. >> translator: it is a clear isil and [ inaudible ] is considered terrorist negotiations they should not be part of the mornings or ceasefire, there are othe other groups recognized as terrorists i hope we can all agree. >> reporter: they won't bargain with assad and says he has to leave before a transitional government takes power. u.s. secretary of state kerry said assad's future isn't predetermined. >> that is not the position of the international syria support group. it's not the basis of the geneva communique. it's not the basis of the u.n. resolution.

>> reporter: but the opposition is doubling down. telling al jazeera it won't agree to a ceasefire unless assad goes. u.s. officials say they are forging ahead nonetheless. >> the issg may have or has a different sense of what a political transition might look like than the group of opposition groups. so what does that tell you? that there is still more working to done. >> reporter: analysts say unless the assad question is resolved the talks may be a waste of time. >> as long as assad is still in place. as long as people feel unrepresented by the government, then you'll just have a constant insurgency until you really get a political solution. >> reporter: while there is a sense of urgency to end the civil war, the reality is that the parties may not be ready to do so. rosalind jordan, al jazeera, washington. >> let's get more from peter sharp in moscow. peter, what is russia's take on these talks? what are they are going to be putting forward? >> reporter: i think russia is

delighted that the momentum continues. there has been no mention, of course, of assad's future and that's very much key to russia's philosophy when this comes to these talks. but i think you'll find that although putin was pretty adamant that only the syrian people would decide who will run the country, it's pretty much a given in the kremlin that assad will have to go. the problems facing now -- russia now, is that the five members of the security council have yet to come up with this draft resolution. it was supposed to have been agreed to last night and russia was leading the talks on that. but it hasn't happened. and it's got to go through today to allow the bakes peace process to begin on january 1st. it was agreed last month in the last meeting of the peace negotiations. but there is a split, it seems, in the -- in the u.n., vitale,

rush arussia's ambassador says s not sure draft resolution will even happen. you talk to the british ambassador wrath a rycroft and says it looks like it's in good shape. >> all right, peter sharp, thank you. kurdish forces in iraq are appealing for more weapons and international support to defeat isil. the peshmerga have been leading the fight against the armed group in the north of the country rich. owe some a went to one of their camps to find out more. >> reporter: it's same pollack day for peshmerga forces. they regained control of their town from isil fighters a year ago. many isil commanders were killed during the battles clutch the brother of the isil leader. weapons were also seized which the per ph-rg a are using.

most of the equipment is u.s. made stolen from the iraqi army. it's a reminder that they can defeat isil, also known as >> translator: daesh will not fight us. we will crush them. >> reporter: peshmerga are eager to show the fight they have made against isil. but isil is still strong in other areas. isil has carried out many coordinated attacks across several fronts to breach peshmerga lines, the forces say they have repelled several isil attacks across the kurdish region, isil fighters are using armored vehicle bombs followed by bulldozers to fill trenches dug by the peshmerga. the main hug is mosul and northern iraq. for now, a push towards mosul

remains on hold but soldiers say they are ready. >> translator: this is a political decision now. peshmerge and the ow coalition d the a rookie military already have a plan. >> reporter: peshmerga don't complain about weapons. but they don't seem to be enough to win the war against a more sophisticated better equipped enemy. >> carolindaesh are armed to th. the pe peshmerga are holding the line, competing daesh and they are holding the line for the west. it's now time that the west starts doing more than air support. they must be crushed here for humanity. it's that simple. >> reporter: but the competer interests of international powers involved in the conflict, defeating isil remains far from simple. al jazeera, northern iraq. the african union says it won't allow a genocide at that i

can to place in burundi. and the united nation is his warning the country is on the brink of civil war. at least 400 people have been killed there since april. the fighting is related to the reelection of the president which many people oppose. a u.n. investigation has found the organization failed to act on child sex abuse carried out by peacekeepers in central african republic. secretary general ban ki-moon says he accepts the findings and will take action. gabriel elizondo has more from the united nations head quart in other words new york. >> reporter: when french troops in the central african republic work under united nations mandate were accused of raining six young boys the u.n. failed the very people this were sent there to a text. according to a highly anticipated over 100-page long independent report. commissioned by the u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon, the united nations and its agencies grossly mishandled those allegations.

the report states, among other things, instead of following up on the allegations of child rain, the claims went from desk to desk in box to in box across multiple u.n. offices with with anyone willing to take responsibility. >> the lack of coordination between policies leaves most victims awn tended and run table. >> reporter: the eighthing criticism reaches highin' officials around the world. from the former to him u.n. official in the central african republic to the current high commissioner of human rights in geneva to new york and ban ki-moon's former chief of staff, all came under question in the report. >> ban ki-moon has been presiding over the united nations now for nine years he has been saying he has zero come reps for sexual beus and this report shows it's more slogan

than reality. >> reporter: at u.n. headquarters a spokesman says the secretary general accepts the findings and agrees the u.n. failed to respond meaningfully. what does the secretary general plan do to make sure the systemic failures are not making place in some of the other 15 countries where the u.n. has peacekeepers? >> the panel makes it clear that we need to take a new approach to sexual explorers take, a taking abuse, to insure that as also seen very much through the lens of human rights violations not just of mits conduct by troops. we need to align the two mandates. >> reporter: the problems and shortcomings of the united nations have now been laid bare for everyone to see. as the report itself states if there is no follow through or action, it could only exacerbate the per accept by some that the u.n. is more concerned about rhetoric than action. >> gabriel elizondo, al jazeera, at the united nations. yep en's government and

houthi rebels have forged a breakthrough at peace talks in switzerland. agreeing to allowed humanitarian eyed aide in to the embattled cities of tie h taiz. jarel tan has the latest. >> reporter: a rare moment of joy in a sorrow. war. celebrations in the street mark the return of 260 prisoners. these fighters from the pro-government southern resistence movement were free in exchange for more than 300 houthi rebels. >> translator: we suffered a lot. the houthis exercised all kind of abuse. we didn't get any prisoners rights. we weren't en tigh entitled to r diet. >> reporter: al jazeera can't confirm these allegations but what is clear both sides suffered. it was hoped the swap would reflect positively on u.s. sponsored peace talks in switzerland between the warring parties and perhaps it did. yemen's government and the

houthis have now agreed to allow desperately-needed aid in to the contested city of taiz. a seize fir ceasefire has been e since tuesday on paper though not necessarily in practice. fighting has continued here but the u.n. envoy to yemen is [ inaudible ] in a statement he called it, quote, a major step forward that will insure immediate action to alleviate the human suffering of the the yemeni people. estimated four in every five people in yemen now require aid. the situation is more acute for the sick. health services are shuddered. doctors at this clinch anything aden are worried they will soon run out of critical surprise. >> translator: these children are suffering because we lack medicines and cannot perform tests. they need help and support so that we can fulfill our duty to his treat them and take care of them. >> reporter: the conflict has already killed nearly 6,000 people since march. half of them civilians.

gerald tan, al jazeera. still to come here on al jazeera, hoping for calmer sauce. refugees in turkey wait it out in the cold night in hopes of cross to go greece. plus. >> reporter: i am tania page reporting from johannesburg's downtown music hub. a recording studio trying to launch more african artist on his to the world stage. the only way to get better is to challenge yourself,

and that's what we're doing at xfinity. we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around.

>> "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. ♪ held going, here a quick recap of the top stories on al jazeera. nato planning to send air

defenses to turkey along its southern border with syria. helping turkey patrol its airspace it's hoped that incidents such as the downing of a russian jet last month can be avoided. foreign ministers from around the world are meeting in new york later to discuss the war in syria. they are trying to organize direct talks between the syrian government and the opposition. the u.n. investigation has found the organization failed to act on child sex abuse allegations betweens peacekeepers in central african remember being. secretary general ban ki-moon says he accepts the findings and will take action. the number of people forced to flee their homes this year is likely to exceed all previous records. that's accord to this latest united nations refugees agency report. the figures only cover six-month period but show people fleeing their countries has now passed

20 million. with fighting and wars especially in the middle east the number of people internally displaced has jumped two from 2 million to 34 million for the first time ever worldwide forced displacement will exceed 60 nil wrong i don't know by the end of the year. the report also touch on his the huge toll it has on countries taking in refugees. turk a loan has taken in almost 1.9 million refugees. mainly syrians. omar al saleh has this report from a town on the aegean sea. >> reporter: river is two months old. his parents wants to take him and his four siblings to greece. tell tell me they know the risks and they can all die. >> translator: we have no other alternative think no chance to live here or in afghanistan. we can't stay here we have to go to europe. we want to go germany. >> reporter: entire families of refugees are waiting here in the turkish coastal down.

sick, tired and cold, some have been here for days. waiting for a call from the smugglers, they have to be ready all the time. outside there are more children and adults. they sit and wait. it's cold here. and the winds are strong. all determined to cross the aegean sea to get to greece which seems close but remains out of roach. >> i am coming here because we have lots of problems in afghanistan. we are faced with a lot of challenges. there are not good facility for the young generation in order to learn something and we cannot guarantee our life. >> reporter: every morning they hope the sea is calmer. greece say short distance away but crossing the sea risky. the journey to the greek island could take up to an hour depending on weather conditions but this is a dangerous journey. the international organization for migration says more than 650

people have died this year while trying to cross from turkey to greece. many of them were children. and in the last two weeks, at least 15 children have drowned in the aegean sea. the rights group says the recorded death of refugees use two other routes in the mediterranean have reached over 2,900. and since october, more than 70 children have died crossing the aegean sea according to save the children. at the meeting point on the coast, as the right moment came, the first overloaded cheap dinghy sets off carrying refugees happy to leave but risking it all. while others wait as their smugglers prepare most boats. at the small shop volunteers rely on donating to his feed the refugees but they fell helpless to persuade them not to take more risks. >> you feel terrible.

and so we bring them to hospital another day ago. because they were really hurt. and they all sick. and one day after they will die in the sea. they drown. >> reporter: back on the shore, those who didn't make it this time feel disappointed. waiting their turn to seize their chance between life and death. omar al saleh, al jazeera, on the aegean sea. turn down criticism of islam, that's the message of australia's spy chief to politicians. duncan lewis has warned the backlash against muslims is dangerous and a threat to national security. andrew thomas reports. >> reporter: it should have been a special day out. after taking her mother to see a musical, she was returning to her car when from a balcony above men started shouting racist abuse and throwing hard boiled eggs eggs eggs. >> one of them narrowly missed

me so i ducked the next one missed my head and another one hit the car next to ours and then the glass shattered. >> reporter: similar stories are becoming common as muss in australia say they are being abused by people who blame islam as a faith for attacks carried out in the name of isil. one group blames the government for encouraging bigotry. its rhetoric and so-called anti-terror laws say legitimize abuse. the controversial group, one the government is considered banning held a conference where its leaders claim a security crack down was targeting muslims and that a government deradicalization program was a sham. >> deradicalization has come to mean making muslims lessees lamb i can. it's nothing more than an agenda of forced assimilation, justified by exaggerated fears

of a security threat. >> reporter: speakers lined up to voice their concerns. there are five or 600 people here sharing stories of uh-huh was. and anti-muslim prejudice. the message message is one of dn that there is an us and then there is a them. in speeches and videos, participants were told that cooperating with government intelligence agencies was out right forbidden. many muslims in australia think the confrontational approach they take is a problem. many are concerned that too many innocent muslims are being caught up in a dragnet. at melbourne airport in september, omar was stopped from get on the ground a plane, says he was going to saudi arabia to a hands the hajj pilgrimage then onto lebanon to visit his dieing grandmother. the government later formally canceled his passport. people that he knew and played sport with had traveled to fight in syria.

authorities thought he might be heading the same way. >> i believe this is just an harass think of muslims with these new anti-terror laws. it's just a harassment on innocence. >> reporter: in the 12 months to july this year, 67 australians have had their passports cancel odd security grounds. in the wake of attacks like those in paris, the overwhelming majority of australians say they want more surveillance and action not less. but getting the balance right isn't easy. andrew thomas, al jazeera, sydney. the head of the international monetary fund says she will a al jazeera peel against honored for her to stand trial in france. christine lagarde is accused of negligent over a $400 million payment to a businessman in 2008. she was a french finance minister at the time. and the money used was from public funds. if convicted lagarde could spend a year in prison. voting in the referendum that could change presidential term limits. it means the current president

could stay in office for a third term and possibly remain in power until 2034. he has ran rwanda since his ethnic tutsi army end the 191994 genocide. around 6.4 million people are eligible to vote. malcolm rec reports. >> reporter: public meetings about the ref remember done on changing the constitution have been impossible to miss. these people say they want the president to stay in power after he firns his term in 2017. he's been president since 2000. but effectively in power since his rebel group ended the genocide and took control in 1994. and now politicians say millions of rwandans petitioned them to hold the referendum to change presidential term limits. >> translator: an opposition politician told me they were sure of winning the referendum. i told them good luck.

we have 5 million supporting the change, so it's not possible, they can have more votes than us. >> reporter: we have been told that people are pressured in to attending these political meetings. the government says people come freely and supporters say it's because they want him to stay. >> translator: we asked our members of parliament to change the term limits because they were an obstacle to us reelecting the president. >> reporter: for the last 10 days members of parliament and senators have been campaigning hard. not just here in the capital, but also in towns and vellums all over the country rip. where they have gathered crowds of hundreds of people like this delivered speeches, sung and danced all in favor of change the constitution to remove presidential term limits think but there hasn't been any visible campaign against it. some opposition figures are in prison accused of inciting ethnic conflict. others have been killed or disappeared. the government denies it's

responsible. the democratic green party is one of few that are openly critical. he said his party had planned for people to vote against changing the cons tune. >> the national electoral commission says it's not organized. it's not provided to do the campaign. so we can't do it. >> reporter: it's easier for find critics in other countries, peter was born in rwanda but campaigns against the government from london. he says he receives leg threats for it. >> it's a big shock to the world and to us that there is a referendum which has been arrange ed in a one week to see or to allow the president to continue to being president for life essentially. and we think it's illegitimate. we think it will pass because we don't think it's being held in a situation where people can speak freely. >> reporter: the president is popular among many rwandans for bringing stability and

development to a country that suffered so much violence, but others say public opinion on extending his rule is a lot more than divided than the government suggests. malcolm webb, al jazeera, rwanda. the downtown music hub in johannesburg is a haven for upcoming bands, choirs and songwriters. this is a government innovation that offers a world class recording studio at affordable prices, being used by stars of out south african music scene for generations as town a page reports. >> reporter: this is music, a kind of zulu folk. it's one of the most popular genres in south africa. christopher works in a factory at night, but during the day he indulges his passion at the downtown music hub. it's owned by the government, and su is one of the best recorg studios in the country. >> i to bring my voice to the people, when persons listen to me singing, you hear me proper

because now as we working with these guys i am working with the professional people today. >> reporter: the building which is home to the music hub has been associated with the music industry since the 1970s. the government bought it seven years ago with the idea of making world class recording facilities accessible to the general public. and at a cheap price. the renovations report quite finished but the studios are busy with budding artists. >> from its inception it has always had a developmental agenda and hack cesc has always been a core issue. so our aim is really to keep our prices at a level where anyone can come through and record their music. >> reporter: this building has housed a music studio for decades during apartheid it was one of the few places black musicians do come to record it's full of memories. its heritage value has been magnified by the inclusion of the first music museum in south africa. >> well, over here we have, you

know, an icon here. >> reporter: he recorded at the studio along with songstress, their music was among the albums banned by the or al jazeera par tied regime but helped illuminate to the world what many called the evil of apartheid. >> the music itself kept it shining, kept the will of the people out there for everybody to feel, you know, to hear. and so i think it was really a very important vehicle. >> reporter: you two and dolly parton have both roar ed in studio one, but today it's an italian composer working with south african musicians a collaboration made possible by eye music hub dedicated to recruiting opportunities for eighth so*ugt africans and their unique sound. tania page, al jazeera, johannesburg. and here in qatar, people are celebrating the country's national day.

a military parade has been held in the capital doha where soldiers tanks and fighter jets impressed a crowd that included the country's amir qatar declared its independent from britain in 1971. on undecided. >> we don't get it. >> all: shut this down the streets of baltimore brave for the reaction. >> what do you think community is expecting on this trial. >> a slam dunk. >> christopher putzel on whether the officer who had freddie gray in custody will face a second and on the streets - their lives in crisis. a few of the life of syrian children in limbo, is there a