>> hello, and welcome. you're watching the news hour coming to you live from doha. coming up in the next 60 minutes, another set back for syria. the opposition says that the death of a powerful rebel leader could undermine talks with the government. >> we're at the camp of displaced iraqis. we'll tell why some sunni tribesmen are afraid to return gloam inundated with flood waters, over 1,000 people in south america are have had to

leave their homes. desperate to chase the american dream, but there are complaints of abuse as mexico blocks migrants trying to reach the u.s. >> the death of a powerful syrian rebel leader could be yet another blow to the peace process. the opposition interim leader has told al jazeera that they will attend talks in geneva next month, but adds that president bashar al-assad won't have a future in syria. the talks follows the killing of a leader in an airstrike. now, today, it said what was carried out by russia indicates a clear victory for daesh.

the attack is an attempt to, quote, abort the u.n. efforts of a political settlement. al jazeera hashem ahelbarra joins us now near the border between turkey and syria. hashem what the chances that bashar al-assad will try to consolidate what he has been trying to do in this particular area? >> he said that the death is a major set whack and definitely an opportunity for them to send troops into the outskirts of the capital of damascus to take advantage of the recent gains made by the syrian government and the russian airstrikes that tries to move towards the area under control by the rebels over the last four years. the syrian government is basically trying to take over

areas in southern aleppo, also on the outskirts of the area and to consolidate its gains in dna to tell the international community that now that we're going to start political talks the world has to understand that the opposition is losing the fight. but we've been talking with different members of opposition military commanders. they say although the leader was killed, they're continue t determined to continue the fight. on the ground they say there is absolutely no way that they'll turn back. they'll continue the fight until bashar al-assad is out of power. >> but he had a presence at geneva one and at geneva two. what happens toe that process? >> this is something that the opposition is trying to sort

out. >> i think we've lost that line to hashem ahelbarra. we'll try to go back to him if we can at the end 69 program. now it is said that the it will be up to the new leader to make sure that the ne group continues its power. >> some of it depends on military savvy. some of it comes from the ability to be leader on the troops on the ground. alloush was on the ground with

his troops all the time, and it also depends on the military leaders ability to work diplomatically with the russians and all the other players who are going to be involved in the geneva process. but the russians and the syrians together, one of them killed alloush presumably because they don't want this powerful, credible leader who is able to engage diplomatically. they don't want that strong centrist syrian opposition group to gain ground. by killing the leader they think they can knock out the whole group. that remains to be season. some have had their leadership wiped out in bombings. some groups continued to regroup, others fell by the way side. we'll have to wait over the next couple of months to see how they deal with this assassination. >> iraqi security forces say there are intense gun fights the

government said that the soldiers managed to advance. iraqi forces began an operation to recapture the city from isil on tuesday. els where in anbar province in the south of fallujah, 27 soldiers have been killed by isil. doctors in the city say seven civilians have been killed after the neighborhood was sheffield united by the army. they have been seized for a year now in an tempt to force isil fighters out. in other places sunni iraqis say they need help getting home safely. the tribesmen fled their homes during fighting during government-backed shia militia and isil. some are now living in camps in the kurdish region. >> he used to be a soldier. he said he was fighting isil i, he said that he was sunni.

he showed us burn marks where he was tortured for ten days in a youth center. his uncle, who was a police officer, died after being torture by the same militia. >> they used to hang us, and ten people used to hit me. they used electric torture on me. they used nylon, set it alight and put it on my body. they told me to confess and to tell the truth. i told them that i'm an iraqi soldier. if isil sees me, they will kill me. >> this area is now a ghost town where people were reportedly forced out of their homes. those we talked to said that there were no isil fighters there, and they were punished by militia saying they were harboring them there. it's not the first time iraq government-backed militias have accused of abuse in the provin

province. human rights watches say they're reaking havoc and exacerbating sectarian hostility. >> the divide is everywhere in this camp. people are afraid to go back to their homes. they want an international body like the united nations to guarantee their safety. >> ariff is among those asking for guarantees and compensation. he said that the area was under siege for months and the iraqi army turned a blind eye to abuses. >> we were surprised to see shia militia forces. when they came they started to kill indiscriminately. they began to burn houses. we traveled day and night without food or anything else. >> shia militias are an important part in the fight against isil, and they denied the accusations against them. >> for us, this issue is not an effect on us.

as we continue to make progress we'll get more accusations. we don't care about it. we expect it. >> the sectarian distrust and fear runs deep in this community. and thousand who is don't want to return are coming to terms with these tents as their new homes. al jazeera, northern iraq. >> the afghan national army said 21 of its soldiers have been killed in the last 48 hours in in the province of helmund. >> it's hard to know what is going on in this area because it changes every few hours. the afghan government controls the district and the police headquarters. now we're hearing that the taliban took control of this area. now we talked with the

government officials here with residents of the area and also with some soldiers who are fighting for us in the battlefield. the soldiers are complaining, they're complaining from lack of leadership among afghan security forces. they're complaining there is not enough support by americans. there is some, but they say it is not enough. this war cannot be run without air support. also they're complaining about logistic supplies. remember, it is 70 kilometers away from the capital. any supply needs to go by road. the helmand government does not have a big help. the 70 kilometers is all talibantaliban strong-hold area. that's why it is hard for them

to get enough supplies to their sisters in sangin. >> around 150 people protests in jerusalem. soldiers fight with tear gas and hit protesters with batons. several palestinian youth were arrested. the 57 people were killed in recent weeks. earlier, israel forces shot dead a palestinian man. they say he tried to stab an israeli. another palestinian man killed in clashes with israeli forces was buried today. the 22-year-old was killed on friday near the border with the gaza strip for allegedly throwing rocks at israeli soldiers. a wave of violence that started in october has left 137 palestinians and 20 israelis dead. hundreds of people in thailand have been remembering the victims of the 2004 tsunami.

the park is built on the site of a fishing village destroyed by giant waves. the tsunami killed more than 230,000 people across 14 countries. bush fires in the australian state of victoria have destroyed more than 100 homes. fire crews battled for hours to control the flames at a popular tourist destination. emergency services are warning that more fires might break out still. >> an eerie silence hangs over the great ocean road. the scenic route outside of the city of melbourne is usually packed a tourist magnate. but it's off limits now. >> there are significant losses. >> whether it's assessing damage to property, the safety of roads, power, water, environmental issues, the other issue today is smoke and what

impact that will have in terms of those who have underlying conditions. >> overnight rains helped to get the 2200 blaze under control, but the area is still not in the clear. >> this fire does not go away. this fire is a fire that will remain with the potential to burn in january and february of this year. the forecast for a long drawn out summer. >> firefighters battle into the night on friday, water bombing aircraft were brought in. but they continued to engulf trees and homes. then residents and tourists spent their holidays at evacuation centers. >> the smoke on the highway, and it was getting close to home. we got to home, and i was looking at my back door, yeah, apocalyptic. >> australia is no stranger to

bush fires. they strike every year, and each time the losses are no less painful. gerald tan, al jazeera. >> well, staying on the continent of australia a very different story in the northern territories today where there is flooding because of severe storms. an evacuation order is in place for hundreds of people living close to the daily river next to darren. the river is overthrowing and a nearby river is expected to flood surrounding countryside. the rescuers are searching for man who was swept away by the flood. in the u.k. flood warning. plus controversy in the u.k. as muslims say they're unfairly targeted by a new counter terrorism program. >> and in sport rahul will explain all in a half hour.

>> heavy flooding forcing more than 150,000 people to leave their homes. while paraguay has been hit hard, parts of brazil, argentina and uruguay have also been effected. >> spending christmas looking for higher ground. in the city of concordia northeast argentina it has been called the worst flooding in a half century as nonstop overnight rains forced the river to flood its banks. thousands were forced to evacuate. >> the water level was really high inside my house. i went to check it out and found as much as 20 to 30 sent years. >> the nearby dam was nearing capacity as it tried to contain

more flood waters. >> the priority today is related to getting control of the situation. hoping 6,000 evacuates and continuing situations like that in concordia which is more effected by the flooding. >> the state of emergency in neighboring paraguay as water nearly covered buildings. evacuatevacuateees tried to support each other as much as they could. >> now we don't know where we're go. right now on the side of the road and the water keeps coming. >> around the capital at one point more than 100,000 people were without power. the effects of the flooding reaching far and wide. >> the situation is very bad. the children were all sick. all week we've in diarrhea, and in the medical centers there is no medicine. >> the exceptionally high rainfall is due to an el nino

weather pattern, but few expected it to be this bad. gabriel elizondo, al jazeera. >> there have been rare flood warnings in parks of the u.k. people were just getting back on their feet after severe flood in recent weeks, now heavy rain is expected. neave barker is in london for us. it's one month of rain still to come in the period of 24 hours or so? >> it's been a business mall seen.

it has been happening largely in the north of england. in the last 24 hours the government has issued more than 250 flood warnings across england, wales, and scotland, and a string of red alerts largely in the counties of lancashire in the northwest and yorkshire. this area is known as the backbone of england. according to the environmental agency these red alerts are only issue first degree there is deem to be potential loss of life, and people there have been warned to evacuate quickly if ordered to do so. according to the environment agency within the course of a day, 13 inches. 33 centimeters of rain. that much rain is expected to fall within the counties of york suryorkshire and this is making

life for people miserable, indeed. according to the meteorological office, it looks that things are set to get even worse before they improve. >> this is a damage limitation exercise now. the government is saying this is about protecting lives, businesses, people's homes. and i see as well that the cobra committee, they have been meeting at 10 downing street as well. >> well, that's right. the emergency committee will not rest on christmas day. they'll make sure that people and their livelihoods are looked after. but the u.k. has had several years of severe flooding that has caused billions of dollars

of damage across the country, and billions spent to shore up flood defense. it raises the question, regardless how much money you spend how do you prepare for the unexpected? >> thank you very much. now when japan's prime minister shinzo abe swept to power several years ago he said he would make japan a global economy. from tokyo we have the story. >> amidst the hustle and bustle of central tokyo, these people gave their opinions about the prime minister's performance. >> i didn't like him from the start. >> i see economics working, but there are issues, too. >> i think he should listen to the people more. >> a few months ago many people

had much stronger messages for the government over the legislation that allowed japanese troops that allowed combat for the first time since world war ii. while the anger still similarrers in many quarters abe's approval ratings have inched back. >> moving forward one of the big challenges is to implement a lot of the policies we've been talking about, especially with structural form as part of the economics program. >> shinzo abe became prime minister in 2012 with a mandate to fix the stagnant economy. on that front he has had hits and misses. the share markets, corporate markets and economic growth are up. but there is still major problems with the economy such as the huge debt dwindling birth

rate an. >> they have to show to the nation, to the business community that they are committed, they are single mindedly dedicated to bring about change. and that's what shinzo abe must do. >> japan will vote in july of next year. and the ruling coalition is hoping to win a two-thirds majority across both house of parliament. this is to revive the constitution. the prime minister is benefiting from weak and disorganized opposition parties. the people we spoke to found it difficult to name an alternative leader. >> i can't think of anyone. >> this might mean that shinzo pain is safe in the top job for now. al jazeera, tokyo.

>> an attack on a mosque in bangladesh has killed one person and injured several horse. the latest of a series of attacks. isil has claimed responsibility for some of those. but the government denies that isil has a presence in bangladesh and blamed local groups. people in the french island of corsica has ransacked a prayer hold during a protest. a small group broke down the glass door and tried to set fire to copies of the qur'an. it has been called an unacceptable desecration. tensions have been high since police officers were killed in rioting. muslims feel they're being unfairly targeted. some people in the community

feel that it turns teachers and lectures into spies. welcome to al jazeera. for you what is the big issue here? >> thank you very much. really, it's the root intention that we believe is incredibly racist and quite zenophobe big. zenophobic. it what we found was the state's attempt to control the political self-organization and present this notion of extremism that is so vague, so vague that anything could fall under that, including any kind of resistence to political agendas put forward by the government.

>> but there is a difference between zenophobic by desire and intent and the government coming up with a scheme to make people feel safe, and how that is interpreted and deployed by people who feel there is an issue to be addressed, ie, they've got someone in their class, their social network, for example, who they think might be questionable? >> i think that the training is facilitated throughout the education sector, for example, and public services, you find that actually there is an air of encouragement that you are the government has created utter fear that those around you could be extremists and terrorists so that you could be cleared of

that. and essentially everybody around you is rendered a suspect without improper and i think the main thing that we're really pushing for here is for the their own hand where such violence and crime has been enacted. why are we not looking at the root cause instead of looking at the consequences and really completely steering them and placing the blame on muslim communities namely. the community that is predominantly targeted are the muslims. >> when you talk about the climate of utter fear, can i suggest to you that the climate of utter fear was not created by governments, because governments had to, and they had to be seen reacting to events in paris, friday november 13th, where 130 people lost their lives. the u.k. government could not allow something like that to happen in london n the city of

birmingham, where you're talking to us from. the climate of fear was created by those people who carried out those atrocities. the climate of fear was not down to the british government, but what else can they do to keep people safe. >> but it's incredibly problematic when the narrative is puts forward and the solutions provided place the blame on a face. and we cannot remove wider political questions, whether it's the government's hand in foreign policy or even the disenfranchisement of certain members of a community and their demonization as a consequence. how is it that you're going to essentially place the blame that--you know, on the whole community for the actions of a few. that's what will present the agenda is telling us, that all

muslims are prone to this violence and need some sort of enter essential instead of looking at the series of what not so-called coincidences. >> thank you very much. still to come here on the al jazeera news hour we look back on 2015. we hear from one of the victims in the attack by al-shabab in april, where 148 people were killed. and shortly in the sport, rahul will have the start of the hobart yacht race.

>> welcome become to the top stories here on the al jazeera news hour. the syrian opposition said that the death of a powerful rebel leader may under mind the talks.

iraqi security forces say there were intense battles with isil on tuesday. the afghan national army said 21 of its soldiers were killed. the army is fighting with the taliban for control of strategic areas. the fighting was heavy around the town of sangin. let's go to more on the syria sir killing of the syrian leader. welcome to the al jazeera news hour. this person cannot be part face-to-face of the saudi-driven

part of the peace process. how significant is that? >> just that we're sorry for that killing, the leader zahran alloush, when they killed him now, russia assassinated the peace in syria. they solidified himself of his group that they were not terrorists. for that reason we feel sorry because this does not help support the peace in syria. >> you're using rather strong language. you said russia assassinated the peace in syria. just to be clear, sir, we don't know if it was a russian strike

or a syrian strike, but is that how you think the saudi government and the monarchy will react? is that the type of language we'll hear coming from the highest level coming inside saudi arabia. >> they didn't say anything about that. but we are in audi arain y and we feel sorry about that because russia at the beginning they attack against opponents. they said there is no opponent that is moderate. all of them terrorists. this is bad for russia to do that. >> his successor has been named

al bouwaidani, but it will take time for his to move forwards peace as this stated individual managed to maintain. he managed to triangle do you late so many things. what will saudi arabia be able to do to fast forward through that difficult period to make sure that the peace process goes in the right direction? >> i wish he would not attack against russia, and it doesn't make any talk against russia inside syria or outside. i know he has justification to make anything against russia because he is believed now

russia became the enemy. for that reason he has now a chance to do that. but we don't like him to against russia. we need him still in the peace negotiation in the future. >> good to talk with you. thank you very much. >> now in april 148 students were killed in kenya by the armed group al-shabab. we have been focusing on families whose lives have been affected by the last 12-months of significant events. >> they shot her seven times. one bullet shattered her spine. she's now paralyzed from the waste down waist down.

rachel was studying at the university when al-shabab soldiers attacked in april. >> at first it was really hard. she would not eat. she did not want to talk with anyone. we had to be there to make sure that she was well taken care of. >> they will never forget these images from the attack, and the days the family members were looking for her not knowing if she was alive or dead. >> i have placed my faith in the hands of god. >> garrissa university is due to open nest year. a police camp has been set up

inside the university compound. many changes have also been made in this region. >> the number of al-shaba al-shabab-related attacks in the area have gone down significantly. officials say it is because of increased intelligence and communication with local community. >> this man's nephew was arrested by police. his family has not seen him sense. >> we have looked everywhere. we went to the police station where he was taken. they told us that they didn't have him. but nothing. >> human rights groups accuse security forces of detaining and executing suspects more than 70 people in this vast region are said to have disappeared since april. >> we don't kidnap anybody.

if they're arrested in their homes or whatever, they're in custody. >> rachel is far from the politics. in the hospital that now has been her home for months she's working hard on it regaining her fitness and coming to terms with the fact that she may never walk again. >> now in eastern china 18 workers remain trapped inside an of a collapsed mine. so far 11 workers have been. rescued. they have been communicating with the miners by writing pensions on footballs and throwing them down the mine shaft. people are paying attribute to dozen of workers who were

missing. a landslide collapsed on an industrial park. they say the disaster was caused by safety breaches. emergency teams in myanmar are trying to find mine workers who have been buried by a landslide there. it happened in several jade mines. the landslide last month killed more than 100 people. mexico has put in action an plan to handle the flow of migrants passing through its territory on their way to the u.s. the government clam clamped down after children migrated. >> this is mexico where

deportations have gone up by 70% in the last year and a half. authorities send hundreds back every day to honduras, el salvador. countries that suffer brutal gang violence and poverty. >> we're poor, that's why we look for the american dream. unfortunately, they catch and send us back to death. what can we do apart from trying again? >> the clamp down began with the u.s. crisis. record number of child migrants turning up on its door step. mexico stepped forward to stem the rush on route. >> instead of focusing on the root problems that force the migration, the u.s. instead has given mexico more money to stop migration. and it has worked.

they had may have this detention center the biggest in latin america, and it is full to bursting. as officials have closed the net, accusation of extortion and physical abuse has soared. this is what happened to this man's arm when patrol saw him and saw his injury and left him bleeding on the roadside. >> others would have helped me. taken me to the hospital. but it was as if i wasn't even human. >> to avoid authorities migrants are often forced to travel through isolated areas where gangs of robbers and kidnappers lie in wait. they say they're acting against the criminals and also against corrupt officials. >> we've shown clearly that we don't tolerate that activity in the state. >> the trust is far from earned

yet. the vast majority of the migrants we talked to in mexico say the authorities are just another threat in an increasingly hostile land. john holjohn holman. >> thousands of people forced to leave the dominican republic now face an outbreak of cool rhea. they were deported six months ago in what the dominican republic said was a clamp down on illegal migrants. adam raney went back to the camp he last visited in july and found conditions there have worsened. >> close quarters were stuck in camp near the dominican border. six months after being deported they received no help to resettle the government of either country. hungry and penniless they wait

for help while children wait many now are weakened after being struck by cholera. >> i got out, but now i feel weak when i walk, even slowly. >> manuel like many here are fluent in spanish. he said he was born in the dominican republic. he left a home and horse hyped. here he has nothing. he showed me a meager packet of rice that the local priest sometimes gives him and his family to eat. we first filmed here in july a month after the dominican republic began a sweeping crackdown on migrant workers who lacked property documentation. in many long established residents of haitian descent seem to be caught up in that sweep. some say they feared for their

lives and fled here on their own. >> at least nine people died from cholera. people sleep in dirt and breathe in dust, they eat little and drink little and every day there are signs that people keep showing up. >> this woman survived cholera, too. alone here her husband and son are back in the dominican republic. >> i hope the government helps me move to a better place. that's what i'm asking for. >> the camp is known as gift park. there were no signs of presents there on christmas. a water filter supplied by the haitian government arrived just a day ago. >> we were here in july. it is now six months. why did it take six months to bring these people water?

>> we thought it was temporary. now we have to do something. >> other projects like a reception center on the border have been promised but so far have not been built. back in the camp cleaner water should arrive soon. but what people are really looking for is a way out of here. adam raney, al jazeera, haiti. >> okay, we'll wrap up all the international sports news for you in just a couple of minutes including this one. cleveland cavaliers taking on the golden state warriors in a repeat of last season's nba time. we'll have that later on in the program

>> welcome back. new york's metropolitan opera has hosted some of the world's most famous opposite tradition singers but these days it's attracting different type of crowd: kids. kristen saloomy has more. >> these school children may be more familiar with rihanna, but a trip to the metropolitan opera house in new york never fails to impress. >> to me, we were gasping, we were like. [ gasping ] >> it was like watching on television, but in real. >> for many city kids it's their first former exposure to a classic art form. one part of an opera-based arts

program sponsored by the metropolitan opera gild. the gild members are often opera performers. >> i said bugs bunny cartoons. you hear ♪ figero, figero, figero they say, oh, yes ♪ row, row, row your boat ♪ gently down the stream >> the children learn to tell a story with music and with drama. >> this has to be epic. they're escaping from police. >> they even write their own

storylines. the class may be all about opera, but the lessons apply to other objects as well. they found that student who participated in the program did better in math, science and english than those who didn't. and at a time when many schools are focused on improving test scores, they say the glass is a fun compliment to their class plans. >> we do a lot of work with it in reading and writing, but it's so nice to be able to have them see that, show up in drama. >> with 15,000 students taking part in of the program it's no wonder that schools are singing it's praises. al jazeera, brooklyn, new york. >> now time for sports news, rahul. >> thank you very much.

>> they've gone eight games now without a win. they dropped down to six in the table well on saturday, seven of those have reached halftime. just in charge of chelsea for the first time since returning to the club. now the real christmas treat for nba fans on friday as the golden state warriors hosted the cleveland cavaliers in a repeat of the final series. it was the warriors who were crowned nba champions. and golden state led in the fourth quarter. despite the best efforts of lebron james, who scored a

game hive 25 points it was the warriors who won. they won 28-1 for the season. that's the best start in nba history. they now have a best all-time record. the stand out performer with 30 points and 10 rebounds. they really pushed the heat and could have won it with the winning shot. over time is needed and it was miami rounding off the win 94 94-88. >> the chicago bulls beat the oklahoma city thunder 105-9. the houston rockets beat the spurs. and in los angeles.

>> in the united states fantasy sport is big business. there is huge sums of money, and has called for the industry to be called down. >> fans have for years played fantasy sports, picking players and following their statistical success on imaginary teams. >> yes, i'm a jets fan. it's good to see them win. but to make money along the way rooting for other teams, other players, it makes it that much more exciting. >> in 2015 a new way to play fantasy sports exploded.

daily fantasy sports or dfs leagues offer a chance to win cash prizes of anywhere from a couple of boxer bucks to over $1 million for an entry fee as little as $1 a week. >> i've won profit $5,000. >> fan duel ran around 8,000 ads per week followed by mega partnerships with media and the sports leagues themselves. >> in the second full week of october alone, fan duel took in 40 million in entry fees but all those ads drew in more than entry fees. politicians began to ask if it was illegal gambling. and many across the country co coming to the same--nevada moved

to restrict the site and lawsuit were filed after an insider trading scandal in october. the most damming accusation was that employees used their inside information to place bets with their competitors. the new york attorney general told fan duel and draft king to stop accepting those fees saying daily fantasy constitutes illegal gambling under new york law. then in disease they would continue operating until january fourth of the new year. in the meantime significant damage to the industry has been done. according to sports report.com,

entry fees have plunged, and cooperate partners have begun to distance themselves. john henry smith, al jazeera. >> now rambler is leading the hobart yacht race. they were chasing a ninth win and they got off to a great start. the first to head into the open sea, but the american industry broke a rudder after initially retiring. now he has tried to carry out wins at sea. it is now down to 100 boats. australia with the advantage going into the ncg. day one in melbourne saw the home side rack up 145-3. this after they put in bats by

the wist indies. australia leads 1-0 in the best of three series. in the lost early wicket on an interrupted day. a player has been suspended for failing a dope test. the suspension comes just days after they said they'll be sending a drug task force to russia. that's all your sport for now. >> wasatch front more news on the website. lauren will keep you company. we'll be back in the usual times tomorrow. see you then.

>> "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.

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>> this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up. the battle for fallujah, 27 iraqi soldiers are killed by isil and seven civilians are said to have died in shellings. palestinians demanding the return of the bodies of their loved ones are attacked by israeli security forces. [singing] you hear that