a better weekend. better weekend. time for talks, a syrian delegation shows up in geneva. you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also coming up, a shooting during friday prayers at a shia moving in saudi arabia. four are killed. the beyond nations reveals allegations of sexual abuse of children by european soldiers in the central african republic. this is back breaking work done by children.

coming up, we'll tell you about efforts to eradicate child labor. the talks are on starting with the syrian government delegation in geneva. the u.n. envoy to syria says he'll meet them in the coming hours. he has confirmed he'll meet other participants in negotiations to end the war. prominent opposition groups insist they won't take part unless certain conditions of met and these include a lifting of sieges, a halt to airstrikes and the release of what they describe as wrongfully detained prisoners of conscience. crossing over to our political he had door james bays in geneva, james, the talks are on with the syrian government delegation. are they on with the opposition, though? >> no, not yet. the syrian government delegation, as you say, are now

in geneva. i told you an hour ago that they were meeting in two hours time. that meeting's been pushed back for one hour, the meeting between the syrian ambassador to the u.n. and the special envoy. no timing for a meeting between opposition physician. as you say, the opposition were pretty animate in the last few days that they weren't going to come to geneva until their demands were met. that's changed a little. they now saying they're not going to negotiate until their demands are merit and right now are mid wait in a flight from riyadh to geneva. we understand 30 people on the flight representing the high negotiating commission, that's the main opposition bloch, some of the main political players

and armed groups fighting on the ground in syria, but they're still making it clear although they are coming to discuss with the special envoy their concerns, they are not at this stage going to take part in negotiations until they are happy that their concerns have been properly addressed. when you say concerns, james, can you flashify what those are? >> well, in their letters to the united nations to the general as he can ban ki-moon, they talked the security council resolution, resolution 2254 which set up this whole process and say some of the parts that have resolution that deal with besieged communities, humanitarian access, stopping the bombardment have not been dealt with. i think it goes beyond that. they are annoyed about the fact that they are going to come here if they do talk in geneva to have peace talks, peace talks

that are embrides supposedly by the international community. the two key players in the international community that have been pushing for this are the u.s. and russia and yet will sit around the table here with potentially they are going to be in direct talks to begin with, but sitting around for direct talks with the government at a time when their colleagues on the ground are being bombarded and some of those bombs are coming from one of those two key countries behind this process, russia. they say it is totally wrongish is sponsoring a peace process at the same time they are bombing participants. the turkish president erdogan said it will be difficult for those he calls the moderate syrian opposition to attended the attacks without a ceasefire first. earlier, the turkish prime minister said the opposition demands are justified. >> the opposition continues to hold talks.

we hope they will decide to participate in these geneva peace talks. we all encourage them to attended but we closely follow whether syrian opposition rifle demands are met. we hope conditions to start will happen as soon as possible, but more importantly, humanitarian aid will be delivered to everyone in syria and a new period will begin. turkey is ready to give every contribution for this purpose. >> a member of the syrian opposition says as long as civilians are targeted in the fighting, there can be no progress in any type of negotiations. >> we would like to have negotiation, but if the international community cannot force the syrian regime to provide help to children dying, there is no point which having negotiation and asking the regime to surrender power. unfortunately, the opposition and the syrian people have not been given any meaningful alternative.

it seems the issue now either to accept this murderous regime or you are going to be under continuous bombardment. the syrian people on the ground have asked all the representatives not to allow the regime to stay. they have to negotiate the transition into democracy out of dictatorship. we hope that some cool heads will realize that they have a moral obligation, they have a legal obligation to force the regime to open up those areas where people are starved and to ask russians to stop bombarding civilians. so far, at least over 150 civilians have died. many of them are children, because of the russian bombardments of markets, hospitals, of schools. this has to stop. four people have been killed at a shooting at a mosque in friday rain. 18 others were wounded at the

shia mosque in the east. police arrested the tacker who was reportedly wearing a suicide vest. we have more details from the interior ministry. >> there was two tutors, one of them was trying to get into the mosque, but was stopped by the security officers, and when they found he had something wrong about him, they tried to capture him, so he run away, and they caught him. they wanted him and caught him alive. the other one managed to get in and shoot at the people inside the mosque, between the last sermon and the end. they managed to also warn him with the help of the people in the mosque, and they killed them

at the end, so one of the shooters was killed, the other captured, wounded, and hopefully he will lead to the security force to other leads. the united nations says it's alarmed by new allegations of child sexual abuse by european soldiers in the central african republic. the case involved children 8-17. some victims identified french and georgian troops as their abusers. the u.n. said allegations must be properly followed up. >> these are of course extremely serious accusations and it's crucial these cases are thoroughly and urgently investigated. we are heartened at the initial response we've received from the countries concerned, as well as the european union which shows they take these serious allegations seriously.

the u.n. team on the ground continues its investigations. >> we have more from the u.n. that headquarters in new york. >> these are very troubling new allegations. there's a lot of new allegations, as well and i want to run down what we know as of right now. there are currently two new allegations of sexual misconduct by french troops in the central african republic. these allegations date back to 2014, but just came to light now. there are also four new occasions of alleged wrongdoing by e.u. troops in the central african republic. these came to light also recently, also date back to 2014. it was apparently four young girls, teenagers, all of whom said that they were sexually abused by e.u. troops, three of the girls pointed the finger at georgian contingent of troops they say were the perpetrators of this alleged crime. we are also hearing new

information that the u.n. has confirmed that they as part of this investigation, have also had new allegations of sexual misconduct by u.n. peacekeepers themselves. while the u.n. has not released any information about this, sources tell al jazeera that there are five new allegations of sexual misconduct by u.n. peacekeepers and central african republic and peacekeepers from morocco, niger, bangladesh and the democratic republican of congress as well as one u.n. piece keeper from senegal. we expect to hear from from the u.n. about this from headquarters in new york in the coming hours. protestors called for the result of last month's presidential election to be canceled. they say the vote was full of irregularities and should be annulled by the constitutional

court. the court ruled there has to be a rerun of the parliamentary elections, which were also head in december. a presidential runoff is scheduled february 14. >> we ask the international community that has already helped us very much to not let their efforts go to waste. they will have to help us in order for the voice of the people to be herd. >> still ahead, calls for radical changes in how germany integrates newly arrived refugees. plus. >> i'm a maniac and everyone on this stage is stupid, fat and ugly, and ben, you're a terrible surgeon. now that we've gotten the donald trump portion out of the way... [ laughter ] >> rival candidates mock donald trump for boycotting the republican debate in iowa.

>> "inside story" takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the soundbites. we're giving you a deeper dive into the stories that are making

our world what it is. the top stories on al jazeera, the syrian government delegation has arrived in geneva for talks to bring an end to the war. the envoy will meet them in the coming hours, but some prominent opposition groups won't negotiate until their conditions are met. >> footage shows the moment a bomb was detonated in a mosque in saudi arabia. four people have been killed in a shooting during friday prayers at the shia mosque in the east. police arrested a man who was reportedly wearing a suicide vest. the u.n. is alarmed over new

allegations of child sexual abuse by european soldiers in the central african republic. some victims identified georgeen troops at their abusers. there have been five confirmed cases of the zeke vice in germany. it comes as the world health organization raised a global alarm with the virus causing birth defects in infants. it could in effect up to 4 million people in the americas within 12 months. the w.h.o.'s holding an emergency meeting on monday on how best to respond to the outbreak. brew stil--brazil is the worst t

country. we report from santiago, chile where officials are taking special precautions to deal with that outbreak. >> chile's health minister arrives at the airport to distribute leaflets alerting travelers to take special precautions against the zika virus as they embark on their summer holidays. she advises pregnant women not to travel anywhere the virus has been reported in keeping with the world health works directives. >> the possible links, only recently suspected have rapidly changed the risk pool of zika from a mild threat to one of alarming proportions. the increased incidence of microcephaly is particularly alarming as it places a hard breaking burden on families and communities. >> back at the airport, the minister announces another measure.

>> there's an important festival in easter island next week. it's the number one tourist attraction, so we are distributing highly concentrated in sect repellants to everyone there. >> the tiny island was one of the first places outside of africa to be infected with zika. when it experienced a new outbreak in 2014, it raised no alarm bells. >> the number of in habitants of french colonies in easter island is very small so the initial impact was not registered. since they've had the virus so long, they built up immunity. where there is no immunity, the consequences are being clearly perceived. >> the majority of people here about to get on a plane going to countries where the zika virus has been already detected. chile's main airline agreed to refund women even those with

non-refundable tickets because of the danger presented to them if they travel. >> this couple tells us that they are again using birth control, canceling their plan to conceive a child i will while on holidays. >> as the world health organization considers declaring a worldwide emergency next week, the epidemic spreads unabated throughout the americas. the search for survivors is continuing in the mediterranean sea after the italian navy rescue the 290 people from a sinking boat. six bodies have been recovered so far. the deaths are the first recorded this year on the refugee's route from north africa to italy. the german chancellor angela merkel urged rapid implementation of the deal with turkey to get a grip on the

refugee crisis. germany decided to reject most asylum applications. merkel said it's vital to encourage immigration, as dominic cain reports. >> their struggle to get to germany is over, now the main task is to learn a new language. safely installed in a classroom, these syrians are glad to have left their country's trouble behind. >> i came here to have a peaceful life. it feels good. i have security, and i have the peace i've longed for, but it was hard to leave home and family. >> the refugees' teacher came to germany 12 years ago from dubai. she says her experiences made her want to help these people integrate, but in recent months, things have gotten much tougher. she says the attacks on women in

cologne on new year's eve have changed everything. >> there were a lot more people, german people that were incited as the thought of having refugees here in the beginning than now. telling a german nowadays that more refugees will come in is like slapping them in the face. >> a recent opinion poll bears this out. for the first time a majority of germans believe their country cannot cope with the refugee influx. more than two thirds expect crime will rise as a result and nearly three quarters favor tougher laws for dealing with asylum seekers who commit crimes. that is of particular concern for social workers like this man. he gives advice to new refugees and migrants in berlin. he believes one problem is most of the recent arrivals are looking to integrate into society, but others want to prey

on it. >> there are people that want to live here and enrich our society and we have people that are hostile through their actions. it's not just money that plays a role, but that they are hostile and dishonest. >> angela merkel's view has long been we can do it, but now several senior members of her own party are openly disagreeing and demanding radical changes. whether they get them may well depend on public opinion and the first key test of that will come with parliamentary elections, dominic cain, al jazeera, at the c.d.u. headquarters in berlin. in mali, fading poverty and drought are forcing many to leave in search of a better life. 200,000 people are displaced in mali and neighboring countries. >> like many citizens, he wants

to go somewhere he can safely make a living. there are many hurdles to overcome. >> the problem is that we left from the city and reached the first checkpoint. they arrested us and asked each person to pay $17. after they paid them, they searched all of us. even our phones were confiscated. >> smugglers charge a hefty fee. no doubt paying some bribes along the way. it can cost a traveler thousands. the migrants say they are scammed to pay more than agreed. >> i've been the driver and is the only one not searched. the driver has not been searched, nor was his assistant. >> an estimated 200,000 people left their homes in mali. people are in need of humanitarian aid. there are also other nationalities on this stretch of

desert road, including syrians who already traveled a long way to get here after escaping war in their own country. >> we do not want to go to europe, only to a place we can live peacefully. we want a place to live, eat and drink, that's all. >> then there are people heading in the other direction back to mali. would-be migrants to europe who got as far as the moroccan coast were unable to make it further. they've had to return. caroline malone, al jazeera. two journalists have been arrested in burundi. the bureau chief for a french newspaper was arrested, as well as a british journalist. they were arrested in bujumbura. the government cracked down on the press, forcing some local journalists into exile. masked graves have been

found in burundi. evidence has been seen suggesting zebs were killed by security forces last month. graves were found on the outskirts of the capital. hundreds have been killed and thousands displaced in nine months of fighting since the president campaigned for a third term in office. republican presidential candidates in the u.s. squared off for the last debate. donald trump skipped it, complaining of unfair treatment by fox news which hosted the event. the front runner still cast a shadow over proceedings. >> the final debate before the first vote and the biggest name, the front runner missing. donald trump's no show had to be the subject of the very first question. >> let me say i'm a maniac, everyone on this stage is stupid, fat and ugly and ben, you're a terrible surgeon. now that we've gotten the donald

trump portion out of the way... >> as trump still tops the polls, this is a battle between outsiders like them and the republican establishment led now by marco rubio. >> this campaign is not about donald trump, he's an traytaining guy, the greatest show on earth. this is about the candidates. >> attracting hundreds, attracting publicity, explaining his boycott choice, he will be a strong president. >> you have to stick up for your rights. when you're treated badly, you have to stick up for your rights, you have to do it. whether we like it or not, whether it's something we want to do or not and that's what our country has to do, as an example, iran, the way they've been treating us with all this horrible deal, it's one of the worst deals i've ever seen negotiated under any circumstances, and we just take

it. >> the events saw several protests exchanging loud protests in the hall. >> we move on to the topic of immigration. >> back at the official event, one of the most spirited parts of the debate, the question of immigration and of candidates that switch position offering a path to citizenship for undocumented workers. >> when that battle was waged, my friend senator rubio chose to stand with barack obama and harry read and chuck schumer and support amnesty. >> you've been willing to say or do anything to get votes. you worked for george w. bush's campaign. you helped design his immigration policy. >> this is a night to show how bizarre this contest is, explaining why they should get people's votes and on every single other channel, the main can tender putting forward his

reasons for not being at the debate and why he should be the republican nominee. he claims he has raised $600 million for charity from his event, but the most important counting will be here on monday. al jazeera, demoney. it's the peak of the harvesting season for sugar contain in mexico where many workers are children. some parents are now offered cash incentives so their children stay in school instead of the fields. >> this 16-year-old has lived following the harvest. he went to work after his wrist was broken at school. >> i wasn't going to let them bully me anymore. i wasn't going back that from then, i headed up to here with

school. >> like other teenage boys in the field, he helped support them. one of the ways mexico has found modest success in curbing child labor is paying families to keep their children in school. it's called the prospera program. launched in 1997, it's been copied in several countries. >> according to a word bank unreceive report, the program reduced child labor among 12-15-year-olds by 5.5%. the program isn't available to all families in need, specifically in rural areas. >> the almost $2,000 a year, she

said it changed their lives. >> i had to work in the fields when i was little. life wasn't easy. i always wanted things to be better for them. thanks to the program, i've been able to do that. >> eradicating child labor is impossible, according to them and the program alone can't reduce it. >> i'm incentivizing families to send kids to school. if the teacher doesn't seem to care, there is no link. we all need to work on the same page, if we will work together, there would be better results. >> he says he's a working man now, but that doesn't mean he doesn't wonder what if. >> you do regret it later and you look for different work and they ask for qualifications. you think to yourself, why didn't i go to school. he said if he has a son, he'll do everything he can to keep him out of the fields and in the

classroom. al jazeera, mexico. you can read much more about that story on our website, aljazeera.com. you'll find the day's top stories, as well. it's at aljazeera.com. >> economic slowdown, the latest government physician show the economy barely grew to end 2015. >> the republican president candidates debate without donald trump. we want to do what we can to give the public as much information as possible. >> the final moments, the f.b.i. releases this video of the takedown that ended with one of the oregon