>> accusations against russia after the death of a syrian rebel leader. opposition groups say in a th say that it is an investigate or terrorism. >> 27 iraqi soldiers are killed by isil. >> palestinians demanding the return of the boyd of their loved ones are attacked by israeli security forces. [singing] >> singing the praises of a

country to teach american school children opera. >> new leader of an opposition group has spoken to al jazeera about its role in the country's peace process. the interim leader said that the group will attend u.s. peace talks on january 25th in geneva. there were concerns that those talks could be in jeopardy after former leaders call the death of zahran alloush an attempt at t of an attack of the peace

process assess el. >> they said that zahran alloush could have been county attorney to thkey to the success of the attacktalks. >> it could be the start of more prominent killings. >> the rebel commander was killed the same day that the syrian government announced a die with isil and al nusra front, an al-qaeda affiliate. the deal was to allow fighters of the two groups and their

families a safe panels ou--safe passage out of damascus the deal was seen by the opposition as an indication of the government colluding with isil. >> these are delicate times for the opposition. over the last to years they have lost significant ground in southern aleppo, homs and other areas. many commanders have been killed, and it comes under mounting pressure to join talks with assad. >> joining talks with an archenemy is seen as a major

concession by the rebels who hopes to push bashar al-assad out of power. >> sunni fellow at the university of beirut. >> a lot of this depends on person charisma, diplomatic savvy, some of it depends on the ability of the leader to lead on the ground. alloush's strength came partially from the fact that he was on the ground with his troops all the time and he had tremendous credibility with ordinary people. it depends on his ability, the new leader's ability to work diplomatically with the saudis, the western world, the u.n. and

the russians and other players who are going to be involved in the geneva process. but the russians and syrians together pro sumbly don't want this type of strong centrist syrian based opposition group to gain ground. by killing the leader they think they can knock out the whole group. again, that remains to be seen. other groups have had their leadership wiped out, some groups continue to work and others fall by the way side. we'll have to wait and see how they deal with assassination. >> iraqi forces say there are close to the center of ramadi in their effort toss retake the city from isil. the military engaged in a

gunfight with isil fighters there. they began its newest offensive on tuesday with the help of u.s.-led coalition airstrikes. iraqi security forces say 27 forces have been killed by isil in fallujah. several civilians were killed after their neighborhood was s shelled by the army. >> thousands of displaced sunni tribesmen say they need help getting home. >> this man used to be a soldier. he said he was fighting isil, and then captured on his way back home by shia militias. he said he's sunni. he has burn marks on his body

and he was tortured for ten days at a youth center that is been used as a prison. his uncle died by the same militia. >> they used torture on me. they set nile lone alight and set it on my body. they told me to confess and tell the truth. i told them if isil sees me they will kill me. >> this city is now a ghost town after many were forced out of their town. they said that there were no isil fighters there, but they were punished under the suspicion that they might be harboring them. it's not the first too iraq's government-backed militia has been accused of abuses. human rights watches say the militia is reaking havoc and

exacerbating the radicals. >> 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, destroy houses, kill cattle and we traveled day and night out food or anything else. >> shia militias are an important part of the iraqi government's fight against isil. they deny the accusations against them. >> for us this has no affect on us. as we continue to gain progress we'll continue to get more accusations. we don't care about it.

we expect it. >> the distrust and fear runs deep in this community. thousand who is don't want to return are coming to terms with these tents as their new homes. >> the afghan national army said that 21 have been killed i. fighting continues in the town of sangin. we have more from there. >> it's very difficult to know exactly what is going on at this moment because it changes every few hours. a few hours ago the government now controls the district building. now the taliban controls this area. we spoke with residents of the area, and also some soldiers who

were fighting gangs of robbers the government in the battlefield. the soldiers are complaining from lack of leadership among the afghan security forces. they're complaining there is not enough support by americans. they say the war cannot be won out air support. also they're complainin complaining about logistics supplies. sangin is 70 kilometers away from the capital. and any supply needs to go by road, and the government is not here. so this 70 kilometers is all taliban strong-hold area. that's why it makes it difficult for afghan security forces to gain enough supplies for their forces in sangin.

>> poisons protesting for the bodies of their loved ones have been attacked by israeli forces. soldiers fired tear gas and hit demonstrators with batons. the 37 bodies held by israel were people killed by security forces in recent fighting. israelite forces have shot dead a palestinian man in couped east jerusalem. the man tried toy establish an israeli. on friday they killed a palestinian woman who they say was trying to run them over. and another palestinian man killed in violence has been buried 37 killed on friday for allegedly throwing rocks at israeli soldiers. it has left 127 palestinians and 20 israelis dead.

bush fires threat on it destroy more homes. and attacks in corsica are called a desecration. >> scientists are studying el nino from space and the oceans. >> when the pacific speaks... everybody better listen. >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> this is what innovation looks like. >> can affect and surprise us. >> i feel like we're making an impact. >> let's do it. >> techknow - where technology meets humanity.

>> the only live national news show at 11:00 eastern. >> we start with breaking news. >> let's take a closer look. jar. >> a reminder of the top stories, the groups will attend peace talks in geneva despite the death of powerful leader zahran alloush.

and li'l forces have fire force israeli leaders have fired tear gas at protesters who protest for their loved ones. >> she used to be at the bottom of the food hospitality. she parked her food van and would wait. >> in summer we made up to 200 euros a day. now 500. before we made 50 euros a day. >> her van is one of several outside of the refugee camp. here refugees can warm themselves, eat, and recharge their cellphones. others, too, have seen the

opportunity. there has set up a tent city with vendors with hardware. in town, they buy credit for cellphones. here, too, they can buy boat and bus tickets for their journey out of greece. the refugee windfall is evidence all over town. but city fathers worry this may prove only a partial and temporary replacement of the tourism industry that migration seems to have chased away. an industry that greek highlands spent decades building up. >> experiencing a three and a half percent drop in business for the first time last august. charter companies cut down flights and cruise ships took lesbos off their itinerary. >> it depends on how visitors will react. if they come as volunteers to

help, then it's positive. if they feel put off by the news and are afraid to see sad things here, then there will be a loss. >> then there are the official costs. the this month the burden is enormous. the taxes paid b paid in are used by migrants. >> at the end of the day people say it's the loss of life that touches them, and that's the reason why they want refugee flows to end. >> al jazeera, lesbos. >> protesters have stormed a muslim prayer hold on corsica, it has been called an unacceptable desecration.

>> a christmas day crowd but no spirit of good will. instead, violence and desecration in a low-income neighborhood in the corsica capital. a crowd ransacked the prayer hold of this mosque chanting "arabs get out," and attempted to burn copies of the qur'an. >> some installations were broken. they broke through the barriers. broke two doors and the entrance. the window, the piece of furniture where we leave shoes, the air conditioning, paintings, the closet. >> the latest violence appears to be in retaliation to an incident on thursday night when firefighters responded to an emergency call were attacked to a housing project in town. authorities say it is not clear what prompted that incident. the french government condemned the latest attack and sent police reinforcements to other

religious centers. they followed the mass killings in paris in november. about 120,000 french police and soldiers were mobilized over the holiday period. but france's muslims are facing backlash in the wake of the attacks. in corsica far right anti-immigrant policies did well in recent local elections. in this climate of suspension, a feeling of fellowship may prove delinquent for some communities to find. al jazeera. >> the attack on a mosque in bangladesh has killed one person and wounded a dozen others. it happened during friday prayers in the northwest. it's the latest in a series of attacks. ist has claimed responsibility for some of them. others deny they have are have a presence in bangladesh. and police blame area attacks on homegrown groups. top diplomats from india and

pakistan will hold talks in islamabad next month. on friday in the first trip to pakistan by indian leader in more than a deck kate. they havkate--decade. >> japan's prime minister shinzo abe swept to power said he would revive the economy. but the results have been mixed. there has been a decline in support. >> amist the hustle and bustle in central tokyo these people gave their opinions about the prime minister's performance. >> i didn't like him from the start. >> i zoo 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 of the government over the legislation that allowed japanese troops to assist allies in combat for the first time since world war ii. despite the opposition the laws continue. >> he has not always followed through on reform. moving forward one of the big challenges is to implement a lot of the policies he has been talking about, especially structural form. >> there is still major problems

with the economy such as the huge debt, dwindling birth rate and following productivity. >> the japanese government has to show continuously to the nation, to the business community, that they are committed. they are sing mindedly dedicated to bring about change. that's what shinzo abe must do. >> japan will vote in upper house elections in july next year. and the ruling coalition is hoping to win a two-thirds majority across both houses of parliament. this would bring forward abe's plans to revive the constitution. the prime minister is also 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 abe is safe in the top job for now. >> a worker died in a collapsed mind in china. 17 other people remain underground in the gypsum mind. the rescuers communicate with the trapped miners by writing messages on football and throwing them down in the mine. paying tribute to dozens of victims still missing as rescuers continue their search for inviters. >> the 11th anniversary of the boxing day tsunami has been commemorated. hundreds gathered at the memorial park in thailand. the park is built on the site of a fishing village that was destroyed by giant waves. the tsunami killed 230,000

people across 14 countries. bush fires in the australian state of victoria have destroyed 115 homes. now emergency services are warning that the stretch of more fires remains. >> an eerie silence hangs over australia's great ocean road. the scenic route outside of melbourne is packed, but it's off limits for now after bush fires swept through towns along the coast. >> there are significant property losses. today is really assessment day. whether it's assessing damage to property, roads, power, water, environmental issues, the other issue to that, of course, is smoke, and what impact that will have in terms of those who have underlying conditions. >> overnight rains helped to get the 2200-hectare 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 potential to burn in january and february of this year. the forecast for a long drawn out summer is there. >> firefighters battle into the night on friday water bombing aircraft were brought in, but the claims continue to engulf trees and homes. many tourists are evacuated. >> i saw that it was blows to home. i got home and saw that the out of back door it was apocalyptic. >> australia is no strange for bush fires, and each time the losses are no less painful. gerald tan, al jazeera. >> the u.s. state of alabama declared a state of emergency

after storms swept through the region. homes have been damaged and power has been knocked out in parts of the city in burningham. 15 people have been killed across tennessee, arkansas, and mississippi. families of 43 missing mexican students will march through the country's capital on saturday to demand more information about where their loved ones could be. the students disappeared last year following an confrontation with police. it has been complicated by drug cartel involvement and government cover up. serbian police have arrested 80 people including a former minister in an anticipate corruption crackdown. in a similar hunt for four more suspects. it has cost the state 100 million euros since 2004. the opera is now attracting a different crowd: kids.

teaching inner city school children to appreciate the classical music, and they're discovering a whole lot more. >> these school children may be more familiar with ade le or rihanna, but a trip to the world famous metropolitan opera house in new york never fails to impress. >> we were like gasping. we were like. [ gasping ] >> it was just like watching on television but in real place. >> for many inner city kids it's their first formal exposure to the classic art. it is part of the opera-based arts program by the opera gild. [singing] >> the gild represents artists like carolyn blackwell, who in addition to being a world class performer has herself spent time

teaching children. >> i made them realize how opera was already in their lives. i said to them, bugs bunny cartoons. i said you hear ♪ figero, figero, figero they said, yes, and they understand that. ♪ row, row, row your boat gently down the stream ♪ >> in the classroom the children learn to tell a story with music and lots of drama. >> this is opera, oh so it has to be epic. they're escaping from the police. >> they write their own storylines. [singing] >> the class may be all about opera, but the lessons apply to other subjects as well. a four-year study by the metropolitan opera gild found that students who participate in the program did better in math, science and english than those who didn't.

>> at a time when they wer teachers are trying to increase test scores. >> 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 more than 15,000 students already taking part in the program, it's no wonder schools are singing it's prais praises. kristin saloomey, al jazeera, in new york. >> when you pick up a phone and the voice says, hello, is this planet earth? most would think that it was a prank call, but the person who received this call really did receive a call from out of space. it wasn't a prank. they were trying to call their parents to wish them a merry christmas.

he had to leave to leave a voice medica mail because they were not home. for more on the stories we've covered go to www.aljazeera.com. there is more about the syrian command who are has been killed and the implications to that. www.aljazeera.com. >> wildlife poaching is big business... worth more than 17 billion dollars a year and growing. the slaughter is being fueled by demand from asia... ...where rhino horn is gold a status symbol and believed to