>> accusations against russia after the death of a prominent syrian rebel leader. hello, i'm maryam nemazee. you're watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up. palestinians demanding the return of the bodies of loved ones who are attacked by israeli security forces. and claims of human rights abuses as migrant deportations

rise in mexico. the new leader of a major syrian opposition group has spoken to al jazeera about its role in the country's peace process. the interim leader said that the group will begin january 25th in gentleman knee have a. there were concerns that those talks could be in jeopardy after zahran alloush died. the national coalition for syrian revolution and opposition forces blames russia for the attack calling it an attempt to disrupt the peace process. we have this report from the turkey-syria border.

the syrian opposition has condemned the killing of alloush. zahran alloush could have been key in talks. the death of zahran could mean more targeted killings of commanders and politicians. >> the rebel commander was killed the same day that the syrian government announced a deal with isil and al nusra fronts, an al-qaeda affiliate. the deal was to allow fighters

and their families a safe passage out of damascus in exchange for pulling out of the refugee camp an and neighborhood. the deal was seen by the opposition an indication of can lewdincolluding with isil. >> these are delicate times for the opposition. over the last two years it has lost grounds in southern aleppo, homs and other areas. many of its commanders have been killed, and is coming under mounting pressures to join talkings with assad. joining talks with archenemies

seems like concession by the rebels who had hoped to force assad out of power. but now while alack of leaderships like america is no longer insisting on i sad leaving as president. >> the big fear in damascus now is that with these fighters, but also welcome jaysh al-islam, they'll want some revenge for the killing of their leader. we'll see further shelling, shelling that will effect the area and the capital itself. >> moving to iraq where forces say they're close to the center of ramadi in their latest

advance to retake the city from isil. it has engaged in gunfight against isil there. meanwhile, security forces say 27 soldiers have been killed by isil fighters south of ma lou gentleman. seven civilians were killed after the neighborhood was shelled by the army. the military has besieged fallujah for a year now in an attempt to force isil fighters out. well, thousands of displaced sunni iraqi say they need help getting home safely. the tribesmen fled their homes during fighting between government-backed shia militias and isil. >> wthis man used to be a soldier. he was fighting isil and then captured on his way back home by shia militias. he crime was being sunni. he showed us burn marks on his

body when he was tortured for ten days at a youth center which was used as a prison. he said his uncle, who was a police officer, died after being tortured 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, sets it alight and put it on my body. they told me to confess and to tell the truth, so i told them that i'm an iraqi soldier. if isil see me they will kill me. >> the area is now a ghost town after tens of thousands of people were reportedly forced out their homes. those we spoke to say that there were no isil fighters there and they were punished on the suspicion that they might be harboring them. now they've been denied entry back to their own areas. it's not the first time that the government-backed militia has been accused. human rights watch say that

abusers are exacerbating hostile you had. >> everyone here has a horror story. people here are afraid to go back to their homes. they want an international body like the united nations to guarantee their safety. among those asking for guarantees and compensation. he said that it was besieged for months and the iraqi army turned a blind eye to abusers. >> we were surprised to see shia militia forces. when they came they started to kill indiscriminately. they destroyed houses, stole belongings, killed cattle, we traveled day and night without any food or anything else. >> the militias deny the accusations against them. >> for us this issue is silly and has no affect 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 thousands who don't want to return are coming to terms with these tents as their new homes. al jazeera, northern iraq. >> now palestinians demanding the return of their dead loved ones have been attacked by israeli security forces. [ explosions ] >> about 150 protesters took to the streets of occupied east jerusalem near damascus gate. soldiers fired tear gas and hit demonstrators about a tons. palestinian youth have been arrested. the 57 bodies held by israeli were killed by security forces in recent fighting. meanwhile, israeli forces have shot down a palestinian man in east jerusalem.

they said that he tried to stab an israeli. on friday israeli guards killed a palestinian woman, who they say was trying to one them over. a wave of violence that started in october has left 137 palestinians and 20 israelis dead. >> protesters have stormed a muslim prayer hold on the island of corsica. it was called unacceptable desecration. >> a christmas day crowd but no spirit of good will. instead, violence and desecration in this low-income neighborhood. a crowd shouting anti-muslim slogans chanting arabs get out. they even attempted to burn

copies of the qur'an. >> some installations were broken. they broke through the barriers. they 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 for an incident on thursday night. when firefighters responded to an emergency call were attacked in a housing project in town. authorities say it's not clear what prompted that incident. the french government condemned the latest attack and sent police reinforcements to other centers. they followed the mass kill negotiation paris of november which resulted in heightened security measures in the country. about 120,000 french police and soldiers were mobilized over the holiday period. but france's muslims were also

facing backlash in the wake of the attacks. in corsicas far right anti-immigrant parties did well in recent local elections. in this climate of suspension th. >> a bomb attack in bangladesh has killed one person and wounded a dozen others. it's the latest in a series of attacks isil has claimed responsibility for some of them. the government denies isil has a presence in bangladesh and blames the earlier attacks on homegrown groups. serbian police have arrested 80 people including a former minister in anticipate corruption crackdown. they're on the hunt for four more suspects. it's the country's largest investigation in decades. it is estimated to have cost $100 million euros since 2004.

>> the larg largest commitment worth millions of euros. all the crimes were equally damaging. maybe not financially, but they were equally hazardous for society. >> still ahead for you on al jazeera in this half hour. in australia bush fires threat on it destroy more homes. plus... [singing] >> i say, you can hear that, right? ooh, yes. >> teaching american school kids about opera.

>> welcome back. you're watching al jazeera. a reminder of the top stories now. the interim head of the syrian opposition said that he'll attend peace talks in geneva despite the death of zahran alloush. iraqi soldiers have reached the center of ramadi as they begin to take the city from isil. israeli forces firing tear gas and hitting demonstrators with batons. now mexico has been trying to deal with migrants passing through on their way to the united states. there has been increased defor pacings as well as increase human rights abuses.

a. >> countrabuses. >> we're poor, and that's why we look for the american dream. unfortunately, they catch and send us back, and when they do, we try again. >> record numbers of child migrants turning up on its door step, mexico stepped forward to help stem the rush on route. rather than focusing on the root causes that are forcing people to flee from central america, the u.s. instead is giving mexico more money and more commitment to cut off that flow at its southern border, and it's

worked. roving check points and constant watch on the cargo train that migrants clamor on to travel north are now at this detention center, the biggest in latin america, is full to bursting. as migration officials close the net, this is what happened to oscar's arm when he was run over by a patrol who saw his injury, then left him bleeding on the roadside. >> other people would have helped me, take me to a hospital. but they just didn't care. it was as if--the migration protection office say that they're acting against the criminals and also against corrupt officials. >> we've shown clearly that we don't tolerate impunity in the state. we've had accusations against

officials, and we caught and tried them. that is the best prove. >> the trust is far from earned, the vas the authorities is just another threat, an increasingly hostile land. al jazeera, mexico. >> john holman will have more this monday at 1300 gmt on al jazeera. don't miss it. now greece he is mates it could spend $500 million by this year. most of the money is being

reimbursed. >> this woman used to be at the hospital of hospitality industry. she would park her food van and wait for occasional business. but the refugee crisis has put her at the top. >> in summer we made up to $2,000 euros a day. now about $500. we used to make $50 euros a day. >> here refugees can warm themselves by her stove, eat, and recharge their cell phones. others, too, have the opportunity. migrants have set up a tent city with defender vendors providing the hard washing. hardware. in town they can buy pictures in and out of greece. >> the windfall is in town, but

some believe this could an partial and temporary replacement that migration seems to have chased away, an industry greek islands spent decades building up. >> lesbos hotel experienced a drop in business. most travel agents and hoteliers here expect a drop in business. >> it depends on how visitors will react. will they come as volunteers to act, then it's positive. will they feel put off by what they see on the news and not want to see sad things here, then there will an loss. >> the e.u. defrays the government's migration costs. that's not always true. >> this month i wan won't be able to pay all the salaries. the burden is enormous. taxes are covering the cost of

400,000 migrants arriving. >> there is no doubt that lesbos is seeing the losses and refugees coming to the cap it will. many say it's the loss of life that touches them, and that's why they want the migration to end. >> a man trapped in a mine in china has died. rescuers are communicating with the miners by writing messages on footballs and throwing them down the mine shaft. in china people are paying tribute to dozens of people who are still missing as rescuers continue their search for survivors. bush fire in australia's victoria has lost over 100

homes. now, emergency services are warning the threat of more flowers remains. gerald tan reports. >> an eerie silence hangs over australia's great ocean road. the sea root outside of the city of melbourne is usually packed. but it's off limits for now after bush fires swept through towns throughout the coast. >> there are significant property losses. today is really assessment today. whether it's assessing property, power, water, environmental issues, the other issue of course is smoke and what impact that will have. >> overnight rains help to get the 22-hectare blaze under control, but the area is still not in the clear. >> this fire does not go away. this 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 here. >> firefighters will work throughout the night. water-bombing aircraft will be brought in. many residents and tourists spent their holidays at evacuation centers. >> i will say the smoke on the highway was hitting close to home. we got to home, and yeah, looking out my back door it was just there, apocalyptic. >> australia is no strange for bush fires. they strike every year during summer in the southern hemisphere, and each time the losses are no less painful. gerald tan, al jazeera. >> in april, 148 students were killed at university of garissa in kenya by the armed group al-shabab. al jazeera has an ongoing series one year five families which

focuses on families who have been focused by the year's most significant events. catherine soi spoke with a family whose lives are still being impacted by the kenyan tragedy. >> they shot her seven times, one bullet shattered her spine. she's now paralyzed from the waist down and undergoing rehabilitation at this spinal injury hospital in nairobi. rachel was studying at garrisa university in northern kenya when al-shabab fighters attacked in april. her parents live 100 kilometers north of nairobi and come in every other week to visit and help take care of rachel. >> at first it was really hard. she did not eat. she did not want to talk to anyone. we have to make sure that she's well taken care of. >> they'll never forget the images from the attack and the days the family members spent

looking for her not knowing if she was alive or dead. >> i was realized that life is in the hands of god, and you have to find strength no matter good or bad. >> garrisa university is due to open next year. many security changes have been made in this region. >> the number of al-shabab-related attacks in northern kenya have gone down significantly. the officials say this is because of better intelligence and coordination with a local community. >> but members of the somali community believe that security has come at a cost to them, he said his nephew was arrested by police before the attack. his family has not seen him since. >> we have looked everywhere. we went to the police station where he was taken. we went to more to yo more

mortuaries, but nothing. more than 70 people in this vast region are said to have disappeared since april. >> we don't kidnap anybody. they were arrested from their homes or for 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 regaining her fitness at the same time coming to terms with the fact that she may never walk again. catherine soi, al jazeera, northeastern kenya. >> now in the u.s. state of alabama they have declared a state of emergency after storms swept through the region. homes have been damaged and

power has been knocked out in parts of birmingham. there has been extreme weather with 17 people killed across tennessee, arkansas, and mississippi. well, the 11th anniversary of the boxing draw tsunami has been commemorated. hundreds gathered at the tsunami memorial park in thailand. the park is built on the site of a fishing villages that was destroyed by giant waves. now new york's metropolitan opera has hosted some of the world's greatest singers, but these days it's attracting a different kind of crowd: kids. teaching inner city school children to appreciate the classical form of music. >> these school children may be more familiar with ade le or rihanna. but a trip to the world famous

opera house in new york never fails to impress. >> me and my friend, we were gasping. we were like. [ gasping ] >> it was like watching on television but in real play. >> for many city kids it's their first formal exposure to classical art former. attending the opera is just one part of the program sponsored by the opera gild. the gild represents artists like carolyn blackwell, a world-class performer, 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 you hear that, right? oh, yes.

they understood 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, so it has to be something epic. they're escaping from the poli police. >> they even write their on storyline. [singing] >> the class may be all about opera, but the lessons apply to other subjects as well. a four-year study by the opera gild found that students who participated in the program did better in math, science and english than those who didn't. >> and at a time many schools are focused on improving test scores, teachers say the class is a fun compliment to their lesson plans. >> in third grade being able to tell the story, and find all the parts of the story. we do a lot of work with it in reading and writing, but it's nice to see that show up in

drama. >> with more than 15,000 students already taking part of the program, it's no wonder that schools are singing it's praises. al jazeera, new york. >> more on everything can be found right here. www.aljazeera.com. >> this week on talk to al jazeera nicholas negroponte - a visionary in the field of computer-aided design and the founder of one laptop per child. >> let's make $100 laptop. that was so implausible. >> negroponte co-founded the mit media laboratory - which is credited with driving the multimedia revolution. the research center brings together hundreds of leading thinkers in design, science and technology. >> we had license to do th