syrian fractions arrive in switzerland ahead of talks scheduled for friday, but serious divisions over who should take part threaten the whole process. ♪ hello there, i'm barbara sarah. coming up on the program, after a fatal shootout, the fbi sends reinforcements to confront members of an armed militia holed up in a wildlife park in washington. and the japanese emperor visits the philippines for the first time since world war ii. and struggling to survive in

one of the world's richest countries. we have a special report on the roma people begging in sweden. ♪ just two days away from the proposed talked on the syrian crisis, and there is disagreement on who should take part. it does appear that the pyd will not be at tending. turkey says the group is linked to what it calls ter. james bayes reports. >> reporter: some opposition politicians have already arrived here. some delegates who are not on the list are staying in this hotel. some have received invites others have not. this is the co-chairman of one

of the largest kurdish groups, the pyd, a group turkey says is a terrorist entity. turkey's objections have clearly been heard by the u.n. he has not received an invitation. >> if really they want a peaceful syria, if they want a political solution for syria, and if they don't like maybe the same outcome of geneva 2, all of the syrians should be included on the table. and they should negotiate together, not by some outside group. >> reporter: others who have got an invitation, say they are now considering whether to accept, because their allies have been excluded. are you going to go to these talks that are supposed to start on friday? >> translator: we hope to be present in the geneva talks with a strong and balanced

delegation, as we consider these talks very important us to and the syrian people. >> reporter: if the talks finally go ahead on friday, the controversy over invitations will have given them a difficult start, but that's almost nothing compared with the tasks they have ahead, trying to end a war that has lasted almost five years and claimed more than 300,000 lives. james bayes al jazeera. 25 iraqi security forces have been killed north of ramadi. isil is believed to have carried out the attack at the headquarters of the 10th division of the iraqi army. iran's president has been taking in some of rome's sites as he wrapped up his business visit to italy. he is now heading to france to secure some more trade. his tour is aimed at rebuilding his nation's ties with the west after years of economic sanctions were lifted earlier

this month. falling oil prices and the rising costs of the war against isil is causing hardship in iraq. for government employees that means a salary cut and they get paid every six weeks instead of monthly. imran khan has their story. >> reporter: leyla works for the local government in baghdad. she was happy to get a government job because ill provides security and a steady paycheck or so she thought. the plummeting price of oil has left a big hole in the government's budget, causing a restructuring of the state's finances. that has meant a 25% pay cut for leyla, and she now gets paid ever 45 days instead of monthly. >> translator: there is a big fear amongst the employees. most of the employees are totally depend anth on these salaries. the government is effectively forcing people to seek other options, maybe even terrorism. >> reporter: government leaders say that as soon as oil prices

rise, salaries will be restored to previous levels and payments backdated. that cost will be huge. iraqi society heavily relies on government jobs. around 95% of all of iraq's revenues comes from oil. about 4.5 million people are on the state payroll, and another 3.7 million people ref state pensions. any cut in those pensions and payrolls means that there is a direct impact in places like this. iraq's market, and the ability for iraqis to be able to feed themselves and look after themselves. this man says shoppers aren't buying as much as they used to. >> translator: the purchase power for people has declined because of the austerity measures implemented by the government. people are trying to save as much money as they can, in case times get even tougher. >> reporter: economists say that fear is well founded. >> translator: state employees have the right now to be afraid

about their salaries. the government's actions in such regard is mounting fear and pressure on civil servants. it coincides with the fast-pacing international economic developments that overshadow's iraq's economic situation. these fears will continue. >> reporter: even the most optimistic of assessments suggest iraqis face more tough times ahead. when the cost of the war against isil is factored in , those challenges are multiplied. however, it's iraqis with jobs who are especially suffering. imran khan, al jazeera, baghdad. ♪ the leaders of the militia group occupying a wildlife reserve in the u.s. state of oregon have been arrested during a shootout at a police roadblock. one person was killed during the

incident. the police made their move on the militia leader and his supporters while they reportedly travelled to a community meeting about 110 kilometers north of burns. the armed group has been occupying the wildlife refuge since january 2nd, demanding that the land be handed over to local authorities. let's go live to our washington bureau. >> reporter: the authorities have arrested eight people, including the leader of the group, as you mentioned, some of them were arrested off of the reservation, or off of the entire area, one as far away as arizona, and the fbi and the state police in oregon have ordered the people who are still occupying the -- the refuge to -- to leave, but they are not -- they are not -- as far as we can tell, they are not actually entering the property itself.

the authorities have been very leery of provoking any kind of confrontation that would lead to violence such as was the case with the fbi in similar circumstances in the early '90s, but nevertheless, as you said, one person was killed. he was the spokesman for the group, who -- he was an arizona rancher who had joined the occupation. this was when -- when the group originally arrived there 26 days ago. but since then, many people have joined the group. last estimate is that maybe 40 people, including women and children are still occupying the wildlife refuge. >> and just remind us, what it is exactly that the occupation is about? what is it that they want? >> reporter: they contend that federal land, which actually is the majority of the land in the western states, is -- is illegally owned by the federal government.

they contend that in this case, in the case of the wildlife refuge, the land is actually -- should be turned back, they say, back to the counties or the state, so they don't recognize federal sovereignty over these lands, even though it's clear in all of the courts that that is the case, that in fact -- in the case of this wildlife refuge, it was taken over from an indian tribe by the federal government more than a century ago. nevertheless they contend they want the local people who have always had complaints about the way the federal authorities have enforced grazing rights and use of the land, leasing of them, they want that land returned. the governor of oregon, among many other people, including local residents say this -- this occupation was -- has lasted far longer than need to be, and that

the government really should step in and -- and do something, and arrest these people, and end that occupation. >> tom akerman with the latest from washington. tom, thank you. u.s. president barack obama is urging the rapid development of a vaccine for the zika virus, as it continues to spread across the americas. april is the worst effects and its government is deploying 200,000 troops to try to fight the outbreak. rob reynolds reports. >> reporter: there is a somber mood at the droem, seats, fencing, and foods stands are all drenched with insecticide. in two weeks it will be packed with thousands of people celebrating brazil's carnival. it will also be a key venue when brazil hosts the 2016 olympic games. >> translator: any crowded place is considered a strategic place to combat the mosquitos.

all of the football stadiums are considered strategic points. the dome is also a strategic point, especially this season. >> reporter: brazilian laboratories have been trying to confirm if there is a link between the virus and bit defects in hundreds of babies. now the u.s. says it too is beginning research to find poozable vaccine. president barack obama has been briefed on how the virus might spread and the possible economic impact. cases of the virus have been reported in virginia and arkansas. u.s. airlines are offering refunds to passengers worried about flying to areas affected by the virus. here in california so far there has been only one confirmed case of zika virus infection, in a teenage girl who traveled to el salvador late last year. she has fortunately made a full recovery.

but in brazil, some say warnings about zika, and ways to avoid contracting it, aren't getting through. >> translator: when i arrived here in the city, i did not see any information about anything. we knew about it from the television, but here in the city, i have not seen or heard about it. >> reporter: 25 countries now have the zika virus, and scientists estimate that more than 60% of the u.s. population live in areas where the virus might spread during warm months. at least ten people have been killed and more than a dozen left injured after a suicide bomb attack. two women are thought to have detonated their devices at the reopening of a market. it had been closed because it became a target for boko haram attacks. it is in nigeria where nearly 200 girls were taken from their school by boko haram. sweden is seeing an increase

in the number of beggars from eastern europe. the practice is legal, but the arrival of the beggars has prompted fierce public debate. barnaby phillips has sent us this report from stockholm. >> reporter: it's not what you would expect to see in wealthy sweden. beggars on many street corners in the capitol and in the south. they are roma, lured to sweden by the strong economy. roma beggars are often accused of belonging to criminal gangs. but gina says she is begging to send money back to her children in romania, where she couldn't find work. >> my work is begging, because i can do nothing else. i just look down. i don't look at the eyes of the people. i feel very, very shame. very, very shame. >> reporter: the swedish

government already struggling with an influx of refugees from syria and elsewhere, has created a task force to look at the problem of roma beggars. >> they are allowed to stay, and we won't ban begging, but if you come to sweden, you must find yourself a legal way of living. you cannot suddenly make a settlement in parks and private property. swedish law must be upheld. >> reporter: in an illegal camp on the outskirts of town, gina and her friends, they have been told it will be cleared by police. protesters gather, some support the roma, others want them to leave. the election takes place in the middle of the night, and the political forces opposed to the roma beggars are gathering strength. these are sweden's parliament buildings, and i have come here

to meet a member of parliament who's party is trying to make begging illegal. they are the sweden democrats, anti-immigrant, growing in popularity. >> we have already seen how illegal settlements are spreading all over the country, and creating situations which swedish authorities have no control over. so it's when we reach that scale of begging, and when we have this kind of begging where other citizens come to sweden for begging, that is a problem. >> reporter: the government supplies buses to make roma back to romania. gina decides to stay, but many do take up the offer, although some daye say they intend to return. we can move beggars on but as long as there is poverty and discrimination, they will always come back. and al jazeera's people in

power takes an in-depth look at the world of begging in a special program that airs wednesday at 2230 gmt. still lots more to come here on al jazeera. working to survive. we're meet some of afghanistan's 1.9 million child laborers. and the million billion dollars paint job, where british mp's might have to find a temporary new home.

♪ well woman back. here is a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera.

as opposition politicians arrive in switzerland, there's serious doubt with disagreement about who is on the invite list. u.s. police say the leader of an armed group occupying a wildlife refuge has been arrested. and brazil is to deploy more than 200,000 troops as it begins an awareness campaign on the zika virus. al jazeera has formally launched arbitration proceedings against egypt. the claim is over what the network says a breach of international law and the beach of the qatar egypt bilateral agreement. it follows a long and deliberate campaign against the network by the government. an international lawyer says the lawsuit is important for the rights of journalists around the

world. >> most parts of the al jazeera claim focused on the breach of the journalists rights, freedom of expression, and the protection of journalists, where the egyptian authorities have broken, breached every international agreement to which they are a party, in addition to the violation of customary international law and other conversions. the highest number of conversions the egyptian authorities have broken is in this instance. u.s. presidential hopeful donald trump has pulled out of thursday's republican tv debate. trump says he will not take part because it is being moderated by megyn kelly. trump calls kelly a light-weight reporter and made disparaging personal remarks about her after a debate last august. >> megyn kelly shouldn't be in

the debate. when megyn kelly didn't ask me a question, she made a statement last time. i thought it was inappropriate. everybody says i have won all of the sdebates. why should the networks consider getting rich on these debates. let's see how much money fox is going to make on the debate without me? let's see. >> let's see indied. john trump has threatened to pull out of the debates before, why is he going through with it now in is it really all about megyn kelly. >> reporter: this is donald trump as a showman, as we know him well. this is just another example. they say you don't pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel, you also don't pick fights with a major network, particularly one considered friendly to republicans. and that's what donald trump has

done. but there is a sub text. he was going up in a debate, where he was leading -- he was not expected to lead at this point -- and he is going up against ted cruz the former top attorney for the state of texas. he has been at the supreme court nine times. he is a very skilled debater. and he is in attack mode because he really needs to defeat trump in iowa. and he has gotten trump tv all last night and this morning, because he is getting more tv talking about this, than he would have from viewers watching the debate itself. >> it seems to be a win all the way around, but could it actually backfire on him, not going to the debate? >> well, for any other candidate, you would think it would. if hillary clinton did this, people would accuse her of cowardi

cowardice. jeb bush tweeted that trump thinks he can take on hillary clinton but he can't even take on megyn kelly. ted cruz says he wants a one on one debate with trump. so this has really worked out well for trump so far, and he is a gambling man, he owns casinos, and he thinks he knows what he is doing here. >> it will be interesting to see how it turns out. john thank you. politicians in the u.k. could be forced to move out of their historic parliament building. there are plans to renovate the palace at a cost of $8 billion. a decision is expected before mp's leave for the easter holiday at the end of march. here is nadim baba. >> reporter: well, the palace is certainly an unmistakable london landmark, and over a million people pass through its doors every year, but it is in such a state that some people in parliament have called it a

death trap since it was completed in the 1800s, many of its features like the cast iron roofing have been virtually untouched, that has head -- lead to erosion and leaks. and the latest plan is reck menninging the upper house and the lower house be completely emptied at the same time for a duration of six years and moved to temporary locations. well the plan that is most popular with members of parliament for their chamber is for it to move to temporary structures in a courtyard of a building that currently houses the department of health. it would meet security requirements and would be the cheapest way of doing things at $5 billion u.s. previous plans included rolling repairs to the palace that could

take decades and cost $8 billion u.s., so although huge figures are involved, they are likely to spark a new expenses scandal here in britain. >> reporter: the united nations estimates as many as 40% of children in afghanistan are out of school because of poverty. some families are forced to make their children carry out hard labor. >> reporter: these children are forced into hard labor, working to make bricks to help their family pay off debt. everyone has to work. the young and old. this child is only 8. >> translator: i collect the broken bits of the bricks and put them together. my hands and feet hurt. >> reporter: this girl is 11. she says she wants to be at school. >> translator: if we have an

education it would be better than this. my head hurts a lot. >> reporter: their father tells me he borrowed money from the brick factory owner to cover the daily expenses of his family of 15. the family's entire income is less than $20 a day, which leaves them always needing to borrow more. he says it hurts him to see his children suffer, but he has no other choice. you can find entire families working here, making bricks, but the main working force are children. those who are under the age of ten get to work eight hours a day. those over 10 years old, they will have to work 13 hours a day. child labor in afghanistan is endemic. it's been illegal since 2003, but families are desperate to send their children to work in order to survive. the government says it is aware of the problem and is trying to promote education, and create

jobs. in the capitol, kabul, the situation is not any better. children are found working in my sectors as cheap labor force. government figures show that around 1.9 million children work across the country. >> translator: the issue of child labor is a serious one. responsibility lies with the government and families. the government has a program with the help of the international community to support the children. >> reporter: child labor is a long-established custom that is difficult to overcome, it is related to the country's lack of development and poverty. these children work silently. they have to make 4,000 bricks a day. every brick bares their sweat and pain. japan's emperor has received a warm welcome in the philippines 60 years after diplomatic relations were restored following world war ii. but not everyone is happy.

>> reporter: the emperor of japan welcomed warmly by the philippine president. a reaffirmation of the strides made between the two countries, since the 1940s when japan occupied the philippines during world war ii. the period under his father was one of the darkest in philippine history. since then japan has become one of the philippine's closest friends. now they are deeping security ties too with shared concerns over china extending its territory and maritime security, japan and the philippines have started conducting joint military exercises, there will also be an exchange of f information and transfer of hardware. also in the works an agreement, allowing return of japanese troops. the possibility of japanese soldiers back in the philippines is a horrifying one for many

filipinos, especially these women. they were kept as sex slaves by the army during world war ii. 70 years on, and they are still waiting for justice. this woman was 14 when she was taken from home and made a sex slave by the japanese imperial army. >> translator: what happened to us during the war will happen again to a new generation of women. that's why we strongly oppose the return of japanese soldiers. >> reporter: many are concerns over the government's moves to deepen security ties with large allies like the u.s. and japan. >> we appear to go going back to a situation of [ inaudible ] and we go into these agreements that jeopardize our situation, that jeopardize our aspiration for peace. >> reporter: peace is this japanese's emperor's message. he is here to also honor the war dead.

but on the streets outside the presidential palace, some filipinos wonder why he can't do more to help restore the honor of those who survived the war. and you can find more on the website, aljazeera.com. enough is enough. one protester is dead, several others arrested as officials try to end their occupation of an oregon wildlife refuge. >> most likely, i won't be doing the debate. >> donald trump now refusing to join thursday's debate. u.s. officials now eyeing libya as the latest battleground in the fight against isil. >> there is no treatment for this virus. if you get infected we can't give you a drug to cure you.