>> well, a deadly gas attack in syria, there are suspicion that is sarin gas was used. hello, i'm maryam nemazee. you're watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up. moscow says an amnesty report lacked evidence of the human rights body said that russia committed war crimes in syria. the prime minister of georgia resigned. and a remarkable tale of survival in china. a 19-year-old found after 61

hour60 hours trapped beneath the landslide. residents in syria say they've seen government forces using chemical weapons. five people are said to have been killed southwest of damascus. government helicopters fired missiles containing the nerve agent sarin, one of the world's most lethal chemical weapons. last year a weapons watchdog said that the last had been shipped out to be destroyed. >> this is not the first time that there have been reports of gas used as weapon in syria. opposition sources say these people were exposed to gas when government helicopters fired missiles in the residential area of a rebel-held neighborhood that has been a battle grown for some time now. it is also under siege by government forces.

>> these rockets were carrying sarin gas, and as a result five people were killed, including a 12-year-old boy. and more than 30 injured. mostly civilians. the sarin gas was used in the neighborhood in the city. the victims showed the symptoms of running nose, saliva, and later developed into bleeding, shortness of breath a diluted eye pupil. this is what caused the death of five persons. >> in 2013 hundreds of people were killed, and it was confir confirmed that sarin was used. a deal was later reached between russia and the u.s. to destroy syria's chemical weapons' arsenal. they won't confirm that syria's

commitment produced and mixed an creating chemical weapons has been destroyed. the opcw concluded that mustard gas had been used in aleppo province. the fact finding mission was not mandated to assign any blame but the area had seen fighting between isil and an opposition groups. the findings found that isil had obtained and was using chemical weapons in iraq and syria. that was not the only attack investigated. in the syrian province of idlib there were incidents between march and may which the fact-finding mission said likely involved the use of one or more toxic chemicals including chlorine. the u.s. envoy to the chemical weapons watchdog has warned that the use of weapons has become increasingly common in the syrian war. voices have been growing louder

in the use of weapons in syria. a group has released a report saying 200 civilians have been killed in the past three months. it alleges russian authorities lied to cover up civilian damage in two airstrikes. the group also accused russian and syrian forces of using banned cluster bombs, but russia said there is lack of evidence in amnesty's report. >> to say there is not enough evidence when we have provided photographs of impact sites, remnants of their weaponry. we have spoken to many witnesses, survivors of attacks there. there are dozens and dozens of credible video clips and images of bodies in parts and so on. statements from the ministry defense itself in russia where they say they've carried out

attacks at particular sites or in the incident of them. it would be interesting to know from russia what more evidence they would like because there is a ton of evidence at their door step that they have committed probably war crimes and they have not stood up to that at all. >> peter sharp is in moscow and said that the russian ministry has rejected the report saying that it is full of lies and clichés. >> so far the defense ministry in moscow has been reluctant to comment on these serious claims by amnesty international. but more than 200 civilians were killed in the russian airstrikes. today they categorically deny the report. they said that once again there is nothing new in it. the same cliché, the same fakes, it is nothing but a flood of lies, empty and without any prove. >> we familiarized ourselves with the contents of this report, and as usual there is nothing con treat and nothing

new in it. in with regards about the suggestion of cluster bombs in syria, the russian air force does not use them. >> the russian defense ministry said that they were unprecedently open about their operations in syria, and they stated categorically there were no munitions such as cluster bombs on the air base in the country. the purpose of all these manipulations they said by amnesty is to smear others. >> al jazeera's roslind jordan joins us live now from washington, d.c. roslind, this report by amnesty will come as no surprise to officials there? >> no, it doesn't come as a surprise, and certainly the u.s. has been very critical of the way that russia has been running it's air campaign inside syria. from the very beginning the u.k. accused moscow of trying to prop up the government of bashar al-assad namely because of the people that it has been

targeting. the people who are opposed to the government of bashar al-assad, opposition fight verse been targeted and the airstrikes have been largely happening in areas where the civil war inside syria has been most heavily contested, not in the northeast where isil has established itself. >> we know that the u.s. is also conducting airstrikes in the country. what have we heard from human rights watchdogs about that in the past year? >> well, a year ago september, amnesty international sent a letter to secretary of state john kerry, and it is noted with the recent start of the air war inside syria against isil targets amnesty said that it was very concerned about the potential for civilians being caught and being injured or killed by these u.s. coalition airstrikes. and it called on the secretary of state as well as on the

pentagon to be very, very careful as very deliberate when it decided to launch these airstrikes. now we should note there have been one airstrike that took place inside syria in early november 2014, which the u.s. military investigated, and it did conclude that even though it felt it was going after a military target, members of the khorasan group, that two children were killed, and two members who were not part of khorasan were no killed. the u.s. military has not made investigations public, but it worth noting that even though amnesty said it is looking into allegations that u.s.-led airstrikes may have led to coalition death, so far there has not been any report from amnesty.

>> thank you very much, roslind jordan, live for us in washington, d.c. >> now georgia's prime minister irakly garibashvili has resigned. he said he would remain a local soldier of his motherland. he has been prime minister since 2013. only three days ago he gave the press conference outlining his plans for next year. >> positions are temporary while motherland and god are eternal. that's why i decided to resign as prime minister now when our home and foreign policies and our country's development is assured i would like to wish our future prime minister the best. >> a russian analyst at ihs. she said there have been divisions within the ruling coalition for some time. >> this current coalition was actually founded on a principal

of being against mikheil saakashvili. they didn't really streamline their views, and that has come to surface now. also, the georgian party are preparing for the upcoming parliamentary elections, i think his resignation is a sign that there is some reassignment going on, talking about economic side of things. this is probably much more serious and probably much more tangible and explains more why the prime minister is resigning. the economy is not really doing well. the georgian currency has had no exchange value since 1999, there are high rates of inflation and

high rates of unemployment, it seems that the georgian economy is not really doing well, and it does not have a very good outlook in the next year. >> international arrest warrant has been issued by russia for the kremlin critic khodorkovsky. he has been accused of ordering the murder of a mayor of a sigh bear sigh bear i siberian town. >> no matter what the kremlin propaganda and pr wanted to show us, putin is no superman, and he'll surely not go down in history as a hero. >> on tuesday russian police raided the offices of a pro democracy movement founded and funded by mikhail khodorkovsky. >> when we all made a decision to work with this organization and khodorkovsky, we did

understand our risks. that's why it has not become an unexpected event for us, especially taking into consideration the fact that activists have have been jailed before. >> on wednesday came the international arrest warrant accusing khodorkovsky of organizing a contract killing in the '90s. >> cord could have can i success involvement in homicide and attempted homicide, the government has requested his arrest in absentia and the court granted the question. >> once russia's richest man had already spent ten years in jail convicted of tax evasion and embezzlement charges wildly seen as punishment for challenging presidential power. he was pardoned and released i in 2013, and he left russia to live in switzerland, where we he knewed condemnation of putin's

russia. khodorkovsky has become increasingly outspoken in attacks towards the government. putin has driven russia into a position where revolution is inevitable and necessary, and he as, i'll help bring it about. remarks that has incensed the crime len. cord could havcord could have the kremlin. >> you have to be a pessimist by nature. >> investors looking to put their money in trailer parks.

>> russia has rejected an amnesty international report that suggested its airstrikes in syria could constitute war crimes. an international arrest warrant has been issued for russian mikhail khodorkovsky for murder in the 1990s. in isil the military claims to have taken a few neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city. >> progress is slow, but it's

progress nonetheless. >> iraqi security courses closing in on isil fighters. the government is portraying the bottle as a final push to recapture the capital of anbar province. spirits are high. >> it is very slow. but it is very well organized, and very well coordinated between the iraqi army, and iraqi police, and the airstrike from the coalition. >> according to iraqi intelligence there are just a few hundred left in ramadi, striking its biggest flow to the government. iraqi forces have been trying to reenter the city since early november. they said they've weeded out fighters from two residential neighborhoods to work the town

center. they hope the victory within days. >> forces have been trained and ready to hold the ground after liberation of the city. this is going to be great past for the iraqi forces, and great advance and progress in the fight against isis. >> the shia-led government has cut off supplies for ramadi for months now and attempt to choke isil fighters. but it has made life worse for the residents in this mainly sunni city. winning back the city is one thing. winning over the people will be a different matter all together. gerald tan, al jazeera. >> turkey's government said it's too early to say what caused a deadly explosion in istanbul's second largest airport. five aircraft were damaged.

transport minister said that wakened security is out of the question. two out of three israelis were seriously injured in a knife attack. they have now died. one from stray bullets. stray police bullets. the incident took place near the entrance of the walled old city. since october, 131 palestinians and 20 israelis have been killed in violence. meanwhile christmas celebrations across the occupied west bank will be subdued this year. leaders have decided to town down activities in the wave of violence. >> it's an we will tradition that they normally look forward to. but decorating the family christmas tree is different this

year. he suffers from severe pain and can barely stand after he was shot in the neck last month in a protest near his home in bethlehem. he was injured when israeli police. this video shows the moment that undercover israeli forces began shooting in the protest, but also when he was taken in the ambulance clearly in shock. >> when i look at the person in the video, it looks as if i'm looking at somebody else. it's a life-changing experience. i ask that people pray for peace, for us, that the war can end. i pray for those who have been killed in palestine and to help those who have endured losses.

>> in the manger square the christmas tree is decorated and the nativity scene is on display. but elsewhere the decorations were towned down or not put up at all. >> we'll have the joy, the sadness, the challenges, and. >> at the opposite end, the palestinian activists decorate an off little tree with spent israeli tear gas canisters, stun grenades. they call it a resistence tree. it is meant to symbolize the bitterness of the christmas celebration in the city where

jesus christ was born. al jazeera, bethlehem in the occupied west bank. >> the sultan of burnei has banned people celebrating christmas this year. christians are allowed to mark the occasion discretely in their own communities. the government said that open. celebrations could damage the muslim faith. >> a 19-year-old has been pulled alive from the hubble of sunday's land slight. more than 70 people are still missing after a landslide of counsel instruction waste smashed into a drill mark. >> alive against all the odds. trapped under debris for almost three days. a migrant worker aged 19. his voice and pulse from feeble

when rescuers finally reached him, raising their morale and those of local people. >> it's a miracle. a man was rescued alive. we were so happy when we heard about it. very happy. >> teen had been in the office of the act try when the mud lied happened. but a man found close to him was dead. doctors are hopeful that he'll recover, but his injuries are serious. >> he's severely debilitated and dehydrated. he has suffered soft tissue injuries, broken fractures and crushing on the right lower limb. >> at the rescue site more efforts to find more survivors have intensified. teams are using sensors to locate signs of life, but they are also finding more bodies. the operation has begun to effect local businesses.

>> we cannot go out now. we cannot transfer the goods in and out of this area. there is no guarantee for our lives. many workers have to eat, and there is no power supply now. >> the deluge of mud and construction waste engulfed more than 30 buildings in an industrial zone. it happened after heavy rains dislodged the manmade pile that had been there several years. now a senior official of the firm that managed the dump has been arrested. a local government report had identified storage problems at the site months ago warning of a catastrophe. a catastrophe that has happened. >> a rebel leader in central african republic has withdrawn his opposition to a crucial election this weekend. it seized power in 2013 which

triggered violence between the muslim and christian communities. it is opened that this will help end the conflict. we have reports from the capital of the central african republic. >> a very real threat to the possibility of a peaceful election. he had declared an a ton mouse state in the country's northeast and had vowed to disrupt the election in any way possible. he said he regrets calling for the partition of the country. this is very significant bras he was one of the commanders who led a mostly muslim group of fighters and overthrow the president in 2013. they committed atrocities against civilians along the way. when the french sources moved

in, bal ase leka moved in. many civilians were killed that prompted months of inter-religious violence in the capital of bangui and across the country. people here tell us they're sick and tired of the violence and the bloodshed. they want the country to move forward. now that they say that they are on board people have the choice of 30 candidates the threat of violence is still very reel. >> the united states global financial cries is still being felt by many in the united states. many families were forced to give up their homes when they

couldn't afford to pay their mortgages, and they moved into mobile homes in trailer parks. almost a quarter of those living in those homes are retired and household impact is only half the national average. in the first part of our special series on trailer parks rob reynolds travels to washington state where investors are making han handsome profits on these homes. >> on the road to potential profits. investigators are flocking to take a crash course on buying up trailer parks, about 20 million people in the u.s. live in low-cost mobile home communities. demand is high, and as more parks are bulldozed for other developments, supply is dwindl dwindling. >> what is happening, argumen apartment rents are going up. >> he leads a three-day seminar

called mobile home university. he is an expert of squeezing money out of some of america's poorest people. >> to me to be in this business and believe in it you have to be a pessimist by nature. you have to put your eggs in the impact that the economy is going to continue to go down. >> he tells park buyers to tear out amenities like playgrounds, and to raise rents as high as possible without forcing residents to leave. >> there is no regulation on what you can raise rent to at all. so basically the park owner is free to raise it as high as they want. >> from a management position, it's easier. >> if you have to live inexpensively in the united states, a mobile home park is one of the best ways to go. an used trailer can cost a few thousand dollars.

payable in installments, and the ground rent in a mobile home park like this one averages around $250 a month. many trailer park residents earn minimum page, disabled, or are elderly living on fixed incomes. 72-year-old bill breedlove said he can't afford to live anywhere else. >> it's easy to move from one town to another when you're--when you have a trailer. >> as the bus tour continued it was shadowed by protesters denouncing the hard edge business practices mobile home university preaches. >> these companies are coming in, raising the rents rapidly, far greater than we've ever seen before. and they are making massive profits on these communities. they're also displacing a lot of people. >> some of the biggest names in u.s. finances including billionaires warren buffet and sam zell are making large investments in trailer parks,

proof that there is big money to be made from the pennies of the poor. rob rented, al jazeera, washington. >> more on everything we're covering can be found right here. the address is www.aljazeera.com. you'll find more on all of our top stories. stay with us. >> this week on "talk to al jazeera" -- artist, author and reporter molly crabapple. >> what i think my art brought to my journalism is that i didn't come to journalism with the sort of bias towards faux objectivity... i deeply believe in having an extreme bias towards reality. >> in her youth, she traveled europe and the near east, and worked as a nude model and danced burlesque. >> so much of women, so much of