this is al jazeera hello. welcome to the al jazeera news hour live from doha. coming up in the next 60 minutes, the u.n. says a new round of peace talks to end the syrian conflict will go ahead in january despite the death of a key rebel leader. protests in jerusalem as palestinians demand israel return the bodies of people killed in recent violence. the families of 43 missing

mexican students marched through the country's capital demanding to know more about what happened to their loved ones. tackling the trolls, how social media twitter is cramping down on-- clamping down on anti social behaviour. the u.n. special envoy to syria is insisting peace talks will go ahead next month despite recent developments on the grounds. the withdrawal of family from the country has been put on hold. it comes one day after a powerful leader was killed in an air strike. zahran alloush was the leader of jaysh al-islam, a key rebel group of syria. more from our correspondent. >> reporter: jaysh al-islam has

a new commander. issam al-buwidani takes over following the death of zahran alloush in a syrianian air strike. the group vowed revenge. the syrian opposition has condemned the killing of zahran alloush. this man has been nominated prime minister in an interim government announces by the syrian opposition. he says the that zahran alloush could have been key to the talks. >> translation: they killed a man who was going to play a crucial role in syria. the death of zahran alloush could be the start of more targeted killings of prominent commanders and politicians. >> reporter: the rebel commander was killed the same day that the syrian government announced a deal with i.s.i.l. and al-nusra front and al-qaeda affiliate.

the deal was to allow fighters of the two groups and their families a safe passage out of damn as was-- damascus in exchange for the pulling out of those in a nearby stichlt the deal was seen by the opposition as an indication the syrian government colonel lewding with i.s.i.l.-- colluded with i.s.i.l. >> translation: it is a fight for political raptus and against tyran tyranny-- rights and against tyranny. >> reporter: these are delegate times for the opposition. over the last two years it has lost significant ground in southern aleppo, homs and other areas. many of its demanders have been killed and is coming under mounting pressure to join talks with assad.

joining talks with their arch enemy is seen an a major concession by the rebels. now some have to wait allies such as french and americans are no longer insichting on an immediate departure of the president the newly appointed leaders of jaysh al-islam has called on the opposition to put up a united front. >> translation: we promise the people that we will achieve the goals which zahran alloush stood for, to alleviate the suffering of the people, the imprisoned, the refugees and the displaced. we also call on syria's allies to work towards exposing these criminals and to restore the rights of our nation that has been conspired against more on this. we're joined by the foreign

policy analyst and author andrew tabler. quits very good to have you with us on al jazeera. jaysh al-islam has said that they're willing to participate in the upcoming peace process despite the death of their leader zahran alloush, but how does zahran alloush's death bode for the peace talks. >> i think it puts a significant dampner on what they can expect. the talks are going to be difficult. this killing, i think, makes an already very, very difficult process that much harder in terms of trying to get this current ceasefires that the international community seeks how much of a significant figure he was, how much is the loss of his death going to be to the syrian opposition going into these peace talks? >> zahran alloush was a major

islamist figure, on and off by saudi arabia. he was in - in the syrian war there are multiple leaders, quite charismatic leaders. he was one of those, held up one of the more modern units and some of the jihadists. it was necessary to inhabit this middle space in this time when the community is fighting i.s.i.s. could his death be the start more killings of opposition figures of the regime as the prime minister has said. is the regime targeting any opposition that would be acceptable to the international community ahead of the peace talks? >> that has been a long-term approach by the as add regime-- bashar al-assad regime and the if the. the opposition does not have that option. unless new weapons are

introduced or another kind of game changer. we have to wait and see what erdogan's next move is, as the war is continued which is raging in its fifth year foreign policy analyst and author, thank you very much for your time. >> my pleasure in an audio recording said to be of the self-proceed claimed leader of i.s.i.l. has been relead at which he hits back at air strikes against the group. in the 24-minute recording he says his caliphate is doing well despite global alliance against it. he also mocks a recent saudi led alliance of mainly muslim nations against terrorism. he warns they are getting closer to israel every day. kurdish and american forces have raided an i.s.i.l. base. it is the center of the district

of iraq. our correspondent is inner bill for us-- erbil for us. what happened? >> reporter: we have been getting reports of a warning about this raid that was carried out friday night in an area which is about 40 kilometres away from kakuk. this was carried out by u.s. and occurred special commanders in an i.s.i.l.-controlled area. details about it have been sketchy. we know the operation has been carried out, but it is not clear whether this was meant to relieve prisoners or capture i.s.i.l. targets. this information that we have is coming via the semi-state kurdish newsagency. we have spoken to officials in the morning who denied that such an operation took place, but

there were much sources that said it ways failed attempt this wasn't, of course, the first joint operation in the area. there has been u.s. and kurdish special operations/cooperation in the past. >> reporter: absolutely. this comes in about two months time. the last operation carried out was two months ago where a number of prisoners were released by the special forces raid. we saw pictures that were on hea special forces that took part in this special operation. some people that we've spoken to think that it was a similar operation carried out either in search of a high profile or a number of high profile prisoners that were taken or high profile targets. we know from the newsagency that

two i.s.i.l. fighters have been killed. the there are reports of numbers, but no confirmation of how many have been captured or killed thank you for that. iraqi security forces say there have been intense battle whiz i.s.i.l. fighters in a key ramadi city. fighting has been centred around former government conflicts. dozens of families are thought to be near the conflict area. ramadi is the capital of iraq's largest province which fell to i.s.i.l. in may. meanwhile dozens of iraqi soldiers have been attacked and killed in farujah. civilians died after the

neighborhood was shelled by the army. aerial attacks have targeted southern residential areas damaging shops and homes. the military has besieged the area for a year now in an attempt to defeat i.s.i.l. displaced sunni iraqis are calling on the u.n. to help to provide safe passage to return home. thousands are living in kurdish camps in the north after escaping government backed shia militias and i.s.i.l. many say they were abused and fear more attacks. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: this man used to be a soldier. he said he was fighting i.s.i.l. and then captured on his way back home by shia militias, described as being-- accused of being sunni. he showed us the burn marks he received whilst in prison there. his uncle died after being tortured by the same militia.

>> translation: they used to hang us and ten people hit me. they used nylon and set it alight and put it on my body. they told me to questions and tell the truth. so i told them that i am an iraqi soldier. if i.s.i.l. see me, they will kill me. >> reporter: it is now a ghost town after tens of thousands of the people were forced out of their homes. those we spoke to say there were no i.s.i.l. fighters there and they were pushed on the suspicion that they night be harbouring them. they have been denied entry back to their own areas. it is not the first time iraq's government backed militias has been accused of abuse in the province. militia abusers are wreaking havoc amongst people. >> everyone here has a horror story. the sectarian divide is

everywhere. they want an international body to guarantee their safe return to home. rf is one of those asking for guarantees and help. >> translation: we were surprised to see shia militia forces. when they came they started to kill indiscriminately. the militias destroyed houses, took our belonging and capital and burnt everything down. we travelled day and night without food or anything else. >> reporter: shia militias are an important part of the iraqi's government's fight against i.s.i.l. >> translation: for us, this issue is silly and has no effect on us achlts we continue to make progress, we make more accusations. we don't care about it. we expect it. >> reporter: the sectarian distrust and fear runs deep in this country. thousands who don't want to return are coming to terms that

these rents are their new homes austria has stepped up security after receiving a warning of a possible -- of possible attacks. they have increased security at events and infrastructure. other european capitals have also received warnings. to yemen now where at least 29 houthi fighters have been killed in clashes. it happened in the southern city of theis. palestinians calling for the bodies of their loved ones to be returned by the israeli government have been attacked by security forces. about 150 people protested in occupied east jerusalem near damascus gates in the old city. soldiers fired tear gas and hit

protesters with batons. several youths have been arrested. earlier in occupied east jerusalem israeli forces shot dead a palestinian man. the military says he tried to stab an israeli. another palestinian man killed in clashes with israeli forces has been burden eat. 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. still to come on the al jazeera news hour allegations of abuse as mexico cracks down on central american migrants trying to reach the united states. confidence building in the central african republic. security is beefed up ahead of a key presidential election.

>> as to fire, sometimes i do it business myself he says he may leave the hot seat following yet another loss of manchester united. to france now where protesters have stormed a muslim prayer hall. the prime minister has called the incident an unacceptable desecration. >> reporter: a christmas day crowd but no spirit of goodwill. instead, violence and descr etchinedescre descretation. the prayer hall of this mosque were damaged, shouting get out. they even attempted to burn copies of quaran.

>> translation: some installations were broken. they broke through the barriers, broke two doors and the entrance. the window, the peace of furniture where we leave shoes, the air conditioning, paintings, the closet. >> reporter: the latest violence appears to be in retailation of an incident on thursday night when those who responded to aa call were attacked. it's not clear what prompted that incident the police say. the french government condemned the latest attack and the police sent officers. about 120,000 french police and soldierss were mobilized over the holiday period. france's muslims are also facing backlash in the wake of the attacks. in crrsica far right parties did

well in the elections. a feeling of fellowship may prove difficult for some communities to find the families of 43 missing mexican students are marring through the capital to demand more answers. they disappeared last year after a confrontation with police. the government says they were handed to drug gangs. to our correspondent, live for us in mexico city. what are the families planning to do today? >> reporter: what a contrast. family members tell us that they live in a constant state of misery. they're desperate to find out what has happened to their loved ones. here they continue what has become a monthly writual. they're in the biggest square in mexico city t you can see around me a festive attitude. they're enjoying the holidays holidays with their loved ones.

they're here to begin a march. they will march from this main plaza and then go to the most prominent church. the walks should take two hours. they want to keep the attention on exactly what happened to these 43 young men who were student at a rural college and have disappeared on september 26 014. -- 2014. the mexican government as well as independent investigators do agree that the men are likely dead, but there is where the questions really begin. exactly what happened to them remains in dispute are we any clearer to knowing what happened to the missing students? what is the status of the current investigation? >> reporter: as far as the mexican government is concerned, they believe the investigation is complete. their official line is that the young men who hijacked buses to get transportation to the city

to do some fund-raising must have run afo rick l and got into trouble with drug gangs. that is something that an independent investigation has concluded is not true. according to this independent investigation these men may have attempted to hijack a bus that was transporting drugs and that's when they came into contact with a drug gang. there is a lot of concern and there are allegations of collusion between government officials as well as police officials. as you can imagine, people t loved ones of these relatives, have completely lost faith in the government. they don't believe anything that government is saying. independent investigator s are asking the government to give them access to witnesses who can help them uncover the truth and they hope in 2016 they will be able to give these families some desperately needed answers about

exactly what happened to their loved ones. an vined investigator we spoke to about these families who have been politically active, particularly conscious of the mexicans, bringing attention to a problem that is a big problem in mexico. it is estimated that more than 20,000 people are missing right now thank you very much for that. mexico is cracking down on the flow of migrants on their way to the united states. the government's new action plan has resulted in a huge increase in deportations. there have also been claims of human rights issues. the first on the series of may grants trying to reach u.s. >> reporter: the road to the u.s. has been barred to central american migrants like never before. 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, guatemala, country suffering violence and desperate poverty. >> translation: we are poor and 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. >> reporter: the clamp down began with u.s. crisis. record numbers of child migrants turning up on its doorstep. mexico stood forward to stem the rush enroute. >> reporter: rather than focusing on the root causes that are causing people to flee central america, the u.s. instead has given mexico more money and equipment to cut off the flow at its southern border. it has worked. roving check points and a constant watch on the cargo train have meant this mexican detention center, the biggest in

latin america is fulling to bursting. as the net is closed, accusations of extortion and physical abuse have soared. this is what happened to oscar's arm when he was run over a patrol who saw his injury and then left him bleeding on the roadside. >> translation: other people would have helped me, taken me to a hospital, but they just didn't care. it was as if i wasn't even human. >> reporter: to avoid authorities, migrants are often forced to travel through isolated areas where gangs of robbers and kidnappers lie in wait. the state migration protection office say they're acting against the criminals and also against corrupt officials. >> translation: we've shown clearly that we don't tolerate impunity. we have caught and tried them. that's the best proof that we can be trusted. >> reporter: that trust is far from earned drat. the vast majority of the

migrants we talked to in mexico, p think it is just another threat in aaborigine increasingly hostile land security in the central african republic is tight. wednesday's vote aims to restore stability after two years of conflict between muslim rebels and christian fighters. tania page reports from the capital. >> reporter: his signature means a second chance. this leader of a christian vigilante group is release 18 child soldiers. they have all seen and some done things no child should be a part of. this boy took up arms after his father was killed. he wants to put it all behind him. >> translation: at the time if the central africa wasn't a muslim area you would be killed and vice versa. i couldn't stand and wait for something bad to happen. i can't be angry and bitter any

more >> reporter: his chance of a better future has improved in recent weeks as security in this war ravindranaged-- ravaged country has too. a new commander is on board. this man is under no illusions about how fragile the current calm is >> we're just trying to do all these elections, referendum, but there is no peace agreement so far. then one day, one of the factions for one reason or another can just go back to square one. >> reporter: the central african army has come back on the streets in recent weeks too, taking over some of the u.n. peacekeepers controls. >> translation: the national forces are the ones that know their neighborhood, their sectors, their towns, neighbours. they're said to be holding weapons. the international community has impressive resources, but the national sources can gather precise information much faster >> reporter: only in the last

few weeks police have also been stopping cars on daily basis. streets that were quiet a few months ago are now busy. it is check points like this that are making people feel safer for voting. the long-term stability of the country could dmend on whether whoever wins can inform an inclusive government. that means mending sectarian divides that have turned children into soldiers. there are thousands more, young small hands holding weapons in car, but the more they're occupied with games and not war, the better the future looks. tania page. central african republic still to come on the al jazeera news hour, a massive corruption crack down in serbia. >> we were like gasping. we were like? singing the praises of opera. we explain how new york is

introducing a new generation to the pleasures of opera music. in sport, details coming up. ing up.

good to have you with us on the al jazeera news hour. these are our top stories. the u.n. envoy to syria is insisting peace talks will go ahead despite warnings from the opposition. a deal to allow fighters to leave areas in southern damascus has been suspended. it broke down monday after a powerful rebel leader was killed. issam al-buwidani has taken over the new commander of the jaysh al-islam rebel group. the newly appointed leader has called on the opposition to put up a knew nighted front-- united front. palestinians calling for the bodies of their loved ones to be returned by the israeli government has been attacked by security forces. 150 people were protesting in

the old city. the afghan army says 21 soldiers have been killed in battle whiz the taliban in the last two days. troops are trying to push fighters out the helmand province, including the district of sangin. our correspondent. >> reporter: it is very difficult to know what exactly is going on in this moment because it changed every few hours. we have heard a few hours ago that afghan government now controls the district and the police headquarters. we're hearing that taliban got control of this area. now we talked with the government official here with residents of the area and also with some soldiers who are fighting for afghan government in the battlefield. the soldiers are complaining over lack of leadership among afghan security forces, they're complaining that there is not enough air support by americans

to them. there is some but not enough. this war cannot be won without air support. also they're complaining about logistic supplies. remember, sangin is almost 70 kilometres away from the capital. to go from the main army base, any supply needs to go by road as the government does not have a big air force. getting to sangin on the way in this 70 kilometer, it's al-taliban stronghold area and that's why it makes it difficult for afghan security forces to give any supply for the forces in sangin serbian police have arrested 80 people including a former minister in an anti corruption crack down and is still on the hunt for at least four more suspects. the country's largest corruption investigation in decades, involving cases estimated to have cost the state more than a hundred billion euros since

2004. >> translation: the largest frauds were committed with the price of land for building worth millions of euros. it was mostly damaged by this fraud but all were equally. they were equally hazardous for society. more from belgrade. >> reporter: this was one of the largest police operations in serbia in decades. the investigation in these cases have been ongoing since 2004 until the present day. 20 cases are abuse of power, mown laundering, taking bribes and bribing others. irregularities with procure-- public procurement as well. one man took some ten million euros from state owned banks and never returned. former ahead of anti corruption agency is also arrested. she is expect of corruption leading to her personal gains.

the former minister of agriculture who is also high position member of opposition democratic party which was ruling party until 2012. he is charged with abuse of office during his term. police say the preparation of the investigation, the gathering of evidence was long and thorough. so these arrests come two weeks after serbia had talks with european union. it needs to demonstrate progress in fight against corruption and organized crime rescue teams are trying to free 18 workers who are trapped in a collapsed mine in eastern china. 11 of the 29 workers have been lifted to safety from the mine. one worker has died. fallen rockses in the damage mine shaft are hindering rescue efforts. elsewhere in china, authorities have apologised for a massive land slide that buried dozens of people. two people are confirmed dead, but 70 are still missing after a

pile of construction waste collapsed a week ago. investigators have blamed safety breaches for the disaster. the communist party says those who failed to prevent the land slide will be punished. to australia where hundreds of evacuated residents have returned to find their homes destroyed in the state of victoria. more than 100 homes were lost. while the immediate threat has eased, emergency services are warning that more fires might break out. gerald tann reports. >> reporter: an eerie silence hangs over australia's great ocean road. the scenic route outside the city of melbourne is usually packed. a tourists' magnet. it is off limits nor now after bushfires swept through towns along the coasts >> there are significant property losses. today is really assessment damage, whether it is assessing damage to property, the safety of roads, power, water, environmental issues, the other issue today, of course, is smoke

and what impact that will have in terms of those who have got underlying conditions. >> reporter: overnight rains helped to get the 2200 hectare blaze under control, but the area is still not in the clear. >> this fire doesn't 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 dry hot summer is there. >> reporter: firefighters battle into the admit on friday. water bombing aircraft were brought in but the flames continued to engulf trees and homes. many residents and tourists spend their holidays at evacuation centers. >> i could see the plume of smoke on the highway. i thought it was getting close to home. i got to home and looking at my back door, it's just, yeah, looking apocalyptic. >> reporter: australia is no stranger to bushfires.

they strike every year during summer in the southern hemisphere and each time the losses are no less painful. gerald tann at least six people have died in some of the worst flooding in south america for decades. an estimated 160,000 people have fled their homes. the state state of emergency has been declared in paraguay. other areas have also been affected. thousands of people forced to leave the difficult minimum can republic are now facing a cholera outbreak in their makeshift camp in haiti. adam rainy went back to the camp he last visited in july and found conditions there have worsened. >> reporter: close quarters for those stuck at this camp in haiti near the dominican border. six months after fleeing or being deported from the area, they have received no help to resettle from the government of

either country. hungry and penniless they wait for help. while children keep their spirits up somehow. >> translation: many now are weakened after being struck by cholera. i was vomiting. i had diarrhoea. i went to the clinic for one or two nights and they gave me medicine. i got out, but now i feel weak when i walk, even slowly. >> reporter: he, like many here, is nor fluent in spanish than haitian creol essentialing. he was born in the dominican republic. he left a horse and home behind. he has nothing herement he showed me a packet of rice that he gets from the priest sometimes. a month after the area began a crack down on migrant workers. long established residents of haitian descent appear to have been caught up in that sweep. some say they feared for their lives around came here on their

own. others say they were deported. things are even bleaker here than they were in gem. there have been dozens of cases of cholera. nine people have died. people sleep in hattie dirt and breathe in the dust that makes them sick. they have little to eat and drink but despite that 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. >> translation: i hope the government helps me move to a better place. that is what i'm asking god for. >> reporter: the camp is known as gift park. there were no signs of presents, though, on christmas. a water filter supplied by the haitian government arrived just a day ago. we were here in gem. it's now six months. why has it taken six months to bring these people water?

>> translation: we thought this was temporary. now we have to do something. >> reporter: 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 far is a way out of here. adam rainy, al jazeera, haiti to kenya now where we bring you the second part of our series, look at some of this year's most significant stories through the eyes of families affected. in april 2015 gunmen stormed the university in kenya killing 14 will people. most of them were students. kenyan forces surrounded the building for 15 hours. four gunmen were killed. the fifth detonated his explosive vest. al-shabab say it carried out the

attack. ketoacids roan soy-- catherine soi met one family. >> reporter: they shot her seven times. one bullet shattered her spine. she is now parcel identified from the-- paralysed from the spine down. this one was studying in the university when fighters attacked in april. her parents live more than a hundred kilometres north of nirobi and coming to the center every other week and take care of her has taken i toll on the family-- a toll on the family >> translation: at first it was very hard. she did not eat or talk to anyone. we had to be there to make sure she is well taken carry of >> reporter: they will never forget the images from the attack and the days family members were looking for her.

>> i have realized that life is in the hands of god and you have to find strength in each and every situation no matter good or bad. >> reporter: the university is due to reopen next year. a police camp has now been set up inside the university compound. many security changes have also been made in this region. >> the number of al-shabab attacks have been down considerably. this is because of better intelligence and coordination with the local community, but members of the community believe that security has come at a cost to them. this man says his nephew was arrested by the police before the attack. his family hasn't seen him since. >> translation: we have looked everywhere. we went to the police station where he was taken. we were told they didn't have him. we went to more trees.

>> reporter: more than 70 people in this vast region are said to have disappeared since april. >> they kidnapped everybody. they arrested from their homes or from wherever, and they are in custody. >> reporter: rachel is far from the politics. in the hospital that has now been her home for months, she is working hard on regaining her fitness and at the same time coming to terms with the fact that she may never walk again. catherine soi. north-eastern kenya on sunday you can see the third part in the series. we will be meeting a family in nepal trying to rebuild their lives. you can see that on al jazeera from 10 gmt

sport in just a moment, including a look at the con trove seep including fantasy sports in the united states-- controversy including fantasy sports in the united states. ates.

over the past few years twitter has helped change the way many of us share information, connecting people from all parts of the world. the social media network has a side to it that is antisocial and has been linked to a number of high-profile bullying cases. twitter is promising to stamp out internet electorals with a series-- trolls with a series of

new measures. they will make clear that the trolls have a lasting effect. they encourage victims to report the abusers by publishing their names. they say troll says are preventing it from becoming a major source of information. although it is positive steps father, governments need to do more. >> those in any country represents lack empathy with others, their victims, they tend to be very high on manipulating and controlling the minds of their victims right across the world and any culture especially in relation to crime, there has been trolls that have a high level of evidence to show that

trolls have been causally or partially causally concerned with those who are vulnerable to suicidal and self-harm. we do have evidence that many young people have died by suicide and self-harm as a consequence of being a victim to internet trolls. remember, of course, it is important to understand that trolls can work in clusters in most countries. this raises a high level of status within a cluster group of trolls because they get more pay offs. the people that die by their own hand experience some degree of mental health breakdown. the trolls underlying role, basically, is to kill the victim or help the victim to self-injure, make them feel particularly bad about themselves and to bring down their low self worth and their

low self-esteem. one of the difficulties we do have is understanding the severity of services that we do have for the trolls because some trolling can become extremely serious which if people are detected it will go to crown court. those are the less - less severe will not go to court but will end up in the magistrates court. in recent interviews with media we need to curb the review of the act. it is out of date. we have to have legislation to tackle these trolls it is time for the sports news how. >> reporter: thank you so much. under pressure the manager has hinted that he may quick manchester united. he made the announcement following the side's two nil defeat on saturday. it was the united's fourth

successive loss. they had gone five league games without a win. goals sealed the win for them. man united dropped down to six. their next game is against chelsea on monday. >> i have said already in former press conferences that it is not always like that, that the club has to fire or sack me. sometimes i do it by myself. i am the one who wants to speak first with the board of manchester united and which my members of staff, which my players, and not with you. >> reporter: the table talk of leicester city have been beaten since the first time since september. they went down one nil to liverpool. the reds moved into eighth.

>> i think liverpool deserved to win. we start to play so late. i don't know why. we close very well. when they create a right chance they score a goal. >> reporter: arsenal missed the chance to go to the top. they were hammered. third place manchester city thrashed sun der land and couldn't get off to a winning start as chelsea boss. >> we got through to analyse the whole game a bit and i think walford also deserves great respect because they are in a winning sequence. many weeks almost with clean sheets and a lot of respect in the way they played tactically. they're very good strikers. >> reporter: a century

partnership from in particular hompton and james tailor helped england on the way to recovery. they lost early wickets on a rain interrupted day. it will resume on 63 on day 2 while tailor was removed for 70. it closed on 179 for four. a boycott involving two of pakistan's most high profile players over the inclusion of a player in a training camp has come to an end. one day captain refused to join their team mates to protest the selection of the mayor who served a five year ban for spot fixing. the suspension ended earlier this year and the pair agreed on saturday to join the camp. fantasy sports are popular around the world in the united states. daily fantasy sport or dfs, as it is called, is big business.

the huge sums of money involved have prompted some to call for the industry to be shut down. john henry smith reports. >> reporter: 2015, the year fantasy sports grew up. fans like rick anthony have for years played fantasy sports, picking players and following their success on imaginary teams >> yes. i'm a jeff fan. it's good to make some money along the way voting for other teams and players makes it more exciting. >> reporter: the winner of his leagues takes home hundreds of dollars. but in 2015 a new way to play fantasy sports exploded. >> leagues are paying 75 million dollars a week with immediate cash outs and no commitment. >> reporter: dfs leagues offer the chance to win cash prizes of anywhere from a couple of buckss to over a million dollars. all for an entry fee as little

as a dollar a week. >> i won to date so far profit almost $5,000. >> reporter: companies like draft kings and fan debrox o ran around 8,000 ads per week by the start of n.f.l. weeks, funded in partnerships with big media and the sports league themselves. in the second full week of october alone the company took in a record 40 million dollars worth of entry fees. but all those ads drew more than just those entry fees. politicians started asking if dfs is illegal gambling. officials all over the country began coming to the same conclusion, representative frank pahllon of new jersey came to. >> how different is it to any betting? >> reporter: the companies maintained it wasn't gambling because by law gambling is defined as game of chance while

dfs they say should be considered a contest of skill. it brought a scandal and legal action which called the very fairness of the games into question. never add a-- nevada moved suits. the most damning accusation was employees at draft kings used their inside information to place bets with their competitors. the new york attorney-general told the companies to stop accepting those fees. saying daily fantasy constitutes illegal gambling understand new york law. then in december an appeals court said the two companies could continue operating until january 4 of the new year. in the meantime, significant damage to the industry has been done. according to legal sports report.com, entry fees have plunged since their record highs in october. their partners have begun to

gift instance themselves. john henry smith. al jazeera that's all your sport for now. back to you thank you. new york's metropolitan opera has long been a focal point for classical music lovers of all ages, but now it is attracting a younger crowd and that's thanks to an educational program introducing inner city school children to the world of opera. >> reporter: these school children may be more familiar with anything other than famous opera. a trip to the opera never fails to impress. >> we were like gasping. it was just, like, watching on television but in real play. >> reporter: for many city kids it's their first formal exposure to a classic art form. attending a dress-rehearsal is just one part of a comprehensive opera-based arts program

sponsored by the metropolitan opera gild. the gild represents artists like caroline blackwell, who, in addition to being a world class performer ares, has herself spent time teaching children >> i made them realise how opera was already in their lives. bugs bunny cartoons. i said you hear figaro. i said you hear that, right. they went "oh, yes". so they understood that. >> row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. >> reporter: 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 like epic. they're escaping from the police station. >> reporter: they even write their own story line. the class may be all about open

remarks but the lessons apply to other subjects as well. a four-year study by the open agild saw-- opera gild, found they did better in other subjects. at a time when many schools are focused on improving test scores, teachers say the class is a fun complement to their plans >> in third grade, you have to tell the story and all parts of it. we do a lot of reading and writing, but it is nice to have them see that show up in drama. >> reporter: with more than 15,000 students already taking part in the program, it is no wonder schools are singing its praises that does it for the al jazeera news hour, but i'm back in just a few minutes with another full news bulletin. thank you very much for watching.

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