>> burundi reject the africa union's suggestion to send 5,000 peace keepers to curb the violence there. i'm lauren taylor. this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up. celebrating as the election commission says 98.3% voted to lift presidential term limits. we find out what syrians who have fled to turkey backe for peace. and how one caligraphy assignment led to the closure of schools in the u.s. state of

virginia. >> burundi's president said it does not want africa union to send peacekeeping troops to stop the violence there. the a.u. plan to send 5,000 soldiers without the government's consent. >> there are international in an--they are surprised that troops are being prepared to be sent to burundi, which has an elected government and a fully functioning government and which has an army and police, which are fully functioning. we do not believe that the u.n.

security council are going t to back it because they passed on the revolution. they did not point to anything that they could point to that peace keepers would be needed in burundi, and very recently they are a special envoy, the under secretary in burundi received an audience by the president of burundi, and he went back to the u.n. and said that there was no need for burundi to be considered as should be sent. he said that only if small civilian component would be needed here to follow the inter burundian dialogue, and involve burundi in the country and outside of the country. >> our correspondent will have more from the capital.

>> african union peace security council decided to send 5,000 troops and policemen with a mandate. they will send troops to make sure that they do not find back into chaos. the president announced he was seeking a third time in office, now the violence has affected life in general and hit the economy says is going to shrink by 7.2% this year. >> the electoral commission said that based on votes so far 98%

are in favor. malcolm web has this update. >> the electoral commission said critics, which there are few here. there are few who criticize government lines but those in other countries say that the polling results are not credible. they're always in the high 90s and there is not a free and fair environment to conduct conducive

polls because people are in fear. >> a car bomb has gone off in the somali capital killing two people and wounding eight others. the attack was carried out in a busy street of mogadishu. witnesses say that the car was parked outside of a shopping center. the armed group al-shabab has been behind attacks in the capital. 66 soldiers mutinied after a boko haram ambush when they were ordered down a dangerous road at night. they are reviewing other cases

including 579 soldiers who were tried in secret last may. iraq has opened an investigation into an u.s. coalition airstrikes on fallujah that killed nine iraqi soldiers. the jets were targeting isil fighters. they were advancing on isil targets when an airstrike thought to have been carried out by an u.s. plane hit when both sides were in close combat. >> our air forces were not able to fly due to the bad weather and the coalition air forces were covering our troops, and there was a strike that killed them. investigations are continuing on both sides. >> these kinds of things happen when you're fighting side by

side as we are, and we recommitted ourselves against that campaign against isil. so it is a regrettable incident. we both know that these things happen in war. >> u.n. special envoy to syria said that they'll send out invitations to talks in january on u.n. backed peace plans on the country. on friday they unanimously backed the plans for talks between the syrian government and opposition for cease-fire to start in january. the question remains who will be taking part in those talks. our diplomatic editor james bays reports. >> endorsing a clear and ambitious timeline for political transition in syria with face-to-face talks and possibly a cease-fire in a matter of weeks. but this resolution was the

result of very last-minute negotiations. it's a demonstration of the difficulty of the task ahead that is as administrators were arriving in new york, talks were still under way. diplomats reporting to the russian foreign minister were fighting with their counterparts over many of the words and details of the resolution. when it was finally passed it was praised by the president of the current security council the president of the united states. >> this is the fires time we've been able to come together to embrace a road forward. during that time one syrian in 20 has been killed or wounded. one in five is a refugee. one in two has been displaced. the average life expectancy in syria has dropped by 20 years. >> here in the corridors and offices of the united nations they now face a tough challenge

convening peace talks between the syrian government and the syrian opposition next month in january. and there are still many u unresolved issues. who should be in that delegation and which groups should not be allowed to go in those peace talks or take part in the future of syria because they're designated as terrorist groups. despite this, the man charged with leading the peace efforts says it is now doable. >> do you remember the name "mission impossible"? well, "mission impossible" is becoming potentially possible thanks to what we saw today. but the hardest issue of all, the position of president bashar al-assad, is still in dispute. >> president putin addressed the nations in his annual press

conference. we cannot agree with any approach which pre-supposes another nation who has a different vision of what syrian leadership should look like. >> secretary kerry was not getting the translation on his head set. this on the day the two men finally negotiated the exact language of the resolution, but with those carefully agreed words still make sense to both then when they're put to the test in the coming months. james bays, al jazeera, of the united nations. >> the u.n. resolution brings hope. >> more than 30,000 syrians live in and around the ancient city just across the border in turkey. they are escaping the civil war

but staying close enough that if peace comes they can quickly get home. from aleppo, he thinks that there will be no problem forming a transitional government. we need to go back to our country, the schools, our homes. we're tired of living in exile. >> they think that assad should go. >> if assad is allowed to stay in the country, what would be left? every family in syria has been

split up because of him, and now we're expected to let him and his ugly regime stay? >> all of them want the fighting to end. >> the roof of our home has fall no one on us. can it get any worse? we're so scared for our childr children. >> isil control the territory on the other side of the border. and no one here is thinking about going home until they have been cleared out. bernard smith, al jazeera. >> 18 people have died. ten of them children after a boat carrying refugees to greece sank. they alerted the turkish coast guard when they heard screaming. 14 horse from rescued and taken to hospital. many are in serious condition. almost 600 people have died taking the eastern mediterranean route this year alone. still to come this half

hour, yes, we can face, say supporters of spain's new left party. and u.s. debate coming up.

>> the only live national news show at 11:00 eastern. >> we start with breaking news. >> let's take a closer look. >> a reminder of the top stories in al jazeera. a spokesman has told al jazeera he doesn't want african union troops to go into the country. the country is on the brink of

civil war and threatens to send 5,000 peace keepers without burundi's consent. the they were envoy to syria will send out talks to january on u.n. backed peace plan for the country. an as u.n. sponsored peace talks wrapped up on the day without a breakthrough, troops loyal to the president has gained control of an important city in the northwest. they have seized the city from the mout houthis and their ally. >> they have traveled 80 kilometers to reach this place. we'll continue to progress until we reach saada, and we'll

liberate all yemeni cities an from them. >> engine problem has been blamed for stalling of a ship. it was first reported as having sunk but it is still floating. strong waves are making it difficult for rescuers to reach them. tuesday main opposition party has been granted bail. they are accused of illegally

acquiring property. manically belonged to a newspaper that closed in 2008. the united nations says physical and sexual abuse against women and children in south africa are regarded as normal. the special law against violence on women are helping the government fight it. ther >> candy was raped bay healer who said she needed to be cleansed of an evil spirit and that was the only way to do it. she was only 13. there are few places rape victims can go for support. >> one of the places the u.n. special on violence against

women went to on a recent fact-finding mission in south africa. they found that physical and sexual abuse is often accepted as a fact of life. she said that the government must do more. >> does the government need to put its money where it's mouth is? >> yes, this is very important. and understanding that adoption of the law is the responsibility of the government to provide such services. if they're not there, then there ithere-- >> private donors bring food, clothes and healthcare products for him to distribute. >> most of these receipt dents live in poverty. there is so much crime.

there are parts of the township so dangerous that the police refuse to patrol which adds to the sense o impunity. >> it's not as simple as throwing money at the problem, which the government is trying to work on. >> as government we have competing challenges. in my own views the issues of the instrument cannot be just addressed on the basis of reaction. there are programs which will make sure that women can care for themselves. >> she wants to offering suin sewing classes to help women learn skills to support themselves. >> spain heads to the polls on sunday and a contest likely to bring anent to the traditional two-party system. the people's party and the socialists have alternated power since 1982, but the support now

stands at 27% and 20% respectively. that's not much more than the new centrist party which has an average of 19%. and two points behind is another newcomer close to the syriza party has 17%. >> the force they think is with them. the latest recruit for the anti-austerity party is smashing all records at the box office and they hope to do the same at the ballot box. >> yes, we can, is the message of the young left wing leader. a lecturer whose party is two-years old, but aiming to break the back of spain's political establishment. the prime minister does look set to lose his majority, but the

center right people's party will have the highest number of seats in the spanish parliament. the message to voters, close your eyes and dream of what sort of country you want. his nightmare, though, is the new reformer citizen's party, which has been stealing some of his core support from the electorate. led by a 36-year-old from catalonia, who used his opposition to the independence movement there to launch a career in national politics. our time has come, is his message, a time of hope. struggling against the new tide is once dominant socialist party and it's leader pedro sánchez. his party broadcasts and imagines a future where they look back on pride on their victory in sunday's election. the message, build a future for

the majority. a new generation of political leaders will be joining the congress of deputies to challenge the old two-party system. but what real impact will they have on the political system here? >> the new parties have no past. so they are in a better position to try to solve one of the main issues which is political corruption. we've never seen so many young people in politics. and that is also could be a healthy change. >> the political landscape is being remolded here. the prime minister shared a christmas dinner with his people's party activists. if the polls go badly, it could prove to be his last supper. >> a few days after schools in los angeles were skilled by a bomb hoax classes in virginia were canceled because of

caligraphy. a teacher's attempt to introduce students to arabic writing cause anger among parents and they canceled classes for thousands of students saying school staff were at risk. >> the halls of riverhead high school in virginia were empty on friday. more than 10,000 students at the public schools were told to start their christmas breaks early. school had said they were threatened villa social media because of an arabic caligraphy assignment. students were asked to copy the muslim statement of faith pro fessing the acceptance of mohammed as god's prophet. others said it was threats against islam. others say it was symptoms of wider anti-muslim sentiments

being fueled by campaigns. >> when we're hand fed fear we act out that have fear and react irrationally. >> reaction has varied on social media. one wrote: . >> during the last debate by republicans hoping to replace president barack obama, candidates refer to islamic terrorism isil and terrorism hundreds of times. health experts say that americans are 40,000 times more likely to die of heart disease and obesity and cancer than from terrorism. >> reality on the ground is right now in america we have 30%

of republican primary voters saying they want to bomb agraba. agraba is a fictitious country where alladin and jasmine fell in love and road off on a magic carpet. >> that fear has led to the closure of the second largest school district in the u.s. on the day of the debate. 600,000 students in los angeles returned to class on wednesday after investigators said that the bomb and gun threat was a hoax. al jazeera. >> well, as you heard in that report a poll has found nearly a third republicans and 19% of democrats support bombing agraba, an imaginary city out of "alladin." these are some of the posts.

surely there is a no-fly zone around agrabah. and the first refugees from agrabah has arrived. >> well, the issue of the united states relations with its muslim citizens and the wide islamic world has become a central theme of the presidential primaries. last year candidate donald trump has called for a ban on muslims entering the country. kimberly halkett reports. >> we send in food that gets made into food baskets and distributed. >> for three years nadia has made it her mission to support refugees from syria, collecting

tons of donations in a warehouse. >> we want to make a difference. we've seen a spike in people wanting to connect with us. >> she's talking about comments from donald trump, republican presidential candidate who has suggested banning muslims from the united states if necessary for its security. >> total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on. >> democratidemocratic presidential candidates have been working to distance themselves from the rhetoric. bernie sanders even participated in an inter faith round table to speak directly with muslim leaders. the controversy is expected to be a key issue as candidates take to the stage saturday for the third democratic debate.

>> all of the candidates will criticize donald trump for his comments about security and religion, and i think that that will give an opportunity for the democratic candidates to show that they are not donald trump, and present a more nuanced picture. >> voters of all faith are watching especially in light of reports of muslim advocacy reports showing increase of incidents of violence against mosques this year has risen. >> they have not made clear that americans are fellow americans, and we have to honor that and make sure that they feel safe, and that we also got to know each blower she's leading by example, collecting more than $1 million for goods for victims in syria determined to demonstrate a spirit of unity and generosity she expects from the next u.s. president. al jazeera, manchester, new hampshire.

>> tourist sites across greece has been closed as museum workers went on strike over wage cuts. you can always catch up with more news by checking out our website at www.aljazeera.com. >> welcome to 101 east, i'm steve chao. after giving birth in china, many new mothers and their babies spend weeks behind closed doors in an age old tradition known as confinement. strict rulesov