>> a u.n. backed deal could see syrian rebels and i.s.i.l. fighters given save passage out of the yarmouk refugee camp. i'm fauziah ibrahim. and you're watching al jazeera live from doha. it's taken 36 years but hostages taken at the u.s. embassy in tehran are finally to receive compensation. report on refugees rebuilding in

europe, one note at a time. and celebrating the birth of christ. the u.n. has helped to facilitate a deal which could see thousands of syrian rebels and their families leaving the yarmouk camp. yarmouk is divide between el news rah front and pro and ant antigovernment most of them palestinian refugees trapped in the camp south of damascus. buses have already started to arrive to transport rebels and their families out of the area. many are expected to head to raqqa, six hours away.

gabriel elizondo has more. >> confirming the united nations is involved in this deal in syria but backing away from reports that it is a u.n. brokered deal. telling al jazeera the u.n. is an observer but not part of it. that's all we're hearing from the u.n. this deal, details of which are very vague, potentially could involve i.s.i.l. fighters given safe passage out of the yarmouk refugee camp and into the i.s.i.l. stronghold of raqqa. this would be important because the yarmouk refugee camp is a very dangerous place right now. comeub hacomeubban ki-moon has e deepest refuges of hell. el nusra fighters as well as pro

and antigovernment militias. if a deal could be brokered where i.s.i.l. is able to leave, that will allow the u.n. to get in there and deliver aid to those that are in need of it most. it is important to note, this is not a done deal yet, but if it does get done it could happen as early as saturday. the u.s. has carried out air strikes in support of afghan reenforcements around sangen. government forces arrived on wednesday after the taliban took most of the district. let's get the latest from kais azimi who is in helmand province close to the fighting. joins us close to that area. now are reenforcements there for the afghan forces but really is it too little, too late? >> well, fauziah, we are hearing from locals in sangen that there

is heavy fighting going on in a very small bazaar that sangen has. we are talking about 2,000 meters bazaar, that heavy fighting going on, afghan special forces are deployed at the location and they are struggling to get control from this little bazaar from taliban. the civilians are the ones that tell us they are suffering, still they cannot afford to get out and one civilian are telling us he is a member of sangen council, he told us that at least 20 civilians that since last night that the fighting has started. this fighting is very complicated for the area is so small, basically, the two sides are fating each other face to face. -- facing each other face to face. helmand has been the stronghold

taliban area for many years now especially in the past two months, heavy fighting in sangen started and nowists getting stronger and the taliban are not far away even from here, ten kilometer inside laskerga city. so this fighting not going to end that soon. >> meanwhile kaiz, there are reports coming out of mosk that russimoscowthat russia plans toe intell on, how has the taliban responded to that? >> i just spoke with taliban spokesman and asked them if russian are -- russian representative say they are going to exchange some information. the taliban responds very easy,

said that well it's possible that we cannot confirm it now. but if it happens it's very interesting. and there is a good reason behind it for russia. all the central asian fighters that they used to fight alongside with taliban now they're joining i.s.i.l. and they're fighting against taliban. and it's big challenge for taliban for afghan to fight central asian fighters they used to fight for taliban and they used to be support for taliban and taliban brought them in afghanistan and now they are supporting i.s.i.s. and they are fighting taliban and taliban don't want to have another enemy here. they already have international community fighting against taliban and also afghan security forces so they are trying, the way that the taliban spokesmen were presenting it is not impossible, it could be possible that we could exchange information with anyone about our enemy but they cannot confirm it for now.

>> certainly very interesting development there. thank you. a group of americans taken hostage in iran in 1979 have been awarded more than $4 million in restitution. they have been seeking compensation for over 30 years. they were held for over 400 days after the embassy in tehran was stormed. seven of 53 hostages are still alive. the lawyer representing most of the hostages said in an interview it has been a long arduous epic struggle. i would never have dreamed when i became involved in this effort in 1999 that i would spent 16 years on it honestly. as we got further and further away from the incident it got subordinate to policy and personalities and that explains why it didn't help.

dozens of people in nigeria are feared dead after an explosion at a gas plant. it happened in an industrial town in anumbra state. the blast reportedly caused a large fire in the area. the debt toll could b death tolh as 100. a boat went down in the mediterranean sea. headed for the greek island of lebdz. lesbos. >> a few days ago they hadn't even met yet now these men from

syria and iraq are sing and playing traditional songs from their home lands in far-away belgium. we met hussein on the border of mass doan yah where he told us he had to leave his loot behind. now some kind residents lent him the money so he could get another one. >> when i touch the instrument, of there's a lot of things, even when you play and you remember things but in the end when you finish you just forget everything. you don' don't care about anyth, music means everything for me. asad was a tv star in hit native

pakistan but when he tried to set up a music school in his home, the taliban came and told him it was forbidden and they wouldn't tell him twice. >> a lot of musicians have been threatened and injured and tried to kill them also. most of them they leave the country. most of them they could not but they stopped singing. they stopped playing music. snoafts ♪♪ ♪ >> on guitar is basil, a respected musician from damascus. he carried his guitar all the way singing for other refugees. >> now we play music what we feeling. what has happened with us, how we live in damascus.

that's all. >> the people helping organize this are close to their target of $13,000 to print cds. music classes for children and concerts are also being planned. in a europe increasingly and openly hostile to all refugees it is perhaps a reminder of how war affects all of us, even the most talented. lawrence lee, al jazeera, brussels. >> people have been celebrating christmas around the world. with festivities in bethlehem which is traditionally believed to be the birth place of jesus christ, have been overshadowed by ongoing tensions between the israelis and the palestinians. imtiaz tyab reports. >> palestinian scouts marching through streets of bethlehem playing christmas songs old and new. leading the annual christmas parade was the latin patriarch

of jerusalem. from his headquarters to east jerusalem to bethlehem have him pass through the concrete separation wall which encircles the city. the israelis began construction on the wall more than ten years ago. they say it is meant to stop violence but the palestinians say it is no more than a land grab meant to stifle tourism. >> it is a very important festivity because it is the birth of christ. the birth of hope. birth of resillans. thresilience.the birth of hope. this is what we are celebrating. >> across the occupied west bank after a month of violence that has left 20 israelis and about

130 palestinians dead. many residents say after nearly 50 years of israeli occupation all they want is peace. >> translator: today bethlehem lives in a state of sadness. people have been killed. it lives under siege. settlements, a separation wall and deadly killing of its sons. carries a message of peace from 3,000 years ago into a city of the tortured. >> although festivities have been toned down many do seem to want to celebrate christmas in the spirit of the holiday. still in the background of celebrations is more violence and more loss of life. in separate incidents across the occupied west bank, israeli force he killed at least four palestinians on christmas eve. the anger that has fueled the months of violence only seems to be growing. even on a day which celebrates hope and peace.

imtiaz tyab, al jazeera, in the occupied west bank. >> in his annual christmas address pope francis has warned catholics not to be intosmed byd by indifference. in a country torn apart by war, hundreds of christians lit a christmas tree in damascus. children whose parents have been killed in the war. and down under, australians were one of the first to bring in christmas. as you can see, it's summer there so they're spending it on the beach. santa delivers presents of course on asurf board. christmastime in mexico, means pinata time. coming up.

we meet the artisans behind a dying craft. and we can explain why you still send a telegram in china. china. a real look at the american dream. "hard earned". sunday, 10:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america.

>> welcome back, a reminder now of our top stories. the u.n. has helped to facilitate a deal which could see thousands of syrian rebels and their families leave the yarmouk refugee camp in damascus. some of those who could be given safe passage out of the camp are

i.s.i.l. fighters. those taken hostage during the iranian revolution could be given compensation. held for more than 400 days in 1979. killed by an explosion at a gas plant happened in an industrial town in a number of states. at least 11 people have died in storms across southern united states. tornadoes from stompletion caused damage istorms havecausel southern states. >> the youngest person to die was a seven-year-old boy. he was in a car which like this truck was picked up and thrown by the wind. >> we are looking still at that risk of tornado activity especially across parts of tennessee and mississippi. keep in mind there are 72 million people that will still

see the chance of some sort of severe weather. >> every now and again mother nature likes to remind us that it wields the power. it is an el nino year, a phenomenon in which the warmest ocean waters move from one part of the pacific along the philippines. >> eastward three bank up against north america, about two or 3° where it should be. a real burst to the storms producing a storm in the rockies. where it meets up with the warmth from the gulf of mexico, that's very warm water at the moment, almost record breakingly warm. were this to happen in the spring or the autumn you would execexpect tornadoes but in the winter, a rare event. >> regardless of the holiday season.

imoku molu al jazeera. mobile living comes with the lack of security and few legal rights but others are embracing the choice as sleebt shiab ratti reports. >> after the 2008 financial crash. >> my website was just inundated by people who were losing their jobs, losing their homes, losing their apartments. >> these aren't luxury vehicles but vans acknowledge mobility and discrete park. >> i have heard from people who just retired with social security, especially women,

their social security are five, six, seven, $800 a month. you can't live on that. >> many embrace the independence and freedom of van living. like debra dickenson, a brain injury meant she had to retire sooner than she expected. >> seeing everything i own is very comforting to me. >> allen dickenson was in advertising. his retirement savings depleted. >> here is the career going this way. i'm going this way. i don't know what's going to happen here. >> he sold his house and travels up to 50,000 kilometers a year between the ocean, mountains and desert sleeping in his van. >> i don't worry about a lot of the things i used to worry about. and the only concern now is some day i'll get too old to do this. >> and then what? >> and then i might be moving in with family members.

>> at a nearby church and court side, former biker turned preacher michael estimates about a third of those accepting free meals are retirees living in their vans. there yovans. >> you know, i don't know of that many who would like to go back to their house. but if you talk to them a while, they don't want to die alone. >> that's not a concern of bob wells. >> my security is a .357 magnum. i'm going to end my life. if i can't live the quality i choose then i'm going to end my life. >> a combination of necessity and choice. as middle aged workers in america confront their retirement.

shiab ratanzi, al jazeera. >> yellow alert in shopping and entertainment areas. conservationists in hong kong say they are fighting a losing battle to save the rare pink dolphins. divya gopalan has the story. >> it's turned out to be a good day for these visitors. >> it was really lucky to see two pink dolphins, and it was so fantastic, so beautiful. >> i was so surprised when i saw them. jumping from the water. >> it's a surprise for everyone on the boat. even the tour guide. >> nowadays, dolphins appear to be quite scared, this morning's sighting they get quite close to the boat. it's very real. >> pink dolphin numbers have

dropped more than 60% in the last decade. conservationists say it is due to the major building in hong kong waters. they point out the 50 kilometer bridge connecting macao and juhai, they fear plans to expand hong kong's airport would drive away what's left of the dolphin population. this is dolphin corridor. this is where they move through for feeding sites in cleaner waters. but reconstruction would mean dropping are tons of sand in the dolphin area. their proposed have been ignored for conservation. they are considering legal action. despite the government's promise to build a marine sanctuary after the airport is finished in

2023. >> to survive and come back later, to enjoy that marine sanctuary, is a huge question mark. i think it's a big question whether the dolphin will be able to hang on for that long. >> the dolphins have been swimming in these waters for centuries, as hong kong transformed from a small fishing village to a huge commercial hundred hub. they have less and less space to call home. divya gopalan, al jazeera. hong kong. rob mcbride reports from shanghai. >> wu kahn is about to do what few of her generation will do, send a telegram to her parents. this telegraph office in shanghai, linked to the

telegraph system, will likely be one of the last to hold onto it. >> it's nostalgic for my parents. they are from a time when people used to write letters. this is like a souvenir for them to keep. >> the telegram begins its journey first by fax. where it will be transmitted. this is low tech in a high tech world. the telegrams use machinery that is about as sophisticated as it will ever become. a museum charts the progress of the service from its even more primitive beginnings. including the code books that gave the thousand of chinese characters individual numbers so they could be transmitted. a service that peeked at 44 million tell grams pe telegramss been in steep decline ever

since. >> traditionally, people would use telegrams for condolences or greetings. even those uses are dropping off. >> surprising, since the country ahas hundreds of millions signed up for messaging apps. the telegram itself will take a week. >> with such a relatively long wait in the age of the smartphone it will probably take more than nostalgia to save the chinese telegram. rob mcbride, al jazeera, shanghai. >> turning out to mx now where the pinata has been a staple. are natasha guinane has more. >> if you are a pinata artisan this is the season of achy hands

and ripped nails. but pride in knowing his are designs are copied has kept ricardo designing for years. >> this has given jobs to me and my family. >> he is also a dentist. he admits the pinata trade isn't quite as lucrative as it used to be because now there is more competition. christmas is the busiest time of year. he and his family members will make four to 5,000 a month and charge about $2 for these stars. they represent the christmas star. in the bible the star revealed the birth of jesus to the three wise men and led them to bethlehem. this stretch of road in mexico city is called the kilometer of the pin yoots.

pinatas. and making the bodies of pinatas. >> i feel melancholy because this tradition is coming to an end. our parents taught us this for two or three generations. >> but elena vasquez says the tradition of pinatas will endure. she says pinatas are not only firmlfirmly rooted in catholici. they are the expression of the person who made them. >> at this time of year, people are always looking for the traditional pinatas. that's hard to do when it is made by a machine. the artisan is the value we are promoting. >> but for kids, pinatas will remain a game that comes with a

prize. >> i like the pinatas because i can hit them and eat the candy. >> not so for christmas. it is peanuts, oranges and guavas that come tumbling out of these pinataless. natasha guinane, al jazeera, mexico city. brought to the surface? >> is that the most valuable? >> there is one tiny distinction that makes it more valuable, was it stained with moon dust. >> moon swag. what would it cost on the moon? >> this is highly affordable. anybody should be able to make that. >> without doubt. >> america's food desert.