syrian activists say five civilians are killed in a gas attack near damascus. ♪ ♪ hello i am jane dutton. you are watching al jazeera live from doha. also on the program, the battle for ramadi, iraqi forces say they have recaptured more than half of the strategic city from isil. one survivor is rescued 60 hours after a landslide buried buildings in an industrial park in southern china. a ruling is due in europe on how much individual states can regulate cigarette packaging.

♪ ♪ we begin with syria where there are reports of a gas attack that has killed at least five civilians southwest of the capital du damascus. medical sources think that sarin gas, one of the world's most lethal chemical weapons was used in the attack on the city. more than 30 people have been injured as a result after the ledged attack. in june 2014, international watchdog on. pcw said the last of syria's chemical weapon had his been shipped out of the conduct troy destruction. staying in syria. at least 35 civilians have been killed on airstrikes near a busy mark. the strikes are thought to be been carried out by russian war planes. more than 100 other people were injured. victoria gate en by reports.

>> reporter: they can barely believe what has just happened. air strikes thought to have been carried out by russian war planes have lat ended a busy market. panic sweeps through. there are dead bodies everywhere and people are rush to go find survivors. they check if this man is alive. he's not. so they move on looking for injured people to help. this is the town in the damascus country side. people who live here say fighting between syrian government forces and opposition fighters has been nonstop for two month. they say the syrian regime is trying to break the deadlock with the help of russian air strikes. >> translator: this is from the regime of bashar allah side. where are you muslim broker thises, where are you?

>> reporter: russia began bombing syria in september. they say their bombing isil but they have mainly hit syrian opposition groups. >> translator: the russian and syrian airstrikes have increased recently. they pretend that their targeting the terrorists but most of the people killed are women and children. >> reporter: these are scenes that the people of syria have become familiar with. what started as an uprising against the government has long descend ed in to civil war. that cycle of violence has played out across the country for almost five years now and killed at least 200,000 people. victoria gatenby, al jazeera. the father of a little boy who drowned while fleeing syria has pleaded with the world to open its doors to refugees. this ill i believe of the

three-year-old washed up on the shore of a turkish beat highlighted the tragic unfolding in the seize around grease and turkey he died along with his brother and mother as they tried to make the cross to go the geek island of kos. the father recorded a message to be played on christmas day.

iraqi forces say they now control more than half of ramadi in anbar province after a mission to retake it from isil. iraqi inning till jenks intellis there are only 300 fighters left in the city. the army claims to have advance today center of ramadi driving fighters out of many residential areas, zeina khodr has more. >> reporter: it has been described as the final assault to recapture ramadi from isil. the iraqi military says its troops are moving in on the center of the city. the provincial capital of the mainly sunni anbar province happens been under isil's control for months. for weeks those forces have been trying to reach the main government complex. but ramadi is an urban battle

grounds. progress has been slow. isil is fighting back using suicide bombers. it is not known how many men the armed group has in the city but iraqi intelligence believes there could be up to 300. there are also civilians trapped inside and reports of casualties. the iraqi military dropped leaflets a few days ago calling on people to leave, but isil is reportedly stopping them so they can use them as human shields. isil stormed ramadi in may at the time much of iraq's western province was already under the armed group's control. ramadi's fall was an embarrassment for the iraqi government. the iraqi army didn't put oven much of a fight and withdrew quickly. months later they are back on the front lines an iraqi government spokesman said the fight is being led by iraqi special forces and paramilitary troops are not taking part. but a member of parliament from the province says sunni tribal forces are involved.

>> there is a big support from the coalition air forces. they are giving big support from the tribal fighters also. the attack was good coordinated and they attack isil from areas they didn't pictures it. so i think by the weekend, as everything goes, yes, they will succeed. >> reporter: rah mad is a a strategic city. it is on the door accept of the capital baghdad and it connects to jordan and isil-controlled territory across the border in syria. taking ramadi was isil's biggest victory this year, losing it would be a setback. this battle is a test for the u.s. strategy of relaying on iraqi ground troops in the fight against isil. ramadi is in iraq' sunni heartland, victory here is not just aboutin isil it. will determined if they are able to win over anbar's community. zeina khodr, al jazeera. a 19-year-old has been

pulled alive from the rubble of a land slide in the chinese city. the man had been trapped under a collapsed building since sunday. more than seconder people are still missing. after a huge pile of construction waste sparked in to buildings. adrian brown is following the developments for us from beijing. >> reporter: so against all the odds rescuers have found one man alive after this deadly mudsli mudslide. he is 19 years old and a migrant worker. when rescuers finally reached him and by this stage he had been under debris for more than 67 hours, his voice was very weak, his pulse was feeble, but he was able to give his name. and also the name of a second person nearby. that person was found to be dead. at the rescue site itself scenes of frantic activity on wednesday morning, there are 4,000 rescuers taking part in this operation.

and they are backed up by dozens of mechanical diggers. police, meanwhile, have raided the offices of the company that imagined the dump where all of this waste had been stored. he's a deputy general manager. what happened on sunday was that heavy rains caused this mound of soil and construction waste, a mound that was actually more than 100 meters high, to come pouring down on an industrial complex where there were also worker dormitories. more than 70 people are still missing. local media reports say that a local government report had identified problems at this site a anybody of months ago. and in its words had warned of a catastrophe and that's what has happened now. six i can people are missing at sea after a passenger ferry capsized in indonesia. it went missing on saturday. three people have been confirmed dead. and 41 others, including the

captain, have been rescued. emergency services say stormy waters caused the accident. australian police have arrested two men in connection with an alleged plot to attack government buildings in sydney. the two men aged 24 and 20 were brought in to police custody as part of an ongoing operation that prevented an attack last year. police have made 1 13 arrests so far. just over an hour the european court of justice is said to rule on the future of cigarette packaging. a new directive will make mandatory health warnings more prominent across the e.u. but also allows member states to introduce their own set of stringent rules and tobacco companies have been fighting that. neave barker reports from london. >> reporter: as more and more countries crack down on smoking, many of these ironic logos will soon vanish from the shelves. all a led the way three years ago with stark warnings and brands names written in

standardized lettering. the australian government says the moves cut smoking rates by 15%. for next year under new european union regulation, 65% of each cigarette packet will be covered in warnings leaving much less room if logo. >> there is evidence that health warnings do help in deterring young adults to take up smoking or quick. text warnings far after a point but pick warn beings are much more power. >> reporter: the u.k., and france are going beyond the directive. like australia then introducing duesing plain logoless package earlier next year. something the tobacco giants are determined to fight. several leading companies, including british american to be owowe philip morris, imperial tobacco and japan topo all filed lawsuits in london a verdict is expect ed in january, they also appeared to the european court of justice in lexus up boring l.

the to be owe companies were not immediately available for comment but pro-smoking lobby groups say the changes will have little effect. >> it's basically medical pornography. some images are quite gruesome to say the least. with know the health risks, we know what we are doing, we know our brands, i have been smoking the same grand pwra*pd for 30 years, for most of my smoking life i mike smoak it because i enjoy it. this is a man who smokes mar marlboro cigarettes. >> reporter: people used to be encourage today smoke at breck aft. after sports. and even in the shower. today most countries have banned television tobacco ads replacing them with hard-hitting health warp says. >> every 15 cigarettes you smoke will cause a mutation. >> reporter: smoking is believed

to cost the british economy around $20 billion a year in produced productivity and treating diseases much more than the $14 million the u.k. government makes from taxing the industry. if truck down to the court they have to rethink their strategy b tobacco dumbs are still feeling the squeeze. neave barker, battaglia, london. lots more to come on al jazeera. zimbabwe's government threw white farmers off their land now the beneficiaries of that are feeling the squeeze. a street artists turns to unconvention the techniques to portray the consequences of urban development.

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into the stories that are making our world what it is. ♪ ♪ hello again, here are the top stories on al jazeera. the syrian government has been accused of caring out a sarin gas tack near the capital damascus. at least five civilians have been killed and dozens injured. in june 2014 the international watch going on. pcd said the last syria's chemical weapons had been shipped out. iraqi sole veries are battle to go recapture ramadi. they have advance nod row mad and now control half of the city. european court of is set to rule on the future of significant

recognize packaging. allowing more strip gent rules on to him of an e.u. pride standards. activists say the israeli army is not giving medical treatment to injured palestinians which is against the law. two witnesses told al jazeera say they saw israeli soldiers shoot palestinians and then left them to die. >> reporter: shot by soldiers in hebron in the occupied west bank. one witness who saw what happened said he would still be alive today if he had received medical treatment at the scene. >> translator: the israeli paramedic goes treated an israeli soldier and left him bleeding on the ground for an hour. >> reporter: it's not the first time israel i soldiers and paramedics have been accused of withhold urgently needed medical treatment to palestinians. in october, another young palestinian was shot dead by israeli soldiers in hebron.

one witnesses the soldiers did not give any warning before they opened fire. >> translator: they sprayed him with four or five bullets. the boy didn't have a knife as the israelis claim. he was lying on the ground for 20 minutes before an ambulance came. >> reporter: an israeli human rights group says that withholding medical treatment is against the law. >> translator: during times of war and peace, no side is authorize today deny medical help to a wounded person, it doesn't matter what his nationality, color or race is. >> reporter: every time a palestinian is shot and medical treatment is withheld, the anger on the streets grows. along with calls for israeli forces to change their tactics. al jazeera. tanisha has extended a nationwide state of emergency for another two months. it was put in place after a suicide attack on a bus killed 12 presidential guards a month ago. the bombing was claimed by isil. the state of emergency allows

the government to ban strikes and meetings that might fuel unrest. afghan fighters are trying to recapture the town that fell to the taliban on monday. it is important because of its opium production. afghan forces are retaken some outposts but the town remains in taliban hands. the governor warped the situation could get out of control. the afghan government has confirmed british soldiers have arrived. the british ministry of defense says a small number of u.k. personnel has been sent in an advisory role. >> translator: a group of british forces has been deployed to helmand to participate in the support mission, they will support and help afghan security forces as advisers and will not par knit in the military

operations. military operation is his the task of the afghan security forces. thailand's prim minister and military leader has reaffirmed his commit to him restore democracy by 2017. the military is consistently delayed planned elections saying the country isn't stable enough. the general took power in a coup last year ending months of political turmoil. hundreds of thousands of farmers in zimbabwe have been slapped with higher taxes. they were resettled on land skied from white owners but the high costs of managing the land has left many struggling. as this report shows, many fear they will lose their property. >> reporter: he is already paying land tax for his rural district council. he is one of about 300,000 new farmers who have been resettled on land seized from white owners. now zimbabwe's government wants farmers like him to pay more tax. >> the government is

[ inaudible ] another six months, a year, two years, but the farmer can't survive here. they need some payment. >> reporter: the new additional land tax is between three and $10 a hectare. individuals with more than 1,000-hectares are land could end up paying 10s of thousands of dollars in annual rent. >> we wish the level of rental and leases be reduced so that the farmer remains viable. vet go ahead familiarers with permits and 99 leases have been warned they could lose the farms if they don't comply with the new legislation. some farms are not being fully utilized it could encourage people who benefited from land form to to cease farming as a business and work harder to keep their property but the new farmers who are struggling say highly tris at this cost, low crop prices and no access to

bank loans is to blame to the under performance. >> it's a way of also domestically i pho*rl icing resources. i think countries are going that route as a way of increasing the revenue base in the country. i think it's positive. it will also result in the intend indication of youth. >> reporter: he doesn't agree. this season he's planting maze on 12 hectors of land he says the seeds and other surprise will cost him $20,000, money he is still trying to raids he worries he and others won't able to pay i the new land taxes. zimbabwe has also announced it will make china's a currency the legal turned after beijing canceled beth worked about $40 million. zimbabwe abandoned its owe currency in 2009 after high

inflation left the zimbabwean dollar worthless. china is its biggest trading partner and largest investor. the unite the nations has recognized cape town as one of 10 cities worldwide leading the fight cleanse game at change it is caring out projects and focused on helping the poor. from came down we have a report. >> reporter: high winds and heavy clouds, usually a signal of a dusty day ahead. about 44,000 low income homes were built without controls. he she has been living in one for 15 years, her home is one of the first to have a ceiling installed. >> in the winter it's very cold it would be better to be outside the mutt would come in and small on you are your face. >> reporter: she is the new

ceiling cut her electricity consumption by half. it's part of a drive by the city to combat climate change. over the next two years 8,000 homes will be upgraded. down the road several other units are being fitted with interim lated ceilings. it will reduce carbon emissions by more than 5,000-tons a year. the city's mayor says fighting climate change will benefit the most desperate. >> african cities have to catch up very fast. because the worst thing about climate change is affecting the poor peel the most. 80% of the people living in africa are poor and living below a dollar a day. and when the droughts come, when the floods come. those africans will be hit hard. the city has several other projects to protect the em environment, including supporting the installation of solar panels on the roofs of

businesses with excess electricity i being pit in to the grid. water management devices has been installed in the homes as part of the environment the drive. water is free it's limited to 350 liters a day. but some groups say that's hit the most needy. >> the "the stream strive to war conservation, water saving is now a burden that poor people must carry rather than industry, mining, agriculture, wealthier households that's where the savings in water and electricity should really be targeted first. >> reporter: but for residents here the city's commitment to developing a sustainable environment has for now made life a little more comfortable. al jazeera, cape town. thousands of students in chile's capital santiago have taken to the streets in a push for educational reform. the police used water cannons to

contain the crowds as the march turned violent of the wrote testers want the president to make good on several promises including free higher education. at least two people have been killed in a landslide in central peru. live i rains caused a hillside to give way. slipping onto parts of a highway and burying a truck. it happened in the region of peru about 300-kilometers east of the capital lima. land slides and avalanches in this area killed dozens of people and destroy hundreds of homes every year. internet con trip newer kim.com is appealing a new zealand court ruling that he can be extradited to the united states to face piracy related charges. the german national has been fighting the case for four years. he fountained the popular mega up load file sharing website. it was shut down in 2012 after.com's arrest in new

zealand. the greek government has passed a bill that will allow civil partnerships between same sex couples. the legal slangs wa legislationo years after the country condem condemned. you wouldn't normally associate art with explosives and hammer drills wher but one portuguese street artist is turn to go unconventional art. he's currently focusing on hong kong and from there sarah clark reports. his studio may be indoors but he prefers exterior walls on old buildings to exhibit his art. >> i little cities have a lot to gain by giving space to artist to his create in it. not just for the cultural life but also for the fact that makes life more interesting in the

cities. >> reporter: he's an internationally recognize the graffiti artist known by most as [ inaudible ] but these days instead of spray cans he uses chisels and drills, even controlled explosions to create oversized portraits in public space says. all of which are legally approved. >> it's like sort of like an archeology process. digging through those layers that you expose history. you sort of make the up visible visible. and when, and this is one of the motives that work the most. >> reporter: a city landscape like hong kong say perfect van canvas, old buildings are overshadowed by modern skyscrapers and it's their history that they want to capture in his art. >> i try not to fleck on the shy part of the building i try to focus the shadow that it casts on the city. the shadow is what interests me and where i want to put the focus on. >> reporter: this building was once a business cotton mill in hong kong, it's now being turned

in to a career skate cultural hub and the owner up righted bills to document the buildings' transformation. >> it's something that we feel very proud of. you know, it's injecting i little different energy in to the neighborhood. and the communities i think that are interactive with really received it positively. >> reporter: it's not just hong kong, bills' works are featured arounded world. malaysia, spain, brazil and the united states, but the that's of his collection remains the same to reflex the city's changes and pace of development by uncovering some of its past. what once started as an active rebellion has won this graffiti artist an international following that continues to grow. >> he's one of the most influential street artists of our time. now he's developed a stronger following in the contemporary art world which is why the foundation decided to bring him to hong kong is because really has proven himself in the contemporary art scene as an artist worth watching outside of the urban art context.

a lot of his work are temporary installations with the changing face of asia he says he won't be short of inspiration. sarah clark, al jazeera, hong kong. don't forget our website aljazeera.com. why the call to the polls is raising the stakes. for this community of faith. >> if we get one of those presidents, what is going to happen to us? what is going to happen to us, will they close them off? >> thanks for joining us, i'm when. many of us are focused on holiday deadlines . nowhere is that more evidence than in iowa. six weeks from today we'll know who the winners are. "america tonight" begins are