this rumor too. and we had also heard what is unconfirmed at the moment here, from my colleague james bayes. what did you make of what he had to say in that there may be a little bit of give in what the syrian opposition may be appears to do at this stage? >> reporter: ah, i think he sounded optimistic and even suggesting that maybe he could be speaking to them on the ground here on geneva. very careful with his words. but the fact he is saying that, i think suggests that believes they are leaning towards that decision. i want a add a little bit of a caveat, because i have been trying to follow the different news coming out of riyadh all week, and every single person you speak to there, they will all tell you different things. so we need to get the official confirmation. we're certainly hearing from sources that they have decided to come, and that to me, seems

the general direction of things. but what is not clear to me, exactly on what basis they have decided to come, have they decided to come to see if their conditions have been met, and certainly mr. de mistura has been making it clear to him, that although he doesn't control the things he wants done, those will be at the top of the agenda. are they coming simply to make their case, or are they actually coming as i think might be the case to actually start separate discussions. in separate rooms, proxy talks, but is it possible those talks could start by sunday, or i think as he said in the news conference, more likely on monday. the opposition don't like the situation that is absolutely clear. they say repeatedly that they want peace, but they say it is wrong that there is a security council resolution, in fact numerous security council

resolutions talking about humanitarian access, besieged areas, and people being detained being released and the russian bombardment that is continuing on the side of the syrian government. and they say some of the armed groups who were going to come here, are finding out right now they are still -- within the time that the peace talks are supposed to be taking place are still under bombardment. and that was a point that i put to the special envoy. what did the syrian government say to you about those parts of the resolution that the opposition wants acted on now, like lifting the sieges? and what is your message to the russian government? it is supposed to be one of the sponsors of this process, and yet it is bombarding groups that want to come here for peace talks. >> you see, james, the real thing is here is that's why we

are in need of having these talks. it's exactly and precisely in order to be abled too dress the issue of not only the future of syria, but as we said any type of demonstration of improvement for the people of syria, which means reduction of violence, reduction of bombing, lifting of cease far r -- fires and so on. i made yesterday as you probably know, a short video for addressing the syrian people. it was certainly not me should be addressing the syrian people, but they should do it among themselves, but my appeal was, raise your voice. we heard yours. and these talks cannot just be about politics, and need to be about some evidence of improvement for the syrian people during the talks.

>> reporter: we have heard from him, and about the high negotiations committee, that group pulled together by saudi arabia. what about the syrian government representative? he has been talking, has he not to mr. de mistura. any idea what ground they covered? >> reporter: absolutely no idea at all david. i can speculate, but i can't tell you, and i'm most surprised and all of the reporters were most surprised to see the syrian ambassador come in, normally he says something when he comes in. he likes talking to reporters, but he said no, i'm speaking after the meeting as we headed upstairs. he sat there with the large delegation, and the special envoy, and we know nothing from

the head of the syrian government. he came down the stairs at the end of the meeting. he walked off without saying a word. someone told him not to speak. that's very, very clear to me. because he never shies away from reporters questions. in fact some of his news conferences have been known to go on for over an hour. it's clear someone told him not to speak. i suspect that was not president assad. because if you think about it, here we have the first day when the syrian peace talks were supposed to start, and only one side is here. it would have been easy for him to say, my government wants peace. look where are the other side? it would have been an easy pr victory. someone told him do not speak to the press. >> pr victory, perhaps, james,

but not necessarily diplomacy. thank you very much indeed, james bayes our diplomatic editor in geneva. at least four people have been killed in an attack on a shiite mosque in saudi arabia. it was during friday prayers in the eastern region. 18 people were hurt. witnesses say the suicide bomber blew himself up outside of the mosque. a second person was arrested. he was said to be wearing a suicide vest. no group has said they were behind the attack. >> there was two shooters. one of them was trying to get into the mosque but was stopped by the security officers. and the -- when they found he had something wrong about him,

they tried to capture him, so he ran away, and they cut him. they -- they warned him and cut him alive. the other one managed to get in and shoot at the -- at the -- the people inside the mosque. between the last sermon and [ inaudible ]. and they managed to also to warn him with the help of the people in the mosque, and they -- they killed him at the end. so one of the shooters was killed. the other was captured, wounded, and hopefully he will lead to the security forces to other leads. ♪ new claims of child abuse by peace keeping soldiers in central african republic have emerged. soldiers from france and georgia who were there under a european union mission are said to be

identified by alleged victims. there are also allegations against troops operating directly under the u.n. flag. gabriel elizondo reports at the united nations headquarters in new york. >> reporter: embroiled in scandal once again. a total of six new allegations have surfaced of sexual misconduct against children by foreign peace keeping troops in the central african republic. the incidents are alleged to have taken place in the capitol at a camp for displaced people in 2014. four teenage girls between the ages of 14 and 16 say they were sexually assaultedy european union peace keepers. three said the abusers were from a georgian contingent. troubling allegations were also made against french troops, the youngest alleged victim, a 7-year-old girl said she was sexually abused in exchanged for a bottle of water and a bag of

cookies. >> these of course extremely serious accusations, and it's crucial these cases are thoroughly investigated we are heartened at the initial response we received from the countries concerned as well as from the european union, which show they take these allegations very seriously. we will continue to closely follow up on these cases, and any others which emerge as the u.n. team on the ground continues its investigations. >> reporter: french and e.u. forces arrived in 2014 with a mandate to protect people in a country mired in sectarian violence. on friday the u.n. also revealed five new allegations against their own peace keepers and police. >> it's hard to imagine the outwage people working for the united states and for the causes of peace and security feel when these kinds of allegations come

to light. particularly involving minors, which are so hard to understand. >> reporter: with the investigation continuing and a report by the secretary general expected next month, officials here are privately bracing for the possibility of more allegations coming to light. but now troops accused of criminal activity against the very civilian population they were sent to protect. gabriel elizondo, al jazea, at the united nations. the president of brazil has said she is declaring war on the mosquito spreading the zika virus. with no vaccine yet, she has called on brazilians to fight mosquito infestations. the zika violence has been linked to severe brain defects in thousands of baby's born in

brazil. it has now spread to 23 countries in the americas. brazil says faces of microcephaly has been studied for signs of zika. a condition where babies are born are abnormally small heads and brains. but they argue that heightened awareness of the zika virus may have lead to cases of microcephaly being reported that previously would not have been reported. only 270 of over 700 cases of microcephaly that were investigated have actually been confirmed, 462 has been rejected as false diagnosis. a pediatrician told me scientists aren't absolutely certain that the zika virus is linked to microcephaly. >> there needs to be more further studies to study that.

there need to be animal studies of infecting animals with zika virus and seeing what happens to pregnant animals and prospective studies of seeing what happens when we see women who are pregnant and infected with the zika virus and what happens to their infants. four minors who have been trapped for 36 days have been rescued. 13 are still unaccounted for. there are calls for a rethink of the way that germany integrates refugees. chancellor angela merkel is leading this charge as public opinion over the refugee crisis changes. dominic cane visited a language class in berlin to look at some of the challenges they are

facing there. >> reporter: their struggle to get to germany is over. now the main task is to learn a new language. safely installed in a classroom, their syrians are glad to have left their country's troubles behind. >> translator: i came here to have a peaceful life. i have security and the peace i have been longing for. but it was hard to leave home and family. >> reporter: the teacher came to germany herself 12 years ago from dubai. she says her experience has made her want to help these people integrate, but in recent months things have got much tougher. the attacks on women in cologne on new year's eve have changed everything. >> there were a lot more german people that were excited at having refugees here in the beginning than there are now.

telling a german now that more refugees will come in is like slapping them in the face. >> reporter: 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 punishment on asylum speakers that commit crimes. this social worker believes one problem is that though, most of the cent rivals are looking to integrate into society. other new arrivals want to prey on it. >> translator: 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 only that money plays a role, but also that they are

hostile and dishonest. >> reporter: angela merkel 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 in six week's time when three states hold parliamentary elections. coming up in just a moment if you stay with us, you will see the u.s. police video showing how a prominent protester at a wildlife refuge was shot. and we're off to sri lanka where people are returning to land which was handed back after the war with the tamil tigers. ♪

♪ these are some of the top stories. ? the last hour there are reports that syrian opposition representatives have agreed to go to talking taking place in geneva aimed attending the conflict in the country. four people have died in a suicideback at a shiite mosque in saudi arabia during friday prayers. and the u.n. is promising a full investigation following claims of sexual abuse by european soldiers in central african republic. republican presidential contenders in the united states have scared up for their very last debate before monday's vote in the state of iowa. the parties most prominent

presidential hopeful so far was notable about hi absence. alan fisher reports. >> reporter: the final debate before the first vote, and the biggest name missing. donald trump's no show had to be the subject of the very first question. >> let me say i'm a maniac, and everyone on this stage is stupid, fat, and ugly, and ben, you are a terrible surgeon. [ laughter ] >> now that we have gotten the donald trump portion out of the way -- [ laughter ] >> reporter: as trump and cruz top the iowa polls this is shaping up to be a battle between outsiders like them and the republican establishment being lead by marco rubio. >> this campaign is not about donald trump. he's an entertaining guy. but this campaign is about america. donald trump held an event at the same time, explaining his

boycott shows he will be a strong president. >> you have to stick up for your rights. when you are treated badly, you have to stick up for your rights. you have to do it. [ cheers and applause ] >> and whether we liekt 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 have been treating us. this is one of the worst deals i vo ever seen negotiated under any circumstances, and we just take it. >> reporter: the event saw several protests which provoked loud exchanges in the hall. >> now we move on to the topic of immigration. >> reporter: back at the debate, the question of immigration, and if candidates had switched position over offering a path to citizenship for undocumented workers. >> when that battle was waged my friend senator rubio chose to stand with barack obama and support amnesty.

>> the truth is ted throughout this campaign you have been willing to say or do anything in order to get votes. you helped design george w. bush's immigration policy. >> reporter: this is a night that shows how bizarre this campaign has been. on one channel almost all of the candidates explaining their case. and on almost every single other channel, the party's main contender putting forward his reasons for not being at the debate and why he should be the republican nominee. he claims he has raised almost $6 million for charity, but the more important count will be the votes taken on monday. the fbi has released pictures said to show how one member of an armed group was

shet dead by oregon police. >> reporter: the fbi says it released this video to dispel misinformation about what lead to the death of lavoy finicum, a spokesman seen here at the wildlife refuge. two vehicles are seen stopping at the roadblock. finicum is driving the white pickup. militia leader ammon bundy is a passenger in the jeep. one person who left the truck can be seen in the lower right of the screen with his hands in the air. nearly four minutes passed as the agents demanded that the others surrender. then finicum speeds off. >> as the truck approaches the roadblock, there is a spike trip across the road, but it appears finicum missed it as we attempted to drive around the roadblock. he nearly hits an fbi agent. the truck gets stuck in a snow bank. >> reporter: that's when finicum gets out and reaches towards his

jacket, where according to the fbi, he was carrying a weapon. state police opened fire sneechlt >> we did everything we could to bring this to a peaceful solution. and we waited a very long time, we were able to get one individual out of that truck, safely back and in custody. >> reporter: fbi officials say they know the occupation has caused disruption and stress for local residents. they say negotiators are working around the clock to get those remaining out of there, safely and quickly. just four people remain on the refuge, three men and a woman, who say in videos posted online, they will leave with assurances that they won't be arrested? . >> we want to go home peacefully. safely. >> reporter: speaking through his attorney, their jailed leader called on them to leave. >> my message still remains.

turn yourselves in. do not use physical force. use the national platform that we have to continue to defend liberty. >> reporter: he vowed to continue their fight for local control of federal lands through the courts. kristen saloomey, al jazeera, burns, oregon. the african union getting together in ethiopia at the moment. heads of states will be investigating the potential need to send peace keepers to burundi, a country which has faced months of violent unrest in the run upto presidential elections last year. catherine soi sent this update. >> reporter: the heads of state who will be meeting in this hall will be considering a report that will be table by the chair pern of the a.u. on the

situation in burundi. and they are going to be talking about the deployment of a.u. peace keepers to burundi. this is a very controversial issue. the bush rundy government has rejected such a move, so the heads of state will be considering different options. there are provisions within the constitution of the a.u. that mandate the a.u. to do this, but then for that to happen the heads of state have to endorse such a move, and it also has to be an proved by the u.n. security council. a lot of people who follow burundi and a.u. affairs will tell you that many heads of state will be reluctant to endorse such a move because burundi is a sovereign country with an elected government and elected president. so perhaps what the heads of

state will do is call for a more aggressive peace -- for all inclusive talks, a political dialogue that will be able to move the country forward, lobby groups and human rights groups as well are calling for targeted sanctions, suspension from the a.u., and certain bodies, so it will be very interesting to see what kind of positions come from this meeting, and how they will be implemented so that burundi can move forward. >> reporter: -- amnesty international released images showing sites of what it believes are graves on the out skirts of the capitol. they say locals told them about mistaking bodies to undisclosed locations. well in the year after sri lanka's president unexpectedly

gained power, military-occupied land is being returned to displaced people. hoda abdel hamid reports. >> reporter: it's a bittersweet moment. this woman and her brother had not seen their family home since 1990. during the war, the area had been designated a high security zone. everyone living here was expelled and the sri lanka army moved in. now both barely recognize the house they grew up in. >> translator: we were really sad the first time we saw it. we kept on looking and then we left. this was a sitting room. visitors used to come here. it was always alive and nice. the only thing left is this painting. everything else is gone, everything is broken. >> reporter: six years after the

war with the tamil tigers ended, the socials are gradually pulling back. about 700 hectares were returned last year. the land is now overgrown and needs to be cleared, and there is no water. still they are glad that after so many years, they got their property back, a first step towards national reconciliation, even though many say the government needs to do much more. many members of the tamil tigers are still in jail. others like this woman's husband were detained after the war ended. he is going through a government-sponsored rehabilitation course, but she doesn't known when he'll be back home. >> translator: all of this time, my husband hasn't been with me. if you are alone, society

doesn't accept you. there are many females like me who are alone and isolated. >> reporter: the war has fected everyone here. the tamil tigers had demanded that one member of each family join their ranks, so this woman was drafted one day after she turned 18. she was injured and detained at the end of the conflict in 2009. >> translator: life under the tamils was not different. we were in the same situation, but because we were injured in the fighting. i wonder if they would have taken better care of us now. there is still work to be done if they wt to reach real peace. it would take time for things to settle, and it won't happen overnight. >> reporter: hundreds remain stranded in mps. for some the pledges made by the president to restore sri lanka's tattered democracy and unite the

country will only come true once they finally end their lives as displaced people. humidity humidity, al jazeera, in northern sri lanka. from all four corners of the globe, we have the main stories of the day, aljazeera.com. aljazeera.com. ♪ >> for millions it is a simple act, but for me it is often a game of chance. one wrong bite and my immune system goes haywire. for me, a peanut becomes an extreme threat. my heart races. my skin erupts. my stomach is under seige. i am sick, and i am in trouble, but i'm not alone. >> you have five minutes, what